Dana Burland

Right now we’re happy and tired and hopeful. After a year and a half COVID isn’t as scary as it once was. We’ve learned to navigate around it, also our fear tank has run dry. We grit our teeth behind our masks and do the best we can. We’re not quite there yet. Our boys are too young to be vaccine eligible. There is no deep, or semi deep breath, for us as parents. I’m still sad for what the boys are missing out on because of our comfortability/safety. I’m still nervous about the things we are doing, navigating a big gray void of caution and wondering where a landmine might be if I overstep. I’m still annoyed every time I’m juggling two kids, a diaper bag, water bottles, snacks, The Special Blankie, putting shoes on, to get out the door and have to remember the damn masks. I’m more annoyed when I’m juggling all those things and physically sweating as I have to keep my face covered--and even worse when we’re somewhere like the doctor’s office where A is SO nervous, clinging to me l...

The weather was great, the company was great and the costumes were great. We had such an epic Halloween this year. C was old enough to get it, and had the stamina to back it up. With a friend the two boys ran non-stop up to 50+ houses, trick-or-treating for 1.5 hours total before coming home to eat a second dinner and pass out. He was Spiderman this year, as were 3 other boys in his class. What a big year for Spideys everywhere. My littlest, A, was a puppy dog, who only sort of understood the entire concept. He did like going up to houses for candy, even if it was a little scary, and was very sad his sucker was taken away from him at bedtime.  I loved hosting our family friends again for the holiday. This year's big food hits were "goblin juice" (colored lemonade), breadstick snakes and Meijer spinach dip spooned into a bell pepper to look fancy. Which by the way very much makes it "my recipe".