Sunday, January 31, 2021

January

Thursday, January 7th - First Thursday night dinner of the year ended with arm wrestling!

Friday, January 8th - We made it through the first three days of back-to-school! Kevin and Kellen ordered matching Captain America hoodies and they arrived today.
Saturday, January 9th - A beautiful snowy day! So nice to be able to relax and enjoy it. We went to Papa and Mima's to hang out and play games.

Mid-afternoon, Kevin took the kids to get new hamsters. Meet Victor Gimli and Snickers.
Sunday, January 10th - We woke up to this much snow and enjoyed a nice day at home.

Monday, January 11th - I was supposed to work in the NICU and then have a full day in my new job on Tuesday. I was so very thankful that my NICU shift was cancelled so I could rest and gear up for Tuesday!

Tuesday, January 12th - Mr. Ebert and Kevin shoveled the track to help the sun with the melting process so bands could play outside in the next coming days. I had a good full day visiting 6 of my 9 nurse consulting sites. Then, at the end of the day we got the notice that Kellen's class would be quarantined until January 25th. Poor guy! He's spent more days doing school online than in person this school year.

Wednesday, January 13th - Kellen wanted to spend some of his Christmas money on a CD walkman. So, we did a little research and found one at our Walmart. We looked through their limited CD selection and found the exact Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack that he wanted too! Also, a Chicago Christmas album that turned out to be not so great! And sadly, Jenna's hamster, Snickers died today.
Saturday, January 16th - I worked a NICU shift. This is one of the fun things I get to occasionally do there - baby footprint art! There is a family that donates all the supplies to do these little art projects each month and then the families take the art home when the baby goes home. It's challenging to get a good footprint, but fun to try!
Also Saturday, Jenna got a new hamster - Moustache aka "Moose."

Sunday, January 17th - We enjoyed church online and then ventured out to try In-N-Out burger in person for the first time (some friends brought us some back around Thanksgiving when Kevin had COVID, but we had never gone in person and Kevin didn't eat any that time). The line was finally not too terribly long. We had a fun time! And, Kellen worked on making up a CD Walkman Karaoke game that we actually didn't play - yet.

Monday, January 18th - So nice to have a 3-day weekend with all the challenges of teaching band, but only able to rehearse outside. It's been a tough school year. We enjoyed a hike with the Eberts.

It was a beautiful snowy hike! Then, we went over to Papa and Mima's and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner out with them.
Wednesday, January 20th - Science experiment day during at home learning. The milk, food coloring, and dish soap was especially fun!

Saturday, January 23rd - A beautiful day for a hike! The kids love scrambling on the rocks at Ute Valley Park. Jenna found some sticks that looked like antlers to her and wanted me to take a picture of her with antlers.
Monday, January 25th and Tuesday, January 26th - It started snowing after school on Monday and we were hope, hope, hoping for a snow day! And we got one! A "2021" snow day anyway - we stayed home, but kids still had online school. Kellen only had four things to do, but Jenna had a pretty full day.
Thursday, January 28th - We celebrated Kevin's 46th birthday - breakfast for dinner!

Friday, January 29th - Both Thursday and Friday, the band was able to play outside. Kevin spent nearly an hour on Wednesday shoveling this part of the track so that they could play. These pictures are a sign of COVID times - band rehearsing outside surrounded by snow. It's been such a frustrating time that they are not allowed to play instruments inside combined with 90 minute class periods.
Saturday, January 30th - Jenna recorded her part for CU honor band. We are so proud of her and can't wait to see/hear the finished compilation.
Sunday, January 31st - It was so nice for Kevin and I to have a date day. We enjoyed church online, lunch at Bonefish, a hike at Ute Valley Park, and a movie at home. January is a wrap!
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Tuesday, January 5, 2021

A Little More Fun Before School Starts Again

 
Friday, January 1st - We enjoyed sleeping in after Jenna and Kellen stayed up to ring in the new year for the first time. Then, we went to Papa and Mima's house for football watching. Then, Mima, Heather, Madilyn, Jenna, Kellen, a friend, and I went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Electric Safari.

The lights were beautiful and it was fun to see the animals. (Didn't get a picture before Heather and Madilyn headed back to the car.)

Saturday, January 2nd - We decided to go to Littleton to visit SeaQuest. Jenna and Kellen loved feeding the iguanas!

One climbed right up into Jenna's lap! And they were all easy to pet. Check out the stack of them above Kellen's head on the ledge!
It's quite an interactive experience!
These koi went crazy if you even acted like you might feed them! And the duck was fun to feed too.

The sting rays were really fun to feed and touch.
They said this wallaby was very soft.
The iguanas and sting rays were the favorites. We left for a bit, had lunch at Torchy's Tacos, then came back to see the iguanas and sting rays again.
Kellen was inspired to draw his favorite iguana that he named "Dot."
Sunday, January 3rd - I enjoyed a zoom visit with my Texas friends. After the call, Kevin took the kids out around town to look for a new hamster and I put away all the Christmas decorations except for the tree and lights. Then, we enjoyed Walter's pizza and a movie together.

Monday, January 4th - Kevin went back to work and I started my new very part time job (20 hours a month) as a school nurse consultant. I had an hour zoom meeting and then spent another couple hours doing some paperwork and emailing. Monday night, we had a really fun game night. Kids vs parents. We played Coup, Beat the Parents, Guess Who?, Pictionary Air, and Telestrations.
Kids won! Then, we enjoyed ice cream and some Dude Perfect episodes together. It was a really fun night!

Tuesday, January 5th - The kids last day of Christmas break. We went to Chick-fil-A for a breakfast treat. Went to the grocery store. I put away the Christmas tree. And nothing much else during the day - nice lazy day. Jenna went to Papa's house for dinner and to spend the night for Papa Classical Academy on Wednesday. Kevin, Kellen, and I enjoyed dinner at Chuy's and dessert at Lulu's. Then, Kellen to bed. Kevin and I watched part of the KU basketball game. Ready(?) to start in person school again, for the first time since October 23rd!
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Friday, January 1, 2021

2020 Year in Review

December 31st - I worked a 12 hour shift. Kevin and kids enjoyed time with Papa and Mima and then went to Garrison's birthday party. At 9:00 pm, Kevin, kids, and I enjoyed fireworks on Pikes Peak in celebration of Colorado Springs' 150th birthday. Then, Kevin went to bed while the kids and I stayed up until midnight. Jenna and Kellen wanted to try to stay up for the first time and all of us managed to stay up (even after working 12 hours)! We enjoyed the midnight Pikes Peak fireworks then went to bed. A fun way to close the year!

Here's our year in review:
  • Yet again, we need to take more family pictures!
  • I read 69 books, up from 60 last year.
  • Kids had 2 delays and 3 snow days from school in February and March. And another snow day/not snow day (they still have to do online school when there's a "snow day" now) in October. (That's QUITE a difference from 5 delays and 10 snow days in 2019!)
  • February 27th and March 9th were our only concerts this year - Festival Preview concert and the Festival itself.
  • We went to an AFA basketball game. No TCA basketball or football games to attend this year.
  • 2019 March 13th gave us the Bomb Cyclone. 2020 March 13th gave us the beginning of Covid-19 lockdown. Global Pandemic hit our city.
  • 4 weeks of Stay at Home orders and countless weeks of Safer at Home orders.
  • We officially finished our basement (most of the work done in 2019). It was such an incredible blessing to have this extra finished space with all of us working/schooling at home!!
  • Kids had 45 days of online learning last spring. Jenna had 30 days of online learning this fall. And Kellen had 33 days of online learning this fall. Including two sets of 24 day quarantines due to Covid-19 exposures. (48 days of quarantine!!)
  • Kevin had Covid-19 and recovered well
  • We had canceled visits to Texas (Sara), Branson (Whitelaw Family), and Kansas (Keathley Family).
  • We were able to visit Florissant, Colorado in May/June. And Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah on our Great Adventure in June. And Winter Park, CO in July.
  • Kellen went to horse camp. And Jenna was able to go to Camp Elim
  • We got a hedgehog - Cosmo. Odin and Carol Danvers the hamsters died.
  • We lost our Aspen tree in a weird derecho storm.
  • We went to the zoo many times. The North Pole - just once. And skating a few times.
  • Kellen started losing teeth again. And Jenna got her braces off!
  • Jenna, Madilyn, and Mima enjoyed 5 Mima's Sew Fun nights.
  • Kevin and I celebrated 21 years of marriage.
  • Kevin finished his second year at TCA and started his third.
  • I completed a year of working in the NICU and accepted another job as a school nurse consultant to start in 2021.
  • Jenna and Kellen had one virtual piano recital and one that just Kevin and I were able to attend in person.
  • Jenna was accepted to the CU Honor Band.
  • We learned to Zoom!
  • Lots of things canceled. Lots of things we were still able to do.
Good days and bad days and blessings throughout. 2020 was a tough/weird year, yet we still have so much to be thankful for!

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