Last post of 2020

We have never really been party animals.  When I was growing up, we usually attended New Year’s Eve at my grandma’s house with all my aunts and uncles and cousins.  When she was no longer with us, we have sort of transitioned into staying home and letting the kids have friends over.  Due to covid, we skipped the friends this year.   Well covid, and the fact that we are in a winter storm warning and I didn’t feel like leaving the house tomorrow to take friends home.  

Madison, Andrew, Evie and Mallory joined us this evening.  None of them made it to midnight. Jim also is a party pooper.  Quincy is spending the night at Landrie’s house.  That just leaves Harper, Saige, Preston and me to usher out 2020. Cameron stayed in Manhattan and is living it up in style.  

I hope that there is less death, sickness and bad news in 2021.   I hope that we take the lessons we have learned about family, self reliance, patience and kindness into the new year.  I hope that the vaccine works, and we can get back the pieces of our lives that we have always taken for granted.  Most of all, I hope that we can continue on the path of truly living our best lives.  

Shabby weather

We have not had much going on during the break.  Today I made appointments for Quincy and Saige to have their final dental work finished.  Of course the day I made appointments, the weather would turn to crap.  That’s how my life goes.  If I had no plans, it would have been sunny and 60. ;) 

I have been known to take off icy driving days before, however, I was supposed to have  meeting tonight and I didn’t have everything ready.  I am also frantically trying to get year end reports started, and a few other tasks done this week when Madison is off work, and Evie isn’t at my office. So I went to work.  I left instructions that we would need to leave for dental appointments when I got off work and to be ready. Preston volunteered to make lunch and have it ready when I got home so we could eat and go. I walked in after work to find Preston and Saige frying homemade French fries in the fry daddy.  I said “oh cool, what are you making to go with the fries?” I was met with Preston giving me a blank stare and then responding “why aren’t French fries a complete lunch?”    Alrighty then. We can eat fries for lunch.  My parents gave us a half a beef for Christmas.  I bought a half a hog, and we raised broilers this year.  I literally have meat. Picky Preston likes carbs.  That’s all there is to it.  

The morning ice turned over to just rain.  Cold, foggy, dreary rain, but I was thankful the roads stayed just wet and not icy.  We have been working so hard to get all these dental appointments finished up, I did not want to cancel. 

We made it and these 2 are finished.  I hope all this work pays off in the long run!   Preston is still needing a couple of things fixed and we are planning a consultation to just use the new dentist for Harper’s orthodontics, but there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. 

While I was waiting for the dentist, my meeting got cancelled.  We stopped off and got a couple things for dinner.  We had a complete meal this time!  

A good weekend.

It has been fun having the kids all here this weekend.  Cameron and Colin never seem to be here at the same time these days, so this weekend was a treat!   

The girls and I dog-sat for Volt while Colin, Spencer, Cameron, Lauren, Preston and Lauren’s brother went to the Chief’s game.  Volt tolerates us, but I’m not sure he is delighted to be here. He definitely has his own quirks!  

My boys don’t love the Chiefs.  They all have other teams that they like.  But Lauren wanted Cameron to be able to go to an NFL game as he had never been before.  So she and Colin went together to make it happen.  I guess the covid rule at Arrowhead is that they sell the tickets in packs of 6.  You have to stay with your group of people.  You can tailgate, but you have to stay in  your own group.  Lauren and Colin organized the whole thing.  Surprised Cameron and Preston with the tickets, bought tail gate foods, organized everything.  It was a great day for them all!   

The girls and I got a lot done today.  We have enjoyed family meals together, singing on Quincy’s new karaoke machine, playing with dogs, being overly competitive during board games and just being together.  I’m sad that it has to end.  The good weekends just never last long enough.  

Christmas 2020

For my kids entire lives, we have had Christmas Eve with the Lang gang.  A time or 2 it was held early or maybe even late, but it has always been a part of their Christmas.  They were sort of sad about covid ruining it for them.  We decided to make Christmas Eve a candy making day. Mallory joined us and was a ton of help!   Cameron and Lauren were able to join us for church and dinner.  

It wasn’t quite the same, but it was a nice day.   Mallory even got Quincy to consent to having her hair curled.  A true Christmas miracle!  

The Saint Francis children sang “Away in a Manger” and it was very nice.  I have to thank Lauren who was somehow talked into singing with Saige.  Lauren is awesome!   

It was a really nice, and not all that crowded service.  I am very happy that we got to attend mass.   I understand precautions but I just couldn’t imagine Christmas without Christmas mass!  

Mallory and Cameron helped me get everything ready for Christmas morning.  I thought my kids were all to an age that we would be allowed to sleep in on Christmas morning.   At 6:30 (not sleeping in time) Olive began barking very loudly.  Turns out, she had a good reason as Colin and Spencer came in my door!  It was a really nice surprise that they got here so early!   We had almost all the kids home for Christmas morning!  

We were all blessed with nice gifts and had a breakfast of biscuits and gravy eaten by 7:30!   

Later in the morning, Evelyn, Madison and Andrew came over to hang out with us!  I was so happy that we had our kids all home at one point or the other this year.  I know not everyone was so lucky.  

We had a little visit from Grandma Nancy and a zoom Christmas visit with Jim’s side of the family.  Definitely not our normal Christmas!  This whole year has been not been our normal.  We have skipped family gatherings. We have made the best of strange situations.  We have tried to follow weird regulations.   

A little side note, we all love the significant others our children have picked.  We feel like they are such amazing people and awesome additions to our family!  I feel blessed by this.  

We also did something we have never done and ordered pizza for dinner!  It was nice to take a break from cooking!  

Our little sweet granddaughter officially turned 2 yesterday.  She is an amazingly funny, sassy, sweet addition to our family as well.   We had so much fun watching her excitement today!  As they were leaving, she discovered that our tree had candy canes on it!   She had to take a few for the road.  ;)

As much as I crave our old traditions and family gatherings, I feel like this Christmas was still amazing.   We are incredibly blessed.  Happy birthday Jesus!