Christmas and End of December

Christmas was, as always, amazing. Everyone was up around 6:45. We opened our stockings then took a break to make the traditional breakfast casserole. We each opened a few presents and then had breakfast. Then, we slowly opened the remainder of gifts. Everyone was happy with what they received and gifted. 

Some of us watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Luke and Kara gave Anna an air track and the three of them played on it outside. I puzzled and read. Jack went to the park and played baseball with a friend. The boys watched football. Anna made a video for her YouTube channel. Kara spent time learning how to use her new camera. It was peaceful, relaxing day.

Luke said his favorite gift was his new mitt. Thomas gave Jack an old set of biographies (late 1800s to early 1900s) which Thomas has treasured. He bought them from the antiquities section of the St. Mary's County Annual book sale several years ago. They are marked with the name and notes of the original author, who Thomas researched. He passed it all on to Jack. I wasn't sure it was a great gift, as Jack is out of space for books, but Jack loved it. Kara got the camera and lenses she had wished for. And, I think Anna's favorite is her air track. She also finally got her Roller Rabbit pajamas, which we very reluctantly purchased (they are ridiculously expensive for pajamas). Thomas said he couldn't choose a favorite gift and likes everything. My favorite thing that I gave him is probably a giant Burt's Bees container filled with chapstick. He really likes Burt's Bees and I thought the container was funny. He also got his requisite baseball cards and some other gifts. Thomas gave me a custom puzzle and a "puzzle of the month club", where he will create a themed puzzle for every month this year. As I have mentioned--I am a lazy puzzler. I like them to be around 500 pieces so I can clearly see the pieces and I like bright, easily discernible colors. I am not really up for a challenge. And, while the puzzle he created is 500 pieces, the pieces are really small. So, I am a little nervous. But, January's puzzle is a cool picture of all the kids sitting in a tree that we took in January a few years ago, so I am looking forward to giving it a try.

Luke with his new mitt, slippers, watch, clothes, and his favorite--candy necklace.

Jack and Anna also exchange the same Barbies. He's also wearing new clothes, including a really soft Cariloha sweatshirt.

Thomas and his Darth Vader snowman Funko.

The rest of the week passed similarly. We ate leftovers for days. On Saturday, we visited my dad. Unfortunately, he was having a rough morning. It was actually the worst I've seen him. We went to the dining room and played a few rounds of spoons, but he was not really up to the visit. So, we left after about 45 minutes so he could go back to bed. I wasn't ready to face the drive home yet, so we went to Chick-Fil-A and to Lakeland Square Mall, which was the best local mall back in my day. It had a lot of empty space, but was not nearly as vacant as many malls. We enjoyed walking around; Luke and Anna got new shoes. 

The mall had some fun photo-opps. We didn't even know the Magic had an affiliate team in Lakeland (just looked it up and they don't--they used to play in Lakeland, but are now in Kissimmee). Anna did not want to pose, but here's the other kids:

Then, we headed out--it took us close to two hours to get home. I was glad our drive to Lakeland had been pleasant and quick (57 minutes) as the traffic on both sides of the road was now horrendous. There are a few good times to travel on that highway (I-4), but unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to time it for both directions. 

This sign was after we had already been in stop-and-go traffic for about 20 minutes. But, one time I got to this point and it said 75 minutes, so could have been worse. And, if there's ever an accident, just forget about it, you're looking at hours. 

The next few days were quiet. It is now New Year's Eve. Luke has an orthodontist appointment and we need to get the ingredients for our annual cheese fondue. I am not sure if we will stay up. Thomas and I are still off from work, which has been amazing. Thomas did work a few hours yesterday and I have worked a bit here an there and will probably work at least half a day on Thursday, but still it's been very nice. Christmas is a good time to take leave because most people do, so we don't have to go back to work with a full inbox. And, the kids are definitely enjoying the break from school.

December Highlights (pre-Christmas Day)

December has been a very busy, fun month. I am super far behind, so I am going to do a highlights type post.

SeaWorld: We love SeaWorld at Christmas. They do an amazing job decorating the park and have fun Christmas shows. Thomas and I, with various kids on various days, went three or four times, usually on Friday nights. Kara also went one night with her friends. We did the food booths and enjoyed passholder perks, like free samples (except Jack, who does not have a pass).

We loved the Rudolph-themed photo opps.

Including Yukon Cornelius!

Disney: Wednesdays were Disney days. We went to Hollywood Studios once and Epcot twice. We love Epcot's Christmas Around the World festival. Like last year, I bought a Disney gift card when it was on sale at Sam's Club ($200 for $180) and we let everyone get whatever they wanted at the food booths. The first night, we also did the cookie stroll. You buy five cookies and then get a prize; this year it was gingerbread cookie dough. That night, we ate way too much. So, the second visit, we just got our favorites, which only included one cookie. (Last year, I reread my cookie stroll blog to remind me which cookies I liked, so for future reference--the spiced hot chocolate crinkle is still my favorite, the linzer was also good, I did not like the snickerdoodle, or the coffee. The pb was okay. Although, my other tip to my future self is to just skip the cookie stroll.) Everyone made it to Epcot at least once. Thomas bought a sweatshirt from England that he really wanted last year. It sold out last year, so we kept checking this year to buy it as soon as it hit the store. Anyway, we had a lot of fun at Epcot, but Thomas and I never managed our daytime visit to hear the Christmas storytellers or see the Voices of Liberty singers. Maybe next year!

Thomas is wearing his new sweatshirt.

Universal: Anna and I went once, on a random Tuesday night (December 17th). It was surprisingly empty, and we rode a ton of rides in just a few hours. We even waited for the front row of Velocicoaster. It was a very fun night. Thomas wanted to go, but after a three-year hiatus, his cluster headaches are back. I am not sure if I have written about his headaches, but cluster headaches are extremely intense and debilitating. He has shots he can take for the peak of the pain, but even with the shot, he is left with a shadow headache that is still more painful than a regular, bad headache. Anyway, he is in a rough cycle right now, with both daily and nightly clusters. A cycle is always really hard, but having them in December has been especially sad.

That covers the theme parks, which has been a big part of our December fun. As I have said, and will continue to say--there is nothing quite like going to Disney on a random Wednesday night! 

In other news, Anna hosted a fun holiday party for her friends. They did a white elephant gift exchange (but, were too nice to steal each other's gifts), sang Christmas karaoke, and hung out. It was Anna's first time hosting and she enjoyed it. 

Luke had two baseball tournaments this month. His team made it to the Championship game for both, but could not quite swing the victory. Still second place was amazing! I guess USSSA agrees, because his team got moved to their top level for next season. That is actually a little disappointing, because I don't think they won any USSSA tournaments. They were always competitive, but I think moving up might be discouraging. His team's record was 24-12-2, so we shall see how next year goes. Luke played really well and had great stats, both for pitching and batting. I hope he continues to enjoy it.

I helped with Luke's class Christmas party. He rotates between two teachers and they asked the room moms to handle the party. Which we did. We had the kids rotate between the two rooms where we decorated gingerbread people, did holiday trivia, played minute-to-win-it games, holiday charades, etc. I think it went well and Luke said he had fun. 

I can't believe I had my props backwards! But, I still love this picture with Luke.

Thomas, Kara and I went to the high school's Prism concert. It showcased all the performing arts, including Jack's band. It was festive and fun. Jack also took the SAT. He did very well and will secure 100% Bright Futures once he completes his volunteer hours. 

On Saturday, the 23rd, I took Anna, Kara and Luke to Marta's. They participated in their annual Gingerbread Manger making with Marta and Elizabeth. I dropped them off and then went and met my sister. We had lunch and a nice visit, then I went back to Marta's to hang out. 

Throughout the month, we went for multiple walks around the neighborhood. Thomas and I watched lots of Hallmark movies. We, plus some of the kids, also watched Christmas Vacation and Home Alone and Christmas episodes from some of our favorite shows, with Yankee Swap (The Office) and Regionals (Community) being the top two.

On Christmas Eve, my sister's family and Kevin came to enjoy dinner with us. I did not take any pictures, but we had a good time. That night, we went for a walk. The kids opened their pajamas (a tradition we tried to nix this year, but were met with intense protest). Thomas read The Night Before Christmas and we called it a night.

It has been a December to Remember!

More November

One of the coolest things about living in Florida is occasionally friends from other places visit and we get to hang out with them. Earlier this month we were able to join the Darrows at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. For Epcot, it was me and the girls. Jack had cross-country and Luke had baseball. The next night, me, Thomas, Luke and Anna met them at Hollywood Studios. We had a great time and it was so good spending time with their family. I miss Alecia. I feel like I haven't made many close friends in the 5+ years we have lived in Orlando and it is bittersweet to spend time with the ones from Maryland. I don't know if it is being at a different stage in life or becoming more reclusive since Covid, or some combination, but I feel the loss more keenly when I spend time with the people I was closest to in Maryland. 

I didn't take any pictures, but thankfully Alecia had a few

Speaking of friends, on Tuesday the Wills' cruise ship passed through Port Canaveral and we met up with them at the Orlando Wetlands and Fort Christmas. Anna is still recovering from her wisdom teeth removal, so she had to opt out, but the rest of us had a lot of fun. We saw a ton of alligators and cool birds at the Wetlands. At Fort Christmas, the kids played football while Kayce, Thomas and I looked through the Pioneer Houses. It was so nice to see them. Our kids were constantly running between our two houses in Maryland and it is fun to see them growing up. They will be back in April and I am glad our goodbye was "see you in a few months".

We saw so many gators, including one eating a fish.

It's very picturesque, but not a lot of shade, making it a perfect fall/winter spot.

But, lots of shade at Fort Christmas

Anna had her wisdom teeth out on Friday. During the drive home she was pretty funny, asking repeatedly, "Am I going to remember this" and no matter what I said, she wasn't happy with the response. She also told the nurse she loved her and asked me if I tipped her. Apparently, the nurse very sweetly held her hand before and after the surgery. So, maybe I should have brought an extra $20. Anna was also very chatty, we kept trying to get her to stop talking so she could keep the gauze in place. At one point, she was saying it hurt and I told her that maybe if she stopped talking she would feel better. She stopped talking for about 5 seconds then commented on how not talking didn't work. 

When Luke had his cyst removed, he kept asking if Thomas took the day off from work. When Thomas had his arm surgery he asked repeatedly whether I had his shoes. And, for Anna it was the question about remembering on repeat. She would also say, "I don't understand why I wouldn't remember this because I'm alive right now." Our brains coming out of anesthesia are funny things!

Telling the nurse she loves her, she said it and held up the heart. (screenshot from a video)

Anyway, her recovery has been okay. The day of the surgery, she was very nauseous and dizzy. Fortunately, the bleeding wasn't too bad. We did tea bags, which I think helped. The second day (the day after surgery) she looked pretty good, but could barely open her mouth. The next two days she was extremely swollen, but felt a little better. Tuesday she ate her first solid food--scrambled eggs. Yesterday the swelling was finally better, but her jaw is still very stiff making it hard to eat. Today (Thursday) she is doing a lot better. Our plan is to have Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. We decided that last night and it worked out better than expected because poor Kara is sick today. 

Anna made this on Sunday :)

Other news I have not written about--Jack's cross-country team made it to State's! They didn't place, but Jack enjoyed the experience. And, it had been a long time since his school had qualified for State's, so they had a lot to be proud of. The Regionals were held in Boca Raton and States were in Tallahassee, so Jack got to spend the night with his teammates at both meets. He is ready now for track to start. 

Fender Bender, Halloween, Sorta Sad Saturday, HHN Concludes

What a week we've had! On Tuesday, I was at work when I received a call from Anna. She said they got into an accident on the way to school. I left work and drove to the school. Jack had hit another car while turning into the school. The woman he hit was a teacher at another school and was very understanding. Fortunately, it did little damage to her car. Our car has a very large dent in the rear passenger door. Luckily, the door still functions normally, so the there was no frame damage. Jack felt terrible. Thomas and I were very thankful no one was hurt, but angry that Jack had made some errors in judgement. He's only been driving to school for 3 months and we had talked repeatedly about driving cautiously and fighting the "teenage instinct" that the actuaries had (correctly) calculated when we added him to the insurance. 

He still went to school that day and we had a stern discussion after dinner about expectations going forward. We believe firmly that the punishment should fit the crime. So, he has to pay for the ticket and any increase in insurance and is only allowed to drive to school. We also made him scrub the car. We likely aren't going to get the car fixed, despite the fact that that is going to greatly lower the value of the car. We are hoping that the insurance won't increase too much, and as stated, it is cosmetic. So, that was our crappy Tuesday.

Halloween was Thursday. Jack had some friends come over and they went trick-or-treating. Kara went to a friend's house. Luke had a friend come over and Thomas took the two of them. So, it was just me and Anna at home. We did not have as many trick-or-treaters as last year. We bought 360 fun-sized candy, gave two to each kid, and had about 50 left at the end of the night (including this for next year, also starburst are not popular). I went inside at one point and no one rang the doorbell. We had our lights on and our decorations up. I thought maybe the crowds had left, but when I went back out 10ish minutes later, there were still a ton of kids out. It is so weird to me that kids don't ring doorbells anymore. I remember my older three fighting over whose turn it was to ring the bell.

Luke was Charlie Brown from the It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Jack went as the same thing when he was around Luke's age. Unfortunately, we didn't save the costume, so I had to make it again. 

Kara was Brad Pitt.

Jack was Goose from Top Gun (complete with mustache). 

And, of course the yearly photo of all 4 kids. Anna had a baby mask in case she changed her mind and decided to trick-or-treat.

Friday, Thomas and I had a date night to Halloween Horror Nights. He doesn't love it like I do, but he gets a free ticket with his pass so he will go once a year. We had a great time. Well, I had a great time, Thomas had a tolerable time. He didn't like it quite as much as last year, but still enjoyed a few of the houses. We did 6 different houses, and did 3 of them twice, so 9 total walk-throughs. I had a good game plan, so our longest wait was 20 minutes. Well, 45 if you count being in line before the event opened to get a jump on the night. We were home by 9, which was good because we had a busy Saturday ahead.

I was really looking forward to Saturday. Jack had districts for cross country. Luke's baseball team had a tournament only 30 minutes from our house and it was marching MPA, my favorite band event of the year! And, Marta and Elizabeth were coming up to see Luke's game and the MPA. It was going to be a great day! But, Jack woke up sick. He still ran, but probably should not have. Fortunately, his team finished fourth, so they get to move on to regionals. But, it was not a great race and it isn't as much fun to watch when your child struggles (he still finished in 20:30, but that is a lot slower than his more recent times).

While at the meet, I got a message that Marta and Elizabeth weren't going to be able to make it. Kara and I still went to Luke's game. Once there, we sat around for an hour while it rained. The game was eventually canceled. So, kind of strike 3 on the day.

On the positive side, the MPA was good and the band had their best performance of the season, earning straight superiors. So, that was nice. But, it just wasn't the day I wanted. There was some other stuff too with a close friend having a medical emergency, but that's not my story to tell. Anyway, it was just a sad Saturday. Which was especially hard because I was really looking forward to the day. 

I think Jack is in the picture. I need to ask him.

Sunday, I went to Luke's game. They lost 8-7. Luke pitched two innings and only gave up one earned run, but it wasn't his best day at the plate (he went 1-3) and his team made some big errors. But, we did go to lunch at Culver's. 

It was the last night of HHN and Kara and I went for a few hours. We were there on the opening and closing nights. And, the house we did first, way back in August, was the house we did last. It was based on the movie franchise Insidious and was really amazing. My favorite house of the year. It was the scariest house I think they've ever done, at least in the years I've gone. We had a good run with HHN, with 11 visits over 10 weeks, but I am ready to move on to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

And to close, one kind of funny story from HHN Friday night--Thomas and I were browsing the gift shop and I got startled by a stationary mannequin. All those haunted house jump scares had obviously gotten to me :)

A Day in the Life, Weekend Edition

Today is a Saturday with no baseball or lacrosse or cross country meets. So, a little different than most of our recent weekends. 

Thomas and I went to the gym when it opened at 8. Jack had already left for track practice. He ran 4 miles. Thomas did a weight workout, I did the elliptical. I listened to the Office Ladies podcast during my workout, but I still thought it was very boring and I left before Thomas. Normally, I like to exercise at home, either with a YouTube workout (CDornerFitness is my favorite) or weights. But, Luke wanted to do a weight workout and he likes to watch t.v when he exercises. Since that meant I couldn't use the weights or the t.v, I went to the gym. Anyway, 4 of us were exercising at the same time.

When we got home we had breakfast (protein shakes made by Thomas). I spent a little time cleaning the kitchen. Then, Luke, Thomas and I played "Trekking the National Parks". I won by 1 point! Kara was at a sleepover; I picked her up at 11. It was her first friend sleepover. Our family has always said no to sleepovers with rare exceptions (Marta, Summer and my sister). So, she was excited. One of her friends is moving to Brazil, so it was a surprise party and she had a lot of fun. Kara was in charge of baking and made cookies and brought a cake. She said both were well-received.

We ordered lunch from Tijuana Flats. We go there most Saturdays for the 2 for $22. We are frequent customers and they know us, which at first we found embarrassing, but now we just embrace.

After lunch, Thomas, Jack, Anna and I went to Kohl's. They had an additional 50% off clearance and we all got something. Anna got some super cute shoes that will be perfect for cruising dress-up. Thomas and I got jeans, Jack got sunglasses.

When we got home, I played Memory with Luke. He won handily. Then, Luke beat Jack, then me again.

Thomas and I read. I finished Water for Elephants and Thomas finished the Half Blood Prince. Jack met up with a friend and walked to the lake. We didn't see Kara much at all today. 

Anna and I made dinner together. It was a meal that Anna picked out--"Pizza Pasta Bake". Everyone liked it. After dinner, Anna went running. Then she and I went for a walk. Luke heard some kids playing in the park next to our house and went out and joined them. It was a group of girls he knows and they were playing and then having a sleepover. Luke felt a little out of place and came home. Shortly after, the girls rang our doorbell, Luke and Thomas answered and the girls caroled "We Wish you a Merry Christmas" and invited Luke to come have cookies at Beya's house. Luke did, but came home very sneezy from their dog (and/or cat), so he took a shower and then went to bed. 

Thomas and I watched two episodes of Ghosts (love that show!) and then we called it a night.

Stayed tuned for tomorrow's adventures.

Sunday: Thomas and I tried voting earlier in the week, but were met by a massive line. The polls open at 8, so we got there a few minutes before that today to beat the crowds. There was still a line, but there were only about 10 people in front of us. We had thoughtfully filled out sample ballots and brought them with us to copy, so voting only took us a few minutes. From there we went to Walmart just because it was right next door. Thomas is looking for a certain set of baseball cards, but they did not have them. I got a Christmas shirt and we grabbed a few other things. 

We got home and had breakfast, then gathered the family for a 10-minute clean-up (we literally set a timer and see how much we can get done). It is amazing what 6 people working for 10 minutes can accomplish. 

Kara and Luke played three games of Memory. Luke won 2 out of 3 games. Thomas and I played a match (Thomas won). For the record, before this weekend, no one in our house had played Memory in several years. I am not sure why the cards were brought out, but Luke is definitely the champion. My guess is they won't be played again after today, but we'll see.

Thomas, Anna and I went to Target. I had a 10% off coupon, which I thought I activated but didn't. We went to one Target, but they didn't have the baseball cards Thomas wanted, or the Tree Hut Anna was looking for, so we went to a second Target (there are about 6 within a 30-minute radius). We got a few things there, but no baseball cards or Tree Hut. 

We went home and had lunch. Then, Jack, Thomas, Luke and I played Trekking again. I won! Then, Anna, Thomas and I played Scattergories. Thomas won. Thomas took a nap. I watched a bit of my high school friend's documentary on YouTube. 

I also took Anna to check her blood pressure at Publix (first we tried CVS, but they don't have a machine). She had her physical last week and the doctor gave us a referral to a nephrologist, as her blood pressure is always high. However, I know that it is never high at home. Thomas had (has?) "white coat syndrome" (where you have high blood pressure readings at the doctor's office, but it's not really high). So, we own our own blood pressure kit, but I wanted to double-check the accuracy. Publix confirmed perfect, healthy numbers that matched our home monitor.  The doctor told us to check it at home for a couple of weeks and to email her the results to determine if we really need to use the referral. Thankfully, it doesn't look like we will need to. 

We watched a bit of The Half-Blood Prince. I started a new book (Tom Felton memoir). We had turkey burgers and tater tots for dinner and discussed the week ahead. Then, Thomas, Jack and I put up our Halloween decorations.  

I did a Walmart delivery order for tomorrow. Anna picked out the recipes for this week. We tell the kids they can choose the meals, but they need to give me the list and then help make the dinners. If they don't do this, they can't complain about what we are having. Kara and Anna are the only ones who have taken us up on the offer. Kara actually made all our weekly dinners by herself a month or so ago, it was amazing.

Jack and Thomas watched some of the Washington DC/Chicago football game. Something super amazing happened in the last 2-seconds with a hail mary that they got EXTREMELY excited about. Anna and Luke came down to see what the fuss was about and we all watched the replays.

Now, it is about 830, the kids have turned in their phones and gone to bed for the night (we still send them upstairs around 8, but they can read or hang out in their rooms, just no screens. The girls sometimes read to Luke, sometimes they play cards, etc.). We trust them to go to sleep at a reasonable hour. 

Thomas is watching more of the Half Blood Prince and I am writing this blog.

That is a weekend in the life.

A Busy Weekend and a Hurricane!

I have to go back in time a bit to write about what we did outside the birthday stuff. 

On September 30th we had a "free" inspection of our plumbing and electrical systems. Apparently, at some time we signed up for a plan (likely during one of our plumbing problems, where they told us it would save us money) and that plan came with yearly inspections. Never again! The electrician told us that our outside panel was giving off heat and needed to be replaced ASAP to the tune of $5K. He pointed out that it was a gold color which he said was evidence of this heat, as compared to the silver color of the interior box. He said he wasn't allowed to say the word (fire) but that we all knew what could happen if something is emitting too much heat. In other words he laid it on thick. Too thick. It didn't feel right, so we got a second opinion. That guy charged us $350 and said the first guy was "an idiot". The color was different because it was copper and it was functioning fine and we were not in any danger. So, the free inspection costs us $350 just to resolve a problem we didn't have. The plumbers also found about $2500 of work that "needs" to be done. For example, Anna's toilet handle was broken, but he said he could fix that for just $100. Thomas bought a $5 part and had it done in two minutes. There were a couple of minor legitimate things that we will get taken care, but, we aren't going to hire that company!

Saturday morning, I took Jack to his cross-country meet. Jack set a new PR and came in at 18:53! He placed 35th out of over 100 runners and his team finished in second place. This was Jack's 5th race. He ran the first in 21:24, so this is awesome improvement. However, Jack was still disappointed, he was hoping to finish ahead of some kids who beat him.

Not sure who took this cool picture, obviously not me!

While we were doing that, Thomas dropped Kara off at lacrosse and then took Luke to a baseball tournament. Luke's team broke out of their slump and over the course of the weekend, won 3/3 games. The fourth was canceled for weather. Luke pitched and did amazing. He only gave up one hit and one walk in four innings on Saturday. And, he pitched three perfect innings in the Sunday game. He also hit well and had some good plays in the outfield.

Meanwhile, I dropped Jack off and went to Kara's lacrosse. They were doing a tournament style day. Kara played in two games and did well. Between games, we decided to go to Chick-Fil-A. On our way there, we passed Jack and Anna, who were leaving CFA. And, guess where Thomas and Luke went to lunch between his games??? A Chick-Fil-A! All 6 Wilson's had lunch at Chick-Fil-A in three groups of two on Saturday. 

Saturday night, Kara and I went to HHN with her friend Shannon. We did 5/10 houses and had a good time.

Sunday, I was planning on going to Luke's games, but I was 99% sure they would be canceled for weather. I was wrong, but it probably should have been canceled. They played one game in the rain and then canceled the second game. We had the remnants of a tropical storm passing over us. And, a hurricane was forecast to hit us later in the week. So, I decided to go to Walmart for our weekly shopping. Normally, we do a delivery on Monday or Tuesday, but I was afraid everything would be gone. I got everything on my list, but the store was definitely crowded for 7am on a Sunday. 

Junk food and toilet paper--we were all set!

There was no baseball or lacrosse practice during the week due to weather. And, school was canceled Wed-Fri. They have Monday off for Columbus Day, so the kids get a 6-day weekend. Unfortunately, Thomas and I are working like normal. The only drawback of teleworking is on those rare occasions when the base closes, we still have to work. Anna and I went for walks in the evening. She is thinking about trying to enlist in the Air Force after high school, so we are talking about that quite a bit. One night some of us watched The Haunted Mansion movie. We have also played games and are watching the Halloween episodes of Brooklyn 99. It has been nice to have everyone home at night.

For most of the week, the storm was forecast to go right over us, potentially as a Category 2 hurricane. We have a lot of large trees around our house, so this was pretty nerve-wracking. However, it ended up moving a little south. It was a loud night for wind, and we did (maybe) have some hurricane force gusts, but nothing like we feared. One smaller tree in our yard was knocked over and we lost a shutter, but overall, we fared well. It was still stressful, as the wind was loud and our phones went off all night with various alarms (flood warning! tornado watch!). These storms are so strange in how they manifest. Some areas of Orlando completely flooded and areas significantly north of us (thus, further from the eye) had way worse winds. I guess you never really know what to expect and just have to prepare for the worst.

Sad to see a tree down.

We found the shutter, but it was cracked. We are glad it didn't hit the cars.

Anna and I use the white pipe in one of the neighborhood ponds to judge rain levels. The picture on the left was Monday. The right was Thursday. 

Anna and Jack are 17!!!

Jack and Anna turned 17 on Thursday. It feels crazy for them to be that old. For the first time ever, Jack wanted a birthday party. Well, what he asked for was to go bowling with his friends. However, the bowling alley wouldn't let you reserve a lane without booking a party. He had the party on a Sunday afternoon. They bowled for a couple of hours, ate, then spent a little time in the arcade. Jack had fun and I don't think he regrets his choice.

Anna wanted to go to Disney Springs and the beach. Our weekends are so busy that it can be hard to find time to do things. To make Anna's requests happen, we decided to go to Disney Springs after work/school and let them skip school for the beach. So the celebration took place over the course of their birthday week. Sunday started with Jack's birthday party. The rest of us (except Kara who doesn't like bowling) also bowled. The bowling alley is huge with 80 lanes, so it was easy enough to be there without interfering in his party.

On Monday, Anna, Kara and I went to Disney Springs after school. We browsed all the shops they were interested in and had burgers for dinner at Anna's request. It was a fun night. Jack was at cross-country practice and Luke didn't want to go, so Thomas stayed home with Luke.

Tuesday, Jack had cross country and band practice. Kara had lacrosse, but got rained out. Oddly enough, Luke still had baseball. It was pouring at our house for hours, but no rain 7 miles away at the baseball field So weird! One day, I was walking to the school and I literally passed the line where the rain began (or ended). One step forward--no rain. One step back--rain. Florida weather is not for the faint of heart!

Wednesday Jack had a band concert. None of the other kids wanted to go (there were concerns about how long it might last). Thomas and I went to Culver's for dinner and then the concert. We enjoyed the music. There was one number with a combined band and orchestra that was really great.

Thursday was their actual birthday. I made one of Jack's favorites for dinner, beef stroganoff. Anna and I made her requested cake (pumpkin spice with cinnamon cream cheese frosting--delicious!). We also made some cake pops, just for fun. The kids opened their presents. Jack got two records and a backpack for cross-country. Anna got Legos, a Kendra Scott necklace, and a chair and tower air conditioner for her room (she got more than Jack because she didn't have a party).

Anna got a custom coke with her name on it at the Coca-Cola story in Disney Springs. She enjoyed it on her birthday.

Friday was supposed to be the beach. We were going to try a new one in Jupiter that is supposed to be beautiful. But, the forecast called for thunderstorms all day. It doesn't usually storm in the mornings, so that was unfortunate. We gave Anna the option of going to Cocoa Beach (better forecast), doing something else, or postponing to another day. She decided to do a Disney day. We went to Magic Kingdom and did all her favorites and some rides we usually skip, like the carousel and tea cups. It was a fun day!

We went on the People Mover while Space Mountain was shut down and got to see it with the lights on.

View from Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.

And, that concludes the birthday week! I am so glad that Jack and Anna were born. I always wanted to be a mom. I've probably written this at least one time in the past, but one of my first memories is praying for a baby of my own and then getting scared that God would grant my wish and quickly praying, "never mind". I was probably 4. We write about everyone each year in January, but I can't end this blog without saying a few things that I love about them. 

Anna has a great sense of humor; she can be quick to anger, but is also quick to apologize and admit when she is wrong. She is intuitive, smart, and loving. She has gained a lot of confidence this year and it is amazing to see the young woman she is becoming. 

Jack is super smart and good at all the hard subjects that I try and avoid. He is goal-oriented and willing to work hard for what he wants. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and strives to be a good, moral, human being. He is kind to everyone. I know great things are in store for him!

I am so proud to be their mom!