154 of 365 – June 4, 2021 – I had asked Florence and Julia if they’d like to share a bedroom with Louisa, and they both gave enthusiastic yeses. Since the school year was winding down (and bunkbeds were finally back in stock at Ikea), I thought it would be a good time to make the change. This is a portrait of their last night in their room for two. After our bedtime routine was done every night, Florence read, and Julia spent some quiet time alone playing with her Calico Critters. My general post-bedtime rule is if I don’t see you and I don’t hear you, you can do whatever you’d like and they took full advantage.

155 of 365 – June 5, 2021 – The first day in the room for three was not without its hiccups. I knew it might take some adjustment, and that was confirmed when I heard Florence screaming through our shared wall, “STOP TALKING!!!!” That may seem kind of harsh. Who can blame Lou for being excited to finally have company for bedtime? But apparently, she had a lot of questions that needed immediate answers. And she liked to repeat those questions over and over and over again even after receiving those answers. For example:

“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“Meow”
“Florence, what does a cat say?”
“STOP TALKING!!!!”

Fair enough.

156 of 365 – June 6, 2021 – First day at the pool of the season really wore Louisa out.

157 of 365 – June 7, 2021 – Strawberry face.

158 of 365 – June 8, 2021 – Louisa helping me water the plants while her sisters are in school…enjoying my final days home with just Lou before summer and all the kids are in school in the fall!

159 of 365 – June 9, 2021 – Florence’s end of year assembly looked a bit different than usual. We all gathered on the playground with our masks and spaced out picnic blankets to look through all their work from the year. And yes, it was different, but I feel so grateful for her amazing teachers and how much work they put in to making sure the year ran as smoothly as possible and actually felt kind of normal. From full virtual, to hybrid, to in person, Florence sampled it all and the teachers made it somehow still seem like just a regular year. The heart award feels very appropriate for this girl who loves school and never complained about online learning or wearing a mask or any of it. She just showed up ready to learn.

160 fo 365 – June 10, 2021 – Julia’s last day of school in this crazy year called for a bit of a celebration, so we took a little walk after dinner and had ice cream in the sunset. That pretty light is my kind of celebrating. It was a long, strange year, but I am so proud of how this girl did not miss a beat.