December 2020

 We had a great December! We tried to pack it full of celebrations and fun to counter all the not fun of school. We watched fun Christmas movies, had some parties, figured out how to do online shopping, and just enjoyed being together.

Daniel turned 13! And, maybe it was in our imaginations, but it seems like the day he turned 13, his "teenager attitude" really settled in to stay. We're working with him to learn to take responsibility, have the desire to put forth effort, and so many other things. He's such a good boy, but his attitude sure gets in the way far too often.

The next day we set up our Christmas tree. We had bought it at Costco a couple weeks before. It was a really pretty one this year, made even more special by all the homemade ornaments.

We had our Guide Paddle Christmas party, which has become a really fun tradition for us. We had a yummy dinner at home and played some fun games. This is a picture of the candy cane pick-up-sticks. 

Peter finally lost his first tooth!

We celebrated Mom's birthday this year. This is something I've always wanted to do, but never found time and energy for. I made chicken and dressing casserole, which was a big hit, so I may make it a yearly tradition. Then Aunt Kathleen shared some memories of Mom over zoom. I showed the kids some pictures and told them what a great Grandma she was, and how much they would have loved her.

We had a nice Christmas! Mary and Scott learned to sew together, enough to make me this nice apron, that I really love!

I like this picture because you can tell how much weight Scott has lost!

Christmas Jammies!

For New Year's Eve, we did our traditional cheese-filled beignets with other yummy treats. Then we played some games, watched the ball drop in time square, then had a family sleepover in the basement, during which most of us hardly slept.

I really love these kids. They have been so resilient through all the craziness of the year. I love how much closer they've become. They fight a lot, but they are also really good friends.

Also through all the craziness of this year, we have been abundantly blessed. Scott met his goal of doubling his business! He has worked so hard and learned so much. I can't tell you how exciting it is to have budget discussions about how and where to save our money (and even spend a little) rather than about how we're going to meet all our needs.