The year 2020 has received a lot of hateful messages. We all entered our first worldwide pandemic and life changed dramatically. I am sad for all the lives lost, and for those individuals and business who are struggling economically. However, I cannot hate 2020; it was the very best year of my adult life.

After traveling for work for 16 years, I never imagined that I would get a year or more in which I saw my children every single day. I’m so glad I have 2 children who are such good friends as they have enjoyed playing together this year. And they are both delightful people to be around every day. For the first time ever, I felt like the boys played with ALL of their toys while we were at home in 2020. I enjoyed working out at home and cooking a lot more, finally having time to find new recipes, gather ingredients, and prepare more meals. I also had time to reorganize the attic, garage, and closets for the first time since I became a mother.

In July I made the decision that both boys would stay home with me for the 20-21 school year. In contrast to the spring, this time I had the advance warning to make a plan. I blocked my work calendar until 12:00 everyday so I could teach them. Tucker receives lesson plans each week from his charter school and I put together resources from several programs so that I could teach Parker Pre-K. Parker also does online preschool circle time through a website called Outschool. The boys really love their “school time” with Mommy. I’m grateful that I had this opportunity to give Tucker 1:1 attention and teach him to read. I am grounded in the science of reading research much more than his public school teachers and he has benefitted from that support.

When I go to my desk for work meetings in the afternoon, the kids are content to be on their own. While the fall semester was better than spring, it was still challenging to balance teaching and working. Many nights, I work from 9pm until midnight or 1 a.m. just to keep my head above water. Every week is essentially a marathon to Friday evening and then I crash, totally exhausted. I one thing I have really missed is doing swing or salsa dancing. With partner dancing out of the question, I’ve spent a lot more time this year painting on the weekends which has been fulfilling and relaxing.

We spent a few days at a resort in Austin for Tucker’s fall break in September. The resort was a veritable ghost town with the boys having massive swimming pools all to themselves. We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving at home together and I had fun cooking a delicious meal. Our last mini-trip was 2 nights in Dallas after Christmas to visit Uncle Shawn and Aunt Kelly.

Tucker is my little ninja who loves running, climbing trees, and monkey bars. Santa brought him a Ninja line for the backyard so Tucker can keep up his strength while we wait to return to gymnastics class. Tucker’s most treasured possession is a large stuffed wolf (Wolfie) he received for his 4th birthday. For his 7th birthday, we stayed overnight at the Great Wolf Lodge in Dallas (and now he owns a couple more wolves). This fall as we were learning about Native Americans, I read a story about Little Rabbit. And Tucker decided to change his name to “Little Wolf”. He gets really mad if I forget and call him Tucker! He even writes Little Wolf on all of his school papers.

Parker has been talking about Grandma April all year. Sometimes he will pop into one of my work meetings and announce, “did you know my grandma died?” Over time this has transformed into daily stories about his life on Mars with Grandma April, before he was born. I love that he feels such a deep connection with her. Parker loves dogs and politely approaches owners with “Excuse me, may I pet your dog?” Both of the boys have loved the small Yorkie, Benji, who joined our family in August. (I adore Benji too – I had no idea how fun a purse dog would be!)

2020 was the year I spent more time with Tucker and Parker than I ever imagined. I treasure our moments together. I love this time at home. I love not traveling out of town to leave them. I love being their schoolteacher and their piano teacher. We have enjoyed playing together with toys and games, and our movie nights on the weekend. Our three dogs love being with us every day too. One day, I will have to send Tucker and Parker back into the world. One day, I will have to leave them overnight for a business trip. However, I know that whatever the future holds, 2020 was the year that solidified the bond between the 3 of us, forever.

We have been blessed to remain healthy throughout. I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy and happy as well. I look forward to hugging my friends when it is safe. In the meantime, the Flowers are home together.

Greetings from the hot summer days of Texas! 2020 has been such a different year for us, as I’m sure it has been for you as well. COVID-19 and the associated effects have been stressful but also a blessing in many ways. This is the first time since maternity leave that I’ve been with my children every day. In the Spring, I was challenged with working long hours and also teaching Tucker Kindergarten 2-3 hours a day to finish the school year. We really enjoyed a short summer break. I have virtual meetings every day – sometimes 6 to 8 calls. One day Parker sat down at a toy laptop and said “I’m on a call.” He frequently pops into my work meetings to say Hi to my co-workers. I have three work spaces setup in the house now. But no matter where I am, the boys want to be playing in the same room with me. Several of my co-workers have commented that even with extreme distractions in the background– I’m a pro at staying focused and keeping my train of thought! I play with the boys whenever I have a little break in my schedule.

Mini golf

Loved going to outdoor mini golf during quarantine this spring.

Forest

And going for walks in the forest.

On July 1st we celebrated Parker’s 4th birthday – Minion style. We had a virtual party with a few friends and family members to sing Happy Birthday while we blew out the candles. We also went to a local children’s museum and played glow in the dark miniature golf (Miniature golf is Parker’s absolute favorite). Parker is an absolute sweetheart. He likes to say, “I love you everyday the whole time.” He looks up to his big brother and loves to play with him. Lately, Parker has been sneaking into Tucker’s pajama drawer, preferring to his brother’s pj’s. They still have some matching shirts and always enjoying days when they can dress alike. Parker is a wealth of information starting many of his sentences with “did you know?...” This summer he can often be found in the backyard with the sprinkler on or playing in the rain – at least once a day.

Tucker is 6 ½ now. He broke his left arm in June while playing Ninja obstacle course in the house – he came down the bunk bed ladder facing forward and going too fast. Fortunately, he is able to wear a splint for 2 months rather than a cast as it was a buckle fracture. And the injury wasn’t too painful except for at the time it happened. Tucker was out of school and already out of gymnastics and piano lessons due to COVID-19 so the injury hasn’t been too disruptive. Tucker helps Parker a lot when I’m on work conference calls and can’t attend to him right away. He is a fantastic big brother. Tucker has also become a pro at unloading the dishwasher which is a huge help to me. He enjoys his toys and most especially his huge collection of stuffed animals.

On August 18th, I’m celebrating 17 years with Pearson Clinical Assessment. I was promoted to a Regional Manager position in January. This has been a great opportunity to share my knowledge and experience with my new team. However, first three months of 2020 were extremely challenging. I was managing a team of eight consultants while still covering my own sales territory and traveling multiple times a month. I was working 50-60 hours a week and barely sleeping. Then we went to Louisiana for a few days over Spring Break, visiting with friends and my cousin. Upon returning home, quarantine started and my travels for the year ended. I’m still often working at my computer at midnight or 1 a.m. due to the workload and spending time with the boys during the day. I’m always struggling to find balance and stay healthy with cooking, exercising, and getting enough sleep. Being in town full time has certainly helped with having a more regular routine.

Easter 2020

Egg hunts!

I will always treasure this year when I’ve been able to tuck my children into bed every single night. And not only that, be with them all day every day. We’ve had fun with imaginary games, hide and seek, hidden objects, egg hunts, treasure hunts, and board games. I feel like they’ve had time to play with their toys for the first time in a couple of years. I don’t miss the busyness of driving them to school, activities, and parties. I’m grateful that the boys love to play together and don’t miss being with friends from school. I am reluctant to end this cocooned life that we have together now.

Fortunately, Pearson is still on a travel ban and the conferences I usually attend have either cancelled or become virtual. Due to several factors including the rising rates of infection in Texas, I’ve decided that Tucker will start first grade through remote learning at home. This means that I will be teaching him and Parker for a few hours every morning (and making up those lost hours after they go to bed). So back to school will be a stressful time but I think it’s the right decision for my family and everyone’s well-being. At least this time I have a more planful approach to our routine of homeschool and have curriculum that I can do with Parker for his pre-K year.

I hope that the challenges of a global pandemic have brought some blessing into your life also. I wish that you are happy and healthy, always.

We send great love and big hugs from the Flowers.

Love Letter to 2020

Staying Home in 2020

Mini golf

Forest

Easter 2020

Egg hunts!