Summer 2021
This summer was busy and had some of the feels of a normal summer. We spent plenty of days at Coney Island and we all got to go on some pretty fun trips! We started the summer with Charlotte and Melissa’s birthday trip that was postponed due to the need to be home with our spring chicks. For our birthday trip we got to visit COSI and The Wilds near Columbus.
The week after, we headed to the beach with the Hess side of the family. We had great weather and everyone had a great time.
At the end of June, Auntie Paula took Charlotte on her ten year old birthday trip. They chose to go to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg in the Great Smokey Mountains. Ben’s tenth birthday trip was postponed due to COVID so they had a combined trip and I think everyone loved it!
While Charlotte was away on her trip, Jay and Oliver went on their postponed Ollie and Daddy trip. When asked where Ollie was interested in going he listed the Grand Canyon, the Sequoias, and Tide Pools. Tide Pools it was, so the two boys headed up to Maine for a few days.
Everyone got back just in time for a lovely Fourth of July and the fair and 4H presentations and awards. Charlotte placed first in both of her projects this year: cake decorating and beginning art.
At the end of July, Charlotte got to go to church camp with one of her good friends and they had a great time. A few days later, Jay and Oliver went to Daddy and Son adventure camp. Oliver was in heaven and even got a hatchet he plays with in the woods!
Right before school started, we took a quick little trip to visit some friends in Virginia. We got to see some friends we haven't seen in a while and got to stay with the Smiths. It was a really nice and relaxing week.
What a summer it was. It flew by so fast not one blog post was published! Hope everyone had a great summer. Fall starts tomorrow and we are looking forward to some cooler temps. I think we packed as much into Summer 21 that we could!
easter 2021
We had another lovely COVID Easter. We wised up and decided to take photos the day before Easter because our Easter Sunday can be a tad busy! This year Ollie jumped right into the picture taking, directing that his pictures would be taken on the trails he has been working on in our woods over the past month or so. We also took a few shots with the two of the newest members of our family- Jan and Mille. These little ladies are two of the six chicks we have been raising in the basement before they go to live in the backyard. We are hoping to get some laughs and eggs out of these ladies very soon! They have already given us many giggles as chicken are very silly little animals.
This year, the Easter Bunny could not resist seeing the chicks in the basement, so he left the Easter basket downstairs. This was nice because we were not all home until that afternoon. Later in the day we headed over to our neighbors and had a delicious Easter lunch, played games, and of course had an Easter egg hunt.
Charlotte is 10
It is hard to believe that 10 years have gone by since Charlotte entered the world and launched us into parenthood. Charlotte is our creative and compassionate thinker. She is such a good friend and she is always so thoughtful. She has a great work ethic and is always willing to help out when we’ve got a project going on around the house.
It is clear to see that she is not a little girl anymore and we are excited day after day to see the young woman she is becoming. Charlotte has big plans for her future and we know that she is capable of achieving anything she puts her mind to.
Happy 10th Birthday Charlotte Gray!
Oliver is 8
Oliver’s 7th birthday slid in just before COVID-19 hit in 2020, so this year for his 8th birthday, with winter temperatures and mask requirements, we took to Eastside Christian Church for his photo shoot.
Our homeschooled 2nd grader has learned so much this year and has become quite the reader. He loves playing outside whenever he can, but he also loves to build and create on Minecraft. We are looking forward to spring soccer and more outdoor activities, but in the mean time we decided to spend Oliver and Jay’s birthdays in frigid Chicago so Ollie could visit the Sheed Aquarium. Oliver wants to work with ocean animals when he grows up, so it was a great experience for him. We love you Oliver James!
Christmas 2020
Christmas in our house was different this year for sure! We opted out of traditional family gatherings to help keep all of our loved ones safe. This meant a few things looked different, but we still made memories and had a great holiday season. Here are a few things to remember from December 2020:
December started with a little snow and an opportunity to use new sleds from Grandpa and Tiki.
The tree farm that we visit every year was open, but because we are doing online schooling this year we got to go on a Friday when the place was empty. Everyone ran around like they owned the place!
When we got our tree home Gibby and Grandpa helped decorate the tree without the normal festivity (food and drinks) and of course in masks.
This year we baked and made more cookies than we ever have in the past! I guess all the time at home gave us time to do every cookie kit and recipe imaginable! Part of our cookie making included a Cookie Decoration competition with our neighbors. It was a lot of fun, and we will do it again next year!
Every year we do some form of advent. This year we took part in the standard lego and chocolate advent calendars as we have in the past, but we also got to do the advent from Eastside. It was nice spending extra time around the table each night.
This year we took Auntie Paula to the Festival of the Lights at the zoo. Because of COVID they only sold tickets at certain times and the only tickets that we could get you had to enter at 2 pm, so we spent hours enjoying the zoo this year!
The month was spent at a relaxed pace and we got to spend some time at the nature center, doing puzzles, going to see Christmas lights, playing outside, and even watching the piggies next door!
Santa was visited this year, we went on a Fun Friday, there was no wait at all, and after a quick temperature and health check we got to chat with the big man!
Christmas morning was exciting as usual and Santa came with some good treats for all. Miss Laura stayed with us this Christmas (to keep her family safe) and so we enjoyed the day with the five of us.
We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Christmas. We sure did miss our normal traditions, but were thankful for the time we got to spend together this year!
