Here we are, at the last weekend of a very strange summer break. When I look back on the summer of 2020, I hope I won’t remember it for never getting to leave the house, or for all of the bad things that kept happening in the world.. Because even if this summer has been different, and not what I wanted it to be, there have been good moments. So I hope I (and the Fab Five) remember it for:

• Our virtual vacation to Chicago.
• Baking different variations of our favorite cookies with Bunny after church every Sunday.
• Early morning snuggles with Chickadee (the early-riser of the Fab Five).
• Seeing the joy the Fab Five got out of playing with The Child.
• Watching Hamilton (and listening to the soundtrack) over and over again, sometimes with accompanying singing and dancing.
• Playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons seemingly endlessly.
• Taking sunset walks with Ladybug.
• Spending extra time cooking special meals.
• Watching every Pixar movie, and picking our favorites.
• Listening to Christmas music whenever we felt like it, simply because it brightened our day.
• Binge-watching TV shows (Everybody Loves Raymond was a family favorite, and we also enjoyed The King of Queens) and laughing together.
• Making waffles for lunch (and sometimes dinner, but never breakfast!) many days.
• Sharing late-night Reese’s peanut butter bars with Turkey and Bunny while we watched The Golden Girls.
• Even later-night M*A*S*H marathons with Turkey and Moose.

I’m sure there are other things that have been hallmarks of our vacation, but these are the big ones, the happy moments I want to remember, instead of the craziness of the world around us.