A Smokey Start to School Covid-Style!

 Jace and Bella

We had a few fun days at Mr Kurt's pool swimming and enjoying the last few days of summer vacation. We are doing a slow start to school, only one day the first week and two the second week then all four days. I'm just glad we get to go, our cousins and other friends have to do all online school. The first day of school,I only had 3 kids in class and then only 13 when my whole class was there. We both have buddies in our class again and a couple of new friends that we are getting to know. A bunch of fires started in California and Oregon making it super smoky. Our cousins from Pennsylvania came to go hunting with papa, but they shut down all hunting due to the fires. We went to Roseburg to visit them and then they came down for pizza and we played corn hole and showed them our treehouse. School got cancelled due to smoke the second week and we spent Tuesday with Miss Audra while daddy and mama worked. A terrifying fire went through Ashland, Talent and some of Medford. Daddy was on shift and worked all night and the entire next day trying to put out the fires and save as many homes as they could. His phone died, so we didn't have any contact with him. Mama was a bit worried and wanted to do something for all the guys out there working so hard. So we went to Miss Audra's again while mama went to the fire station and helped make 300 sandwiches and packed lunches for the firefighters.  Another fire started in Medford right by the station and everyone in the area was evacuating, so it took mama a really long time to get home. She met us at gymnastics and then daddy came home super late and then had to go back for another 24 hours the next day. We were glad to know he was safe, but so sad that so many people lost their homes. We had a few play dates, with the Hill's at their gym and with the Tocher's at our house. Mama made us a new sweatshirt and fall dress with matching masks for school. 

The Sweet Taste of Summer!

 Jace

Ninja kour is going really well and I got moved up to the advanced class which is 2 days a week. Mama said I could do it, but if I did then I couldn't play soccer too. We weren't sure if soccer was even going to happen because of Covid, so I chose ninja kour. Grandma went on a backpacking trip to finish the PCT Oregon, so we went to Roseburg to pick blackberries, pears and play at the river with papa at Miss Merry's house. I ate a lot of the berries and some apples from her tree too. They feed the apples to the deer and we got to see them super close. The Wieking Family went on a family trip, so we went and harvested their garden while they were gone. We got so many yummy tomatoes and I ate so many that mama said I might turn into one! We made lots of pizza sauce and dried some tomatoes too. Mama ordered Bella a new gymnastics suit and I thought it would be funny if I wore it with my wrestling head gear, but she didn't think it was very funny. We used some left over sauce and made spaghetti for dinner and it was the best thing ever! I got invited to a wrestling practice in someone's shop in central point, so I started going once or twice a week. We got to play at the Wieking's house again while our mama's canned sauce and pears. Demian and I rode the wagon down the hill and giggled every time we crashed. We were supposed to meet grandma at the end of her hike, but papa got sick and was in the hospital for a whole week. Grandma finished early and mama went up to be with papa for a couple of days.  Lala came down to watch us for a couple of days and then she took us school clothes shopping.

Bella

I picked so many strawberries from the garden and then helped mama make homemade biscuits and whipping cream for strawberry shortcake. We had it a lot and it was delicious. The deer at Miss Merry's were so cute and after we picked berries I jumped into the river. We picked lots of pears from her tree so mama could can them for me with honey. Miss Katie from the gym had her baby girl Eden and we took them dinner and I got to hold her. She was so tiny and sweet and I could have held her forever. School clothes shopping with Lala was fun and we got to stop at the hospital and have dinner with papa outside at a picnic table on our way home. I helped mama make sauce and Aven and I helped our mama's by taking the pear cores to the chickens. Mama made me a sunflower dress and miss Audra took pictures of Aven and I in her sunflowers.