January Highlights (and lowlight)

January is almost over, so I am going to do a highlights blog of the month so far:

The first weekend, we visited Kim, Dave and Amanda. Dave and JD built an amazing firepit. We had pizza and then made smores. As a bonus, we got to face-time with JD (at the time, he was at the MTC). It was a really fun night and we had a great time. It made me want a firepit!

The second weekend, we went to Gatorland. Thomas had never been and wanted to check it out. They had a special deal for Florida residents, so it was a good time to visit. We enjoyed the swamp walk and seeing the animals. We thought about annual passes (it's pretty inexpensive) but decide once a yearish will suffice. 

Feeding the goats was my favorite part.

The girls also participated in the State Junior Thespian Competition. Fortunately for us, it was in Orlando, so no travel was involved. They enjoyed the experience and received an "Excellent" for their performance (superior was highest, then excellent, then good).

The third weekend, we went to Madam Tussauds and the Sea Life Aquarium. Everyone really liked Madame Tussauds, they don't look quite as real in pictures, but in person most of them were incredibly life-like. Sea Life was nice, but it was surprisingly crowded so we didn't stay long.  

Kara and her birthday buddy.

Thomas is dwarfed by Shaq!

Jack also had a basketball game. His team played well but lost by 3. Jack is still enjoying playing and wishes he had started sooner. Baseball has started up again for Luke. He had to try out earlier in the month and was drafted on to the same team he played for last season. Thomas is going to help out again.

We spent a ton of money on pool renovations. We updated the system so we can put it on a timer and control everything with our phones. We also got a heater and enjoyed sitting in our hot tub several nights this month. And, we signed contracts to redo the pool and deck area. Those won't happen until March/April, but we made the commitments and paid the deposits.

One day, I went to Luke's classroom and spent my lunch break being part of a "teach-in". I wasn't going to sign up, because they wanted parents to talk about their jobs and my job is not very exciting. But, she only had one other parent sign up, so I decided to just do it. I put together a PowerPoint about being a lawyer and my career path. Then, we did a little activity about what crimes Goldilocks may have committed and what information they would want to know if they were her attorney. A lot of the kids participated, so I think it was fine. 

In not-so-good-news (lowlight), we woke up yesterday to a flood in our front room. Water had somehow leaked from the second-floor kids' bathroom through the walls and ceiling to the first floor. We took the day off from work, cleaned it all up and made a zillion phone calls, including to a plumber who suggested we start with a leak finder. We did that and he came out and said the leak was behind the shower. The plumber came out and cut into the shower and couldn't see any signs of the leak. Then, he cut into first floor ceiling. Still no luck. So, we spent $700 only to be left with two holes and no source of a leak. I have a headache and upset stomach thinking about it. The water mitigation people are supposed to come and put fans and other drying mechanisms in place, as is the insurance contractor to adjudicate other repairs. But, if we can't fix the underlying problem, then we know it will just reoccur. Hence, the stress headache. We spent an hour this morning running water and trying to recreate the problem with no luck. What would cause a massive leak to appear and then magically disappear??? Ugh!

2021: Our Year in Review

On New Year's Eve, we had our traditional cheese fondue and discussed the things that happened in 2021 and what we were looking forward to in 2022. We stayed up to toast in the new year, playing Phase 10 and then the games we received for Christmas. Phase 10 did not go well, I don't know why, but only Thomas and I seem to like the game. Anna got frustrated and quit, Kara kept complaining, Jack wouldn't even play, and Luke was whiny. We moved on to our new games. We played Trophies, Apples to Apples and Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. I liked them all, but Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza was my favorite. Although Anna quit that one as well and Kara proclaimed it was boring. I think Anna and Kara just wanted to be on their phones, which was frustrating. Luke is rarely a good sport, but he was whinier than usual, likely because he was overtired. But, at least he liked the game. Jack also really liked it. Everyone had a good time when the clock struck midnight. We watched the ball drop, toasted, blew noise makers, and went outside to watch fireworks and do sparklers. 

We started 2021 with lots of optimism. I hoped that President Biden was going to usher back a measure of civility and that the vaccines would make COVID a thing of the past (or at least a livable endemic). Neither of those hopes came to fruition. I can't believe we are back to record high cases and mask wearing. At least the new variant is far less severe, but it was definitely disheartening to find ourselves in a place I thought we were not returning.  And society feels as divisive as ever. I wonder if these are just "new normals" with which we must live. I try not to let myself go down the rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios (civil war, a deadlier variant that evades the vaccines, etc.) but sometimes I feel so discouraged. Even if we don't reach the worst cases scenarios, it feels like the world has changed, and not for the better.

Fortunately, there was still plenty of good in 2021. The kids all returned to school where they are doing fantastic. We went on an amazing vacation to North Carolina and two cruises. We had passes to Universal Studios and Legoland. We spent time together and with my family. Hopefully, we are making good memories.

Now, the summaries:

Anna turned 14 this year! She went back to school in January, which was definitely the best decision. She struggled with distance learning, so I am very glad we had the option. Once she went back, she did great. For the first semester of 8th grade, she had almost all As-- just 1 B the second quarter. She is working hard in school, and I am hoping she is learning that she can do hard things. She is still my walking partner and we always find good things to talk about. She has made friends and is happy living in Florida. She tried basketball this year, which she liked and then moved on to ice skating, which she loves. She is disappointed that she has stopped growing and is going to be, as she calls it, short at 5'3.5. She does not like most games and is the least competitive person in our house. She has strong ideas of what is right and what is wrong and can be a bit judgmental. But, she can also be very thoughtful. For example, she gave Christmas gift cards to her teachers and she wrote specific things she enjoyed about each of their classes or teaching styles. She has a great sense of humor. She is definitely a teenager and very skilled at the eye-roll, but she is still sweet and generally pleasant. My three words for Anna are loving, nice and persistent. Thomas said kind, sweet and maturing. She is not sure what career path she wants to follow, but maybe an orthodontist.

Jack is our other teenager. He is doing great in school, with straight As. He doesn't complain about going to school and enjoys learning, especially math and science. He is very smart and reads a lot of very, very challenging books, like Stephen Hawking and the Norwich books he got for Christmas. He still enjoys Lord of the Rings and video games. He is in band and really likes playing the saxophone. He recently started playing basketball at the YMCA which he also enjoys. But, he is still mostly a homebody. He gets easily frustrated with his sisters and can be impatient with others. Although, he does whatever we ask without complaint. Every now and then I can get him to go for a walk with me and he enjoys deep, often philosophical conversations. He is interested in politics and history. He does not want to grow up yet and often laments that time is going by too quickly. He is almost 6 feet tall (5'11 and 1/4) and grew almost 3 inches this year. He is really hoping to be at least as tall as Thomas, but I not sure that is going to happen. My three words for Jack are intellectual, respectful and loving. Thomas said quiet yet loud, inquisitive and tall. When he grows up he wants to be a physicist and maybe a politician.

Kara has matured a lot this year. She wore her "Don't Talk to Me" sweatshirt continuously for months, and I am happy it has become a thing of the past. She is also doing great in school, with straight As. She is amazing with kids and even babysat for our neighbors a bit over the summer. She is also in the band and likes playing her flute. She really enjoys the theater club and has developed an interest in Broadway musicals, she especially wants to see Hadestown. She loves to bake and makes the best cookies. She took a dance class earlier in the year but didn't want to continue after the summer break. She has a hard time admitting she is wrong. She is helpful, competitive and loves to read. She is almost always up for an adventure and is my Universal buddy. She is now slightly taller than Anna at 5'4. My three words are fun, adventurous and maturing. Thomas said temperamental, steadfast and driven. She wants to be a lawyer when she grows up.

Luke is now in the second grade. Like his siblings he is doing well at school. He was placed in an accelerated class and is in the gifted program. He loves baseball and made huge improvements this year. Like Jack, he is a homebody, but would never turn down anyone offering to play a sport with him. He really likes Roblox and video games. He also likes board games. He can be whiny and is not a good sport (he doesn't cheat or get angry at others, but he does get very easily frustrated and/or cries when things don't go his way). He is also very hard on himself; he likes to do things perfectly and gets frustrated when things don't go the way he expected. He is nice to everyone, very loving and always willing to share whatever he has. He learned to enjoy reading this year and read some challenging books but prefers graphic novels. My three words for Luke are sweet, loving and sensitive. Thomas said sweet, smart and fun. When he grows up he wants to be a baseball player.

Thomas had a good year at work. He still doesn't enjoy this job the way he did his position in Maryland, but he recognizes the positives, especially being able to work from home and a good boss. He really doesn't like Florida and would move back to Maryland in a minute if he could convince the kids. They don't love Florida (all of us but Luke hate the weather) but they like their friends and their schools and recognize that there are more opportunities here, so it is likely a losing battle. He helped out with Luke's baseball team and enjoys taking him to the park to practice. He also enjoys playing basketball with Jack. 

I also had a good year with work, at least according to my annual appraisal. But even after 4.5 years, I still feel like I have so much to learn which can get tiring. Like Thomas, I love working from home and am going to be sad if we have to return to the office. We save so much time and money by not commuting! I like Florida, but I miss a lot about Maryland--particularly having a big house with a basement and the ability to quickly travel to other places on the east coast. 

What we liked best in 2021:

Thomas: the NC trip

Kori: the NC trip (and if I had to pick one thing--the river float)

Anna: Thanksgiving cruise

Jack: Birthday cruise (snorkeling on CocoCay)

Kara: can't choose between NC and the cruises

Luke: NC trip

What we are most looking forward to in 2022:

Thomas: Fall trip to TN

Kori: Fall trip to TN

Anna: ice skating

Jack: starting high school (which he also very nervous about)

Kara: the cruise

Luke: the cruise