We’ve been sheltering-in-place, out of school, and spending our days doing a little homework, a lot of eating and huge portions playing (kids) for about 2 weeks now.

We got news the afternoon I took these photos that school will be closed until April 24th. The kids aren’t sure how they feel about it. They miss their friends. They miss their teachers. They are probably a little bored of me and John. But they seem to understand why we’re home and how we’re helping a lot of people by staying home.

We live next door to John’s ex-wife and her husband (yes, we know it’s unusual, but we happily make it work) and his two kids. John and Sarah’s (even weirder that we share a name, lol) two kids live at both houses and split their time between parents and step-siblings. Because we didn’t think it was right to make their kids choose a house to live in for the duration of the coronavirus, we’ve made both of our houses a safe zone and the kids have been lucky enough to play with each other [pretty much non-stop] for days.

I was out with Walter and noticed the light was freakin’ awesome so I pulled 4 kids off the trampoline and 3 kids away from Minecraft and asked them all to model for me. I’m always so pleased when they happily oblige.

I love when Wren wears her hair in “twisty pigtails”! I hope she never outgrows it <3

We live in a quiet neighborhood on a regular day, but now it’s so quiet. Lots of people out walking, but car traffic has slowed down so much that it felt perfectly safe to let the kids play in the road while I snapped photos!

These images of the kids aren’t perfect. Someone is blinking or frowning or looking at something that is most definitely not me, but in a few years when Henry is 12 inches taller and Wren and Leo are as big as Anna and Henry are today, I will be so glad we have evidence of everyone’s growth 🥰

In order from left to right: Henry (11), Anna (12), Wren (7), Lucy (9), Ava (9), Leo (6), JM (14)

I’m not always sure I should break the big group into smaller groups of “true” siblings. The kids all view each other as one family which I think is wonderful. But I do it anyway – you just never know – we might want or need it in the future.