I’m finally able to write this post! After being out of school since March due to the Covid pandemic. We have been anxiously awaiting the return to any kind of normal. Our normal now is Reece going to 5th grade in person two days a week and the other 3 are completely online for school and it was all pushed back to after Labor Day. This is not really the start back that anyone was hoping for but I guess we’ll take anything we can get at this point.

On a sidenote, upon our return from Pinehurst, we managed to kill our pets, Milo and Buttercup. Drew went to feed them and they were not in their habitat. So, my guess is that an animal came and ate the poor little things! Ugh…we are not fit to be pet owners I guess. So now we have these cute little gravestones for them. We loved you Milo and Buttercup (even though you were smelly)

2020 was going to be BIG year for our family. Several vacations were planned, Brian and I celebrating 20 years of marriage, and 3 of our 4 kids were heading into school milestones. Morgan, her senior year, Jake starting high school, and Reece completing her final year of elementary school.

I’m hoping to get a rain check on all of these vacations I was going to take this year! Most especially the trip to St. John we were taking with my best friend, Lisa, and her crew. We did manage to get a last minute booking at Camp Long Creek, a part of Big Cedar Lodge, in Branson, MO. We loaded up my new fancy ride to the very tip top, split up into two ADORABLE cabins overlooking Table Rock Lake and had the BEST time! Jake declared himself a “country boy,” we cooked a million pounds of bacon in two tiny microwaves, jumped off cliffs, and threw kids flying off tubes. We laughed so much our stomachs hurt and it was a great end to the 6 month spring break/summer.

We held off on buying school supplies and nice back to school clothes because we knew this school year was going to start off differently but we still gathered with our normal neighborhood crew for pictures and breakfast. We HAD to–it’s tradition. We even made the back to school donut ride happen!

So there she goes…our little one…off to be the big girl on campus and she actually gets to go into a school building 2 days a week!! She’s one heck of a strong-willed girl and she will follow every rule and make sure they are followed by others. This is the first year I haven’t put any kids on a bus! I decided to drive this year so that no one would have to wear a mask longer than needed. It’s kind of a way of life now actually, but we all need a break!

Look at our neighborhood SENIORS!!

We are so proud! We know they are going on to do great things and we will make this the best senior year possible.

I just knew the start of school would spark every single emotion. Our Morgan is simply the best and I have been wandering down memory lane a lot as I prepare to send her off to experience her senior year. I have no worries actually, only hopes and dreams for this fabulous daughter that I get to call mine.

I would like to share what our home school is looking like here at the Conley house! It’s not perfect. You can’t buy a desk right now to save your life because they are all snatched up by every kid and parent in the universe working from home right now. We’re making due. You’ll see Drew is making time for Recess in the garage with a basketball and working on his putting between zoom calls. We think he MUST be an expert by the end of the semester. Jake is surviving on party pizzas and PS4 and occasional trip to the driving range between classes (it’s pretty much a glorified frat house around here) and Morgan is working really hard.

Reece is home 3 days a week and we’re trying out different locations

Her 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Petty, sent us this picture of her at her desk on her first day of school and I am so happy to have it!

There are no parent volunteers allowed any more, no field trips, and many traditions will not occur this year. Everything looks and feels different and I’m so proud of her for persevering on this crazy journey. The teachers are AMAZING for what they are doing to try to educate our kids. We have discovered we can do hard things but it hasn’t been without a LOT of struggle along the way. And if Brian hears that the WIFI isn’t working one more time he might send us all to a hotel!

I’m doing my very best to not let go of traditions during this time. The first week of September is always celebrated with grandparent lunch at school and we decided to make our own at home.

Grandma and Grandpa Conley cannot have visitors in their facility right now and have struggled with numerous health complications since the lock down. But we are trying our best to keep them happy and healthy! They recently celebrated 54 years of marriage!

So as we finish up our 2nd week of school, we are reflecting on what a crazy time this has been! Our saving grace has been our sports! There was a time this fall that high school sports were not going to happen but the community has been rallying and pushing for them for the well-being of our kids. The Conley’s were in attendance and also rallying to get these kids back into a school building safely. I told my kids…wherever you go, put masks in your pocket so you’re prepared for anything and hope for the best! And oh by the way…you’ve now experienced the Royals winning the World Series, the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, a community rally, and a pandemic. Unbelievable.

We’ve also experienced drive through Picture day, drive through school materials and device pick up. Unprecedented times for sure.