2021 in 21 Photos

Some you've seen, some maybe not. All 2021.

January 26: Atticus plays Chutes and Ladders via Zoom with a friend.  Indoor playdates still aren't the norm.

February 1: Back at school -- two days a week, with masks -- after 11 months at home.

February 8: But the year wasn't all pandemic related! Atticus lost his first tooth at school.

March 5: The zoo was a nice outdoor activity throughout the pandemic. I love this photo of the kids searching for penguins.

April 3: Atticus 5th birthday party was cancelled last year. His 6th was held on the porch.

April 14: The kids gave baseball a try in the spring. It didn't stick.

April 24: Edith received her First Communion, wearing the same dress that both my mom and I wore.

June 6: A cicada spring.

June 17: Edith took up archery this year.

July 23: We visited a few parks this year. The zipline at Blendon Woods was a hit.

July 30: The kids made tons of progress after taking swimming lessons all summer.

August 11: A trip west was booked when COVID cases were going down. We still went. Here are the kids in Albuquerque.

August 13: Edith and I at the Grand Canyon.

August 18: One of my favorite photos of the year, masks + 3D glasses at Disneyland.

August 19: Taking a spin on the pier at Hermosa Beach.

August 26: First day of school: FIVE DAYS PER WEEK!

September 26: The kids attended their first wedding. 

October 9: My sister-in-law took our annual family photo!

October 9: Edith got her hair cut not long after!

November 6: Edith got a long-awaited birthday party with her friends, all outdoors.

December 9: After the kids were vaccinated, we started doing more indoors.

Merry Christmas!

 Will return next week.

Penguin Party!

For more than a year, Atticus has been a tiny bit obsessed with penguins. His favorite book is even a collection of penguin poems! So when I saw that a library branch in a nearby neighborhood was hosting a Penguin Party after school last week, we were there.

There were penguin crafts and games, small prizes and penguin books on display. The kids also liked the penguin "photo booth" accessories and asked me to take some photos. So here are my little penguins.

False Alarm Covid!

 The kids were off of school for three more days last week after a tiny bit of a Covid scare.

"Scare" makes it sounds more serious than what it was. We ate dinner with a fully-vaccinated relative the weekend after Thanksgiving, who later tested positive on a rapid test. Because the kids were around this relative in an unmasked environment (because it was a meal) for more than 15 minutes, the kids had to quarantine. Paul and I did not have to quarantine because we are fully vaccinated.

The relative followed-up with a PCR test that turned out negative, so the precautions were for naught. Nevertheless, the kids had to take a Covid test on Friday -- their very first -- before being allowed to return to school yesterday. (Atticus thought it was ticklish, Edith thought it hurt.)

The kids got their second jab on Saturday, so they too will be fully vaccinated in less than two weeks, just as the holiday break begins. When they return to school in January, it will be a whole new ball game. But I guess we couldn't quite make it without a quarantine in the ninth inning.