Santa Visit 2018

It's not difficult to get into the holiday spirit in Virginia. It's cold enough that one begins thinking of hot chocolate and putting up the Christmas tree much earlier than in Atlanta. With hopes of avoiding the craziness of holiday shopping, we got our Santa visit done earlier this year, too. Jack asked for a Nintendo Labo Vehicles Set. Luke asked for a Minecraft Lego Mountain Cave. This is the second year in a row that Luke has asked for this Lego set. We are hopeful that Santa and his elves will have more time to make the set this year since we gave him plenty of advance notice by visiting him early. Our elf, Buddy, returned this morning. I heard the boys searching for him throughout the house before I was out of bed. They were delighted that he arrived right on schedule, December 1st. 

School Pictures 2018-19

Kind of a funny story goes along with their school pictures this year. Luke's is a retake. I obviously didn't remember what shirt Jack wore when he took his on the original day. I got Luke's back, and they are wearing the same shirt. 😂

Jack- 4th Grade

Luke- 2nd Grade

Thanksgiving Vacation 2018

It's become a family tradition that we take our vacation for the year over the Thanksgiving holiday. It seems to be an easy time for John to get away and school has been in session long enough that it feels good to escape for a few days. The only turkey we had this year was these chocolate ones that John's friend from work sent over to the lodge for us.

This year we went to Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. We stayed at Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg where the kids enjoyed the water park and had their own sleeping quarters which means all of us slept better.

Jack's class has been studying Jamestown, so we went there on Thanksgiving Day. We saw a replica of a Powhatan village, the colonists' fort, and the ships the colonists arrived on. There was a lot going on with the holiday. They serve all the volunteers a Thanksgiving feast prepared in either the fort or the Powhatan village, so we got to see a lot of food preparation. 

On Friday, we went to learn about the Battle of Yorktown during the American Revolution. The history in this area of the county is fascinating. 

Between the waterpark at the lodge and all the historical fieldtrips, we had an epic Thanksgiving this year. 

Luke- 8 Years Old

Luke turned 8 recently. I asked him to tell me a few of his favorites.

Color- Green
Food- Scones (Publix Cranberry Orange)
Fruit- Strawberries
Vegetable- CornTreat- Hershey's Cake (Just homemade chocolate cake with chocolate icing)
Ice Cream- Double Dunker
Subject in School- Reading
Book- Dogman, Warriors, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Minecraft: The Island
Sport- Swimming
Hobby- Playing in the Toyroom, Reading, Video Games
Movie- Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
TV Show-Garfield
Toys- Legos
Animal- Cat
Song- Cupid Shuffle (Megan got him a birthday card that plays the song!)
Restaurant- Chick Fil-a
Place to Visit- Grandma's, Aunt Kathy's, Annie's
Friends- Oliver and Aruush
Thing to do with Jack- Play with Legos

We celebrated Luke's birthday on the Sunday before his birthday so John could eat cake with us. Then on the actual day of his birthday, I took Luke and Jack to Chuck E. Cheese since they didn't have school.

Lukey, you always tell me you love me more, but I know there's no greater love than the love I have for you. You inspire me to be a happier, kinder person because that's who you are. Happy 8th Birthday!

Lake Amelia

You know you've had a great vacation in Minnesota when the kids are talking about how much they love it there as you pull out of the driveway and turn the car towards home. This was the first summer my Grandpa Chuck's cabin was back in the family after about 10 years. My brother who is nearing retirement decided he has more time for lake life now than he did when he was bringing up his kids, and the cabin just happened to be for sale when John and Brenda started searching for a lake home. The memories are strong on Lake Amelia. I couldn't begin to count how many days I've spent there. It felt like going home. 

Throughout the week, all but one of my nephews and nieces showed up for at least a couple of days. I had to travel to Odin to see my nephew, David, and his wife, Dusti. I also got to see my three grand nephews and nieces! Jack and Luke got to spend a lot of time with the Thorns. They are a fun bunch. Between tubing, fishing, and yard games, we were well entertained. Jack was a huge fan of fishing off the dock. He caught a northern pike and many bass and blue gills. Uncle John took a crew out in the boat to fish where Jack got to be the official netter of the team. Luke was more excited about tubing and talking with Aunt Kathy about Minecraft and Mabel (pugs). I'm sure her ears are still sore almost a week later. 

Love to all the Minnesota crew. Thanks for making our vacation amazing. 

Virginia 3.0

We are calling this time in our lives Virginia 3.0 because this is the third time we have moved to Virginia. We have our fifth Virginia address. So far it has been a pretty smooth transition. John picked a townhouse for us to rent that is really nice and a comfortable place to call home. The boys keep telling everyone that it has four stories. I keep telling everyone that there are five toilets to clean. Perspective, ha! 

Play at 7 and 9 Years Old

It seems impossible that one day I won't remember what the kids liked to do when they were 7 and 9, but I know from experience that's what happens. At 7, Luke plays in the magnolia tree every day. It's his Minecraft base. He brings all his Minecraft tools up there and creates an imaginary world, collecting resources and bringing them back to his base.

Jack continues to play Anything Guys. Anything Guys is something he created when he was 3 or 4. They aren't just army or police or firefighters. They are Anything Guys, they can address any emergency. Not only does Jack still play, he has recruited neighbors to join his team. He holds training sessions and everything. Someday someone will probably make millions off the idea. I hope it's Jack who benefits. 

The Mothership is Calling

I was talking to one of John's colleagues once, and he told me, "The mothership is calling." It was an eerily accurate description of how it feels when we are called to relocate once again. John got the call in December and started working in Virginia at the beginning of January. Usually things go smoothly during these transitions. The company presents a great package that allows us to move without too much disruption. But this time they called in January, and the boys and I decided to finish out the school year. It's been HARD. All caps. 

I spent a couple months preparing the house for selling. This is the oldest house we have ever owned, so that made it a little more complicated than past moves. Thankfully the house was under contract within a week. But then the buyer's inspector came and by the time I got home there was already water beginning to drip through our spare bedroom's ceiling. Of course this happened on a Sunday. Thankfully, I have the best neighbor in the world who came to rescue me. That became a stressful situation that took three weeks to mitigate. 

The boys have been rock stars. They've had to sacrifice a lot. They have only seen their dad three or four times since he moved to Virginia. Luke handles that pretty well because he is still a mama's boy, but Jack thinks John is the greatest person on Earth (which he is), so the separation has been hard on him. Jack has taken to texting and video chatting his dad a lot. They joke around, and occasionally John delivers the "we need you to shape up" conversation that kids Jack's age need. 

My family has been incredibly supportive. My sisters and Megan call a lot so I don't ever feel too lonely. My brother and his family just happened to come through Atlanta, so they spent a day and a half with us. We took a trip to Knoxville to see Annie, Shane, and Ensley (I still feel bad about Luke vomiting all over your house, Annie!). Eric and Betsy have been willing to take John in because their house is halfway between northern Virginia and our house. Kathy and Megan sold a puppy to my neighbor and used all the proceeds to come spend a long weekend with me, the boys, and Linda. And now my sisters are coming to watch my kids so I can take the most needed vacation in the history of vacations. I love my people. If you can't count on your people when times are hard, you've chosen the wrong people and it's time to pick a new team. 

The boys and I have had a lot of fun, too. We've figured out how to spend quality time together. And, we've also figured out how to manage a calendar when there's only mom. Let's just say there has been cutbacks. 

We're on the tail end of this shitshow adventure. I'm pretty sure God used this as an opportunity to show me that my life is better when John and I are together. John and I have had a lot of discussion about moving forward and how we need to balance work and family a bit better. This concludes the whiniest blog post ever written. 

Here's some photos of some of our favorite times over the past few months. 

Ode to Joy

Jack performed in his second violin recital last night. He played Beethoven's Ode to Joy. I was so proud of his poise and the amount of effort he put into preparing for this recital. Of the 21 performances, Jack was one of two violinists, and the other was several years older than him. It was good for him to see what a few more years of practice can do. 

As Luke and I were watching all of the other performers, Luke leaned over to me and told me that he either wants to play guitar or piano. I'm hoping that we can get him started next year. If I can push him towards piano, I can teach him for at least a year. 

I'm proud of my boys. They've grown in so many ways the last few months. I rarely catch glimpses of the little boys they once were. 

Done and listening to the applause

Mr. Alan, instructor

Phone pic

Jack's 9th Birthday

This is Jack's last single digit birthday. My first baby is so grown up now. Jack asked if he could have his first sleepover this year. He's had friends spend the night whose parents have also spent the night, but he hasn't had a school buddy spend the night yet. He has of course chosen his buddy, Bo, who has been in his class for two years now. Jack adores Bo.

Here's a little about Jack at 9:

What is your favorite thing to do? Read

What do you want to be when you grow up? I haven't decided yet.

What is your favorite food? Pepperoni Pizza

Who do you enjoy spending time with? Bo, Tavo, Ayden, Mom, Luke, Dad, Obi

What do you do really well? Read

What makes you laugh? Bo's jokes

What is the best time of day? Afternoon once I get home from school

Who is your best friend? Bo

What do you like to do with your family? Go on vacations

What do you love to learn about? History from books

Where do you like to go? Grandma's

What is your favorite book? Warrior series

What is your favorite movie? Harry Potter

What is your favorite tv show? Mario Bros or Clone Wars

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite animal? Kitty

What is your favorite toy? Legos

What is your favorite sport? Swimming

What is your favorite board game? Harry Potter Clue

What is your favorite video game? Zelda: Breath of the Wild

What is your favorite drink? Fanta

What is your favorite breakfast food? Hashbrowns

What is your favorite snack? Snowman Trail Mix (Golden Grahams, Chocolate, and Marshmallows) or Goldfish Flavor Blasted Cheddar

What is your favorite restaurant? Waffle House

What is your favorite holiday? Christmas

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Make things like bows and arrows

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation? Universal Studios

If you had $1,000, what would you buy? Books

If you had one wish, what would you wish for? More books... 

Happy birthday, Jack! I love you, and I love being your mama.