Anna turns 10...time to light the lights!

Happy Birthday, Anna Banana!! You made it to the double digits!

Isn't it funny that when we're older, all we want is to relax and have people serve us our meals...but these guys think the coolest thing is to be able to decorate their own birthday cakes!

She did a great job!

Her birthday fell on a Sunday, so what better than a pot roast dinner with all the fixins??\

Birthday girls also get candle lighting privileges 

Besides getting her ears pierced, Anna got a Made to Move Barbie and some yummy goodies.

We also decided that this is the year we will light the top peaks of the house. Todd has a super tall ladder and we are trading services to get each other's houses ready for Christmas....when I say "we" I mostly mean Mark.

I love it!!

Calling all angels

 Hello? 

Hello out there? 

If there happen to be any free ancestors just kicking around with nothing to do today, I've got the perfect thing to keep you busy.... we're gonna need to come up with 25 activities from now until Christmas...and remember....no concerts, no group activities, no movie theaters, no parties...

no problem...right?

Tree Hunting

I was a little bummed that we couldn't wait to go pick out our tree until December. Trying to plan the advent calendar this year is gonna really put my creativity to the test...no ward party, no ice skating, no band concerts, no handbells!?? Picking out a tree would have been the perfect addition way to stuff one of those little pockets. Alas, the boys were scheduled to work. So we planned it for the last Saturday in November. 

And after all that,  the little turds said "nah, I'm good" when it was time to go. ARGH!! 

So it was just us and the girls. We headed out to Winderson farms in Basehor, Kansas.  

The girls promptly fell in love with this guy...(and named him Johnathan Swirlytop). There were lots of unique choices!

Megan's will to live began to slip away...

And then we found him...the fluffiest, fattest Virginia pine you ever did see! Mark promptly attacked it with a hacksaw!

We named her Virginia Wolf and put her up in the piano room. That's when we truly beheld its delightful girth. She's a fatty!

We had to rake up her superlong needles...they were way to much for the vacuum to handle. 

And then we found the sweetest little nest in the branches! 

She cleaned up pretty nice, wouldn't you say?

A Sunny Thanksgiving

One of the benefits of gathering with friends for our Thankgiving meal is NOT having to make all the food! Instead of being chained to the kitchen, we get to go outside and take advantage of this gorgeous day and decorate for Christmas!

Sara took over the roll making this year...and I've got lights on the trees to prove it!

And now I leave you with a Thanksgiving Poem by Laney:

 

2 Point Perspective

How cool is that??

Mathew's Moment

Mathew submitted his last assignment. 

His high school career officially ended in his living room on Nov. 23, 2020. His experience was substantially changed by Covid, but NOTHING can change the joy that every high school student has felt when the realized that....

ITS OVER!

And since he is starting BYU-I in the spring, he will not walk at graduation. No cap and gown or commencement ceremony. 

But in my heart, I enjoyed his last walk in to Olathe South and pictured him in that cap and gown as he came out a High School Graduate!

Can you hear Pomp and Circumstance??

I can. 

I'm so proud of you, Mathew! 

 

Tootsie Roll

 I'm not sure how much the kids are enjoying the new hybrid school week....

But Tootsie is SUPER loving it. 

The Unstoppable Band Teacher

 Covid has effectively stopped it all. 

But this middle school teacher WILL FIND A WAY.

The weather suddenly gifted us one of those fabulous warm days in November, so that man planned the fastest CST Pops concert in history. 

He set it up like a Drive-Up Movie. 

The kids seats were up on the hill next to the parking lot and we all pulled up and listened from our cars.

You can't make this stuff up.

In truth, it was pretty fun! My hat's off to Mr. Evans and his unstoppable drive to not let Covid stop the middle school band. Laney was part of the one and only Drive-Up Pops Concert!

Refraction

 

Swing Kids

 

Mathew...patience rewarded

I'm a natural procrastinator...it's one of my spiritual gifts. 

But even this was going a bit far. 

Mathew completed his Eagle Board of Review on December 19, 2019. 

That was almost 10 months ago!!! 10 Months! Three hundred and twenty-four days.

My land, that's got to be a record or something. 

In my defense, we did witness the rise of a global pandemic. And if it had started a bit sooner, I'd be running with that. But as it is, I can only claim that this one almost got away from me. As we were driving to church last Sunday, it occurred to me that if we didn't get our ducks in a row,  the weather would turn cold, then it would be December (it's not allowed to plan additional events in December), then Mathew would graduate and then he'd be off to school.....driving away, crying tears of sadness that his lam-o parents never even bothered to make a batch of cupcakes in honor of his hard earned Eagle award. 

I think these thoughts all the time. 

Well, dang. 

We needed to get our buns in gear and make it happen. 

The weather looked like perfection for the very next Saturday...we can do it!

We contacted old scoutmasters and invited our close friends. I took a trip to the Eagle scout store and found a plaque to have engraved with his name. The friendly man at the shop even convinced my to buy the gold plated eagle scout pen. 

We planned a menu...Mathew's main request (besides a hard push for pizza rolls) was that it not resemble Ethan's refreshments at his court of honor. As a fourth child, I understand the primal need younger siblings have to break free of all things "hand me down". Not that that stopped me from digging Lara's sweaters out of the trash on a regular basis.

Anywho....

The day arrived! 

We set everything up in the backyard, so as to mitigate the spread of possible killer viruses. (Have I mentioned how much I hate the coronavirus?? It's a total butt.)

Mark arranged the water bottles into a patriotic star...pretty cute, yeah?

And how about this easy peasy flag tray? That's WAY yummier that tomatoes and string cheese, or red peppers and cauliflower, or strawberry jam and alfredo sauce. (I'm not wrong.)

 

Alisa Wada offered to make the cupcakes. And every single person there was glad she did because that girl is truly gifted. 

Martin Guenther did the welcome, all while keeping that flag from being blown over....again. 

Mathew gave the scout oath and law

Mark pinning on his eagle award:

Bruce Hurst, replacing his old scarf with his new, niftier one....while trying not to accidentally punch him in the face. (It happens more than you'd think!)

Mom pin time! Look at my cute tall boy!

And a very well-deserved dad pin. He's the one that really he helped push him over that finish line!

Mathew shared his gratitude for everyone there and took the opportunity to recognize several people that really kept him going when his motivation started to run thin. He was so well spoken and gracious! I was so proud of him!

He even gave Ethan a shout-out for helping him over the years...especially letting him borrow his socks, lol.

Now, look at that great photo! That's a keeper!

What a happy day! I think he felted loved a special. It was just his style and I'm so glad we stopped to recognize what a great kid he is and how proud we are of him.

Our two Eagle Scouts!

He's cool. 

Eagle Scout Cool.