Over the weekend we celebrated our son’s birthday with relatives over video chat. Almost every weekend since the stay at home order started we’ve chatted about our week, told jokes, sang songs, played instruments and showed off new drawings and Lego creations with relatives from all over the country.

This week’s video chat was extra special. Everyone, even our son’s great grandma, showed off the Lego creations that they made to celebrate our son's birthday. Our kids enjoyed seeing all of the creative creations and showing off their own. It was especially fun to see their uncle’s old Legos and compare the simple bricks to all of the shapes and colors available today.

Having an activity to do and share made this video chat extra enjoyable for our kids. They didn’t need to just sit and listen quietly. They could stay and remain part of the video chat while building with Lego on their own. It felt much more like when we fly to the midwest to visit everyone. We all sit in the living room together and chat while the kids build Lego and frequently run up to relatives to show off what they made.

Our kids usually get birthday cards and gifts from relatives who live far away. Sometimes a short phone call. But this video chat was the perfect birthday present this year. I hope these video chats continue so our daughters can enjoy a birthday video chat with relatives too. I'm sure our daughters would love to see their great grandma doing a craft, building a Lego set, or dancing just for them. What wonderful happy memories to make together.