Such a fun weekend

Friday night, while I was watching Preston not play basketball, Jim attended Quincy’s first wrestling tournament.  I begged him to please take pictures because I fear that winter sports seasons will be cancelled.  He did what I asked! Quincy lost her first 2 matches, but she won her last match with a pin!  Quincy is in the gray singlet in these photos.  Jim also took video. I will have to work on uploading that later, my movie app has to be updated first apparently.   I am very proud of Quincy for trying something new.  She was very nervous but she did great!  

 Colin and Spencer came up for a party with their friends in Lawrence.  They hung out with us most of Saturday.  We enjoyed visiting with them and painting some ornaments.  I had seen an idea on Pinterest.  We all know the stuff we see on that site is never going to work, but we had fun trying.  

We ran into a problem.  Preston played in a game on Thursday, then sat out of his game on Friday because he hurt his eye in shop class.   When we got home Friday night, we found out that he was quarantined due to a player testing positive for covid on the Thursday night team.  He is now quarantined until the 20th.  We have made the decision for him to stay in his room.  I’m sure he is bored, but he does have a tv, his phone, a bunch of video games and room service.   The rest of us do not have to quarantine unless Preston starts showing symptoms.   Fingers crossed that he will stay healthy.  

Today was Evie’s birthday cat party.  She was thrilled.  She loved her kitty litter cake (eew!) and all her gifts.  She doesn’t enjoy having people sing to her though!  Even after all the practices we have done, she still cried.  I cannot tell you how much we love this little girl. She is amazing, funny, a little bit sassy, and a whole lot adored!  I cannot believe how fast the last 2 years have gone by!   I am so thankful that they moved back to Kansas and that we get to be so involved with their lives.  I was also happy to have all the kids except Preston (and Lauren) be able to be together today.   Fun party!  

Last night, Jim and I went to town and did most of our Christmas shopping.  I was worrying that we will all end up quarantined and not be able to get it done.  While we were shopping, we grabbed a gingerbread house making kit so that we could attempt once again to make an actual cute little house.  Saige, Harper and I built a gingerbread village this evening.  We actually had much better luck than normal.  Saige ate a lot of her decorations though!  Not a single one turned out like the pictures on the box, but we feel successful if they just stand up!  

The holidays always make me miss my grandparents.  My grandma gave me this nativity the first year we were married.  Saige insisted on setting it up on some fake snow.   I absolutely love how the kids have always rearranged it.  Even now that they are older, I find the pieces rearranged.  This year has been a lot to handle.  I am thankful for family and some normalcy in traditions.  

Fun stuff

Preston (#10 in white) had the first game of his sophomore year.  This week KSHAA changed their minds from no spectators to 2 parents or guardians per player.  I know that it eliminates a lot of grandparents/aunts/uncles/siblings who love watching the kids play, but I am relieved.  I love watching my kids, but I was worried that someone would get hurt and we wouldn’t be there. Anyway I was so happy to get to watch Preston play tonight.  He had a good game.  If you ask him, he will tell you everything he did wrong.  That is his nature.  He is his own biggest critic.  I am telling you he plays hard. He has a knack for being where he is supposed to be and he gives it his all.   I am proud of him.  Also, because of me, he didn’t attend any of the summer programs.  I’m sure it was the right decision, but coaches never see things the way I do.  Anyway I am super proud of my kid tonight.  

While I was watching ball, Evie got to go to the zoo lights.   She has been talking nonstop about Santa!  I love that she got to go see him!  Not the normal Santa pictures, but covid has messed up a lot of our traditions. 

Other fun was being had in Wichita.  Colin and  Spencer had reservations to look at Christmas lights from a helicopter.  They could have one more person, so they invited Mallory.   Mallory was so excited. She high-tailed it to Wichita right after school and made it with a few minutes to spare.  She had a great time.  The pictures and videos look like fun.  Well, fun for someone besides me. I prefer to look at lights from the ground! 

Today was a rough day.  Quincy and Saige had dental appointments that lasted for a long time.  We are getting closer to being caught up and fixed.  I had a township meeting, Jim had court. I trained a lady to do my route so I can drive basketball.  My identity was used to file for unemployment, so I have to sort that out.   I got involved in a mess of a project at work.  Needless to say despite all the fun, I am happy to be home, firmly planted in my own space in my pajamas!  Ready for the weekend.  The only thing standing in my way is living through Friday!   

Cameron is 21

Today is Cameron’s 21st birthday.  He sent me these pictures. They are funny/ironic because Cameron truly doesn’t drink at all.  I find it even funnier   that the reason he doesn’t drink is because he hates the communion wine at church.  I was feeling pretty bad because for some reason, I thought he would be back for his birthday and so I don’t mail him anything.  I think he’s headed back this weekend, so we will catch him then!  Cameron is a fun guy. He has a charismatic personality, and I’m not sure he knows a stranger.  He was a difficult baby.  He had colic, and reflux, and sinus/adenoid issues.  He cried a lot.  Until one day he didn’t. He started climbing, and messing and destroying things.  I remember asking my mom to take him for an afternoon just so I could have a couple hours of peace.   I distinctly remember him coming home when he was about 6 from playing with the neighbor kids. He was covered from head to toe in mud and literally said “hi mom, you can spank me if you need to, but I sure did have fun!”   I had no idea what to do with that.  And have honestly have had no idea what to do with him a lot of times.  But he does amuse me.  And the older he has gotten, the more proud he makes me.  He is a force to be reckoned with.  We love you Cameron!   I hope your birthday was great (thank you Lauren for spoiling my kid!).  

Not birthday related, but this one is also a force to be reckoned with.  Yesterday, I went to switch laundry loads, and when I came back she told me “Evie school!”   She had her phone, mask and shoes- she was ready!  

Today I took her to run errands.  We went to the bank and cashed a check for Quincy.  She was convinced the money was for her.  She kept saying “Evie money, please Grammy!”   I told her it was Quincy’s money.  She was so ticked at me!  I took her picture and showed her how sad her face looked.  She did stop crying, but then said “Evie night night?”   Seriously she is the cutest thing ever!  Even when she is completely mad. 

Just some stuff

It was an eventful weekend here.  The 4-H club took a day to ring bells for the Salvation Army.  Harper and I took a shift.  Due to lack of volunteers, we took a pretty long shift.  It was interesting to see how many people in this county still do not wear masks.  So frustrating.  

Saturday evening, Quincy spent the night with Landrie.  Mallory took Harper and Saige to winter wonderland and then to the Topeka Zoo to the zoo lights.   The girls absolutely loved the zoo lights.  They spent the night with Mallory too.  That just left us home with Preston.  We enjoyed a night of pizza and movies.  Everyone had a good time.  

Carlos has been hanging out with Olive too much. He thinks he wants to fetch like she does but he forgets to give the ball to you!   He is a hot mess. 

The kids head back to in person school, and winter sports this week.  We are cautiously optimistic that we will get to be there until Christmas break. Time will tell I guess.  The numbers here have not really gotten better, the area hospitals are pretty full.  I am surprised that we are going back.  We are just going to do the best that we can.  

Because why not

This year has been a bit of a mess.  I know I’m not alone in that I am feeling out of sorts. The kids have been doing ok with remote school.  We are waiting to see if they get to go back next week or not.  I have been driving a 72 passenger  bus with one kid on it.  I don’t mind, but I miss the rest!  I was supposed to have a small hernia surgery over Christmas break, but I cancelled it.  I know it needs to happen, but the hospitals are crammed with covid patients and it seemed like it could just wait.  This week we learned that the KSHAA decided that there can be no spectators at any school activities.  Which translates to we can’t go to Preston’s basketball games, Preston’s pep band performances, or Quincy’s wrestling tournaments.  None of them. I have volunteered to drive the bus to all of the away stuff, hoping the bus driver can come In to sit, but I’m not even sure if that will be allowed.  It makes me sad to miss their stuff.  I understand it, but it’s just sad.  All this stuff is weighing on my mind.   I decided that we needed to cheer our house up by decorating early for Christmas.  Early and big.  So yesterday, we did just that.  We set up 3 trees.  We put lights all over.  We strung garlands and decorated everything.  The kids were thrilled.  We have to get a few more lights and decorate a little more on our living room tree, but it looks so cheerful in here.  I’m glad we did it.   The bonus was  it was a Tuesday, the day we have Evie all day long, so she got to help as well!  

My little office assistant brightens up my mornings at work!  She got these glow sticks from Poppy.  She sticks them in the peg boards and sings happy birthday to herself.  She then blows them out!  She is such a creative kid!  

She also discovered the hiding place in my desk!  She spent an hour hiding in there and peeking out at me.  Easily entertained children are the best!  

Quincy sold some wreaths and they were delivered today.  We had to pick them up in Ottawa.  The girls have been begging to go over to Garnett to Yoder’s.   Since we were only a few miles away, I caved.  This is a little store in an area of the state where people still ride horse and buggies around.  This store has all sorts of cool stuff like freshly milled flour, corn meal and oatmeal. They sell all sorts of seeds, seasonings, fresh frozen fruit, pie, and other delightful stuff that isn’t carried at Dillon’s.  They also carry a vast array of expired snacks that they sell for cheap.  How bad are sunflower seeds that expired last month?  Answer- not bad at all!  I do love good deals!  Today I was excited to buy fresh frozen peaches and raspberries, and freshly milled corn meal.  Am I a loser?  Probably. But today I am happy.  

Life will be ok again eventually.  God willing, we will survive it.  Until the return of normalcy, I will keep saying yes to small bits of happiness.