Santa!

It may have looked a bit different this year, but we were still able to see Santa.  Max's boy scout troop held a food drive with Santa pictures. 

The scouts usually do Scouting for Food in November, but it was canceled this year.  It was nice that they were still able to get some donations for the local pantry - and we were able to get a very memorable picture with Santa.

Jack's First Reconciliation

 It may have a looked a little bit different than his brothers, but it was every bit as special!

Jack was so excited!  Elfie even wrote him a note congratulating him on his special day.

Jack was all smiles after.  He said he felt like a new person.  I was terrified at my first reconciliation and I'm so glad it has been such a positive experience for each of my boys. 

Perks of Virtual Learning

 

Duke is a big fan of virtual learning. This was what I saw when I came down the stairs the other day.  

Christmas Traditions

On November 30th we read The Elf on the Shelf and sure enough Elfie arrived the next morning!  The boys love searching for him each morning.

Along with Elfie came the Christmas Traditions pocket quilt.  Each day the kids do a little something Christmasy.

The kids put out the nativity - and of course hid baby Jesus.  That is their favorite part.  They also hung the stockings on the mantle with care.  Michael's had tons of fun crafty kits for the kids to complete.  The shrinky dinks were fun, but unfortunately didn't turn out so well.  They shrank a bit too much :)

The melting bead craft worked out much better.   

It warmed this momma's heart to see all three of my boys crafting at the table.  I may have even gotten in on the action.

Finger puppets were a hit as well.  William was just excited to have a reason to use the hot glue gun.  Jack's favorite part was sewing the two pieces together.  

Making chex mix was also on the list.  Brian is showing Max how it's done.  A little bit of this and a whole lot of that. 

I love making memories with my boys!

Happy Thanksgiving

While we missed seeing all of our friends and family for the holiday, we are more thankful that ever this year.  

It was just the five of us at home this year.  The boys had a great time helping to prep the pie.

Since it was just us we opted for ham over turkey.  Leftover ham sounded better than leftover turkey.  I did greatly miss my moms stuffing!

After lunch we spent the afternoon watching Back to the Future and then ended the day with a zoom with my family.  All in all it was a thanksgiving to remember!

Happy Veteran's Day

 Jack's den needed to talk to a veteran for one of their cub scout requirements.  One of our past cubmasters served in Desert Storm and was willing to talk to the boys all about his experience.  They were a great audience and i think they learned a few things.

We talked about how we can honor our veterans and made cards for a local nursing home.  

The boys seemed to enjoy the craft and when I dropped off the cards the nursing home was thrilled.  

Happy Halloween

 Like everything thing else this year, it was different from the typical Halloween.  We invited another family over to celebrate.  

Jack was a completely adorable ninja.  He said it was the perfect costume to protect him from Covid :)

For about the 10th year in a row the Mario Riding Yoshi inflatable was worn.

Max opted not to wear a costume.  He was the fire tender of the evening.

Instead of going door to door I made baggies of all of the kids favorite candy.  Once it got dark we hid them in the backyard and the kids hunted for them with flashlights.  It was so much fun!  They had a tough time finding all of their baggies - in fact two weren't found until the next day.  It was obvious the raccoons enjoyed the candy :)

Pack Hike

One thing about the fall went really well - Cub Scouts.  We had several outdoor activities and the boys loved it.  We hit up the park for a one mile hike and some fishing.  It made for a pretty perfect afternoon. 

Apple Picking

There isn't a lot that feels normal this year, but apple picking was close.  The playground may have been  closed and one of my sweet boys may have been cranky as heck, but we did it!

Jack was thrilled with his spoils.  Max and William just wanted to climb the ladder.

By the end of the afternoon we were all happy and ready to head home.  I made a pretty darn good apple pie if I do say so myself!

First Day of School - August 24, 2020

 After what felt like the longest spring break ever it was time for the boys to return to school - although not in the way they ever have before.  

Max and Jack started 7th and 2nd grades 100% virtually.  It was an adjustment.  Thank goodness I'm home to help!

Since William's school is so much smaller they were able to go back in person with lots of precautions in place.  

It isn't what it was in the past, but this 'normalish' milestone was a welcome one for all of us.  At this point in the year Jack is now attending school in person two days a week while Max is still all virtual.