Happy Thanksgiving!

As our extended holiday time comes to an end I am grateful for another wonderful Thanksgiving. While it isn't what we expected I really have come to appreciate the quiet moments of the holidays and time together as a family. We cooked a turkey this year for a change and now have explored all of the turkey casserole recipes we can find! We got some long walks in, shopped from our computer and of course listened to nonstop holiday music. Brian got all of the lights up and the kids decorated gingerbread houses. It was a wonderful holiday and I'm as grateful as ever for all of the blessings we have. 

Knight in Shining Armor

Last week Cameron had a pack meeting for Cub Scouts and the theme was Knights in Shining Armor. Cameron's uncle Andrew was the featured speaker and presented as "Lord Heinrich"who we learned has over 20 years of experience as a man of arms. The scouts loved listening to Andrew explain the history and loved how he looked in his suit of armor. They had great questions about his weapons and battles. It sounded like a such a great meeting that even Addy wanted to check it out. We were lucky to have Andrew join, all of the scouts really enjoyed it. 

VOTE!

We've been talking a lot about voting recently and the power of your vote. Addy got to participate in her own way this year through Girl Scouts. She received an official ballot and was able to vote for some of her favorite things and then turned in her ballet to the "official" drop box. We haven't gotten the results yet but it was fun to see her get to participate. Especially in an election year that has gotten a lot of attention. Addy is very excited (as am I!) about our first ever female VP candidate and we were definitely dancing and celebrating when we heard the news. 

Smile

 The kids took my phone and took some selfie's and they totally make me laugh because they made their "sad, mad, silly" faces that I get to see all of the time! 

Happy Halloween

 Nothing is normal in 2020, but we did manage to have a pseudo normal and fun Halloween. The kids carved their pumpkins and we went "trunk or treating" at our church. The kids decided to be ninja's this year and since masks were required it fit right in with their costumes. They just went to the houses in our cul-de-sac and I think everyone must have felt bad for them because they got just as much candy as if they went all over the town! I have no idea what we are going to do with this much candy because usually I take it to work!

Eleven!!

It's here! Adelyn's 11th birthday. She has been excited for weeks because it's actually something to look forward to. Luckily enough she had no school today so it was extra special. She had a girl scout zoom and then an afternoon birthday party with four of her friends. One of her birthday presents was a gymnastics bar so the girls got to play with that and go in the hot tub. It was so sweet seeing them together. 

As usual, she was spoiled by her friends and family and got some really cool gifts. I was thrilled that she was willing to be my twin with our RBG shirts. It could have gone either way but she loved it and it was perfect for her girl scouts meeting which was all about RBG. I can't believe my baby girl is 11. Two years to a teenager and 2 inches until we're the same height!

Week 1- DONE!

The kids finished their first week "at the new school" online. Both kids really like their teachers and have found the transition to be much easier than they expected. Adelyn especially likes her new teacher and they started a writing assignment and her teacher was super impressed with what a strong writer she is. The kids have handled this transition extremely well but admit that it's still very strange to belong to a school that they've never even been inside. With the way things are going I'm not optimistic that they will even see the inside of the school in this school year. They've officially pushed any in person learning options out until 2021. 

We are all still trying to make the most of this but I can't believe that the kids haven't been in a classroom since March. Luckily they are still reading up a storm and it's as if they have a contest of who can check out the most books from the library and read them the fastest. Addy keeps a reading journal for her new class and I'm guessing in 1 week she's read as many books as some kids have all year. I remain infinitely grateful for my kids ability to maintain their love of reading and ability to stay engaged in remote learning.  This has been a true test in adaptability and resiliency and I am incredibly proud of these two.