Winter 2023

Where did the past 6 months go?  Filled with all the things.  Here are some highlights from after Christmas until spring:

We went to see a kids Cirque show at the Moss (Gabriel actually went there on a field trip in the morning and then went back with Corban and me for the evening performance)

"Caturday" at the library

Corban has really enjoyed Scouts this past year and certainly wants to do it again next year.  They did so many fun and simple things:

Outing to the fire station

Minecraft TNT themed, he worked really hard on
his first Pinewood Derby car with Taylor's help

An evening at the VT drone park

Corban and his scout buddy, Reid

A sad and memorable part of the winter was the passing of Loki.  She died just a few days before her 16th birthday.  It's hard to believe it was so long ago, but 3 years ago she was diagnosed with liver cancer.  They told us then that she could go at anytime, as her liver would compensate until it couldn't basically.  Well she had 3 years after that of living a pretty good dog life.  The past couple years she had gotten slower, went completely deaf, and took a lot of long naps, but she generally was happy to be a part of family life.  Last June she wasn't eating well and I took her to the doctor and they found a tumor in the back of her mouth which most likely was metastasis from her liver cancer.  She still seemed generally happy though so we decided last summer to put her on "dog hospice", though she never needed to pain or nausea medication that we were given.  Her last couple months it was getting hard to know what was best for her, as she was getting thinner but still seemed so happy, but I am thankful that on the day that she passed she ate the food scraps from the floor at breakfast and seemed pain free and comfortable.  So she didn't have to suffer in her last hours of life.  We came home from the day and she soon after had a seizure.  She showed some other concerning symptoms and the vet said that the cancer was probably in her brain so we let her go that day.  Gabriel was her faithful companion.  He stayed with her on the floor while we decided what to do, rode with her in the car to the vet, and wanted to be with her in her last moments.  I was so proud of how brave he was never to leave her even when it was so incredibly sad.  She was just the best dog and no one who met her could say any different.

Gabriel designed her gravestone.  He thought it should be very similar
to the once that Ramona (book character) made for her cat, Picky Picky

Working hard digging the grave

We had some flowers that someone brought over so they decorated it with them when we were done.  They actually stayed up there for quite a while.  A couple times when I've been cutting up peppers I've asked one of the boys to go and put a couple on her grave.  I miss Loki most when I'm in the kitchen and when I come home to an empty house and she isn't there to greet me.  I never would call myself a "dog person" but I was a "Loki person"

Gabriel sure loves his cloak.  Good for rangers and hobbits alike

Corban playing with his friend, Addy

One Sunday morning I found the boys out on the porch "smoking cigars" (large plastic straws) and talking.  The following sign was on the door to their room in the house:

Playing at our favorite park, Hand in Hand, before they tore the old equipment down

Seeing the Mario Movie with the Briggs.  Josh and Tim are younger than the boys but they sure love playing together.  They were the only kids at our home group for a while and they all just hit it off.

Green Valley book fair with Corban's class

Science Museum with Gabriel's class

It was a very loud car ride

Martial arts birthday for their friend Mathias.  Their mom taught them a class and
I was amazed at how she got a room full of kids to obey her every command

Egg hunt at the Rec Center (it was very rainy and cold)

The past couple Easters we have had dinner at the Blacksburg Tavern (family style food) and the boys just want to keep doing it.  I'm good with that too.  In the morning we went to an early outdoor service, had a potluck breakfast at church, and then had our regular church service.  We haven't done that potluck in a few years so it was really nice to do that again.  We went through the day and didn't take a family picture.  Oops

New Lord of the Rings trading cards for Gabriel and a new Pokemon card case for Corban
(though since I'd bought it for him he already had too many cards to fit in the case)

Christmas 2022

I mentioned in a previous post that we put up the tree before Thanksgiving, which we never do.  With being gone the week of Thanksgiving and then coming back and jumping back into school and work it was either before Thanksgiving or a couple weeks into December.

The boys always get excited about getting out the decorations.  They each have a box of ornaments that they have gotten over the years that are specific to them.  They can choose to put them on their small individual trees or on the family tree.

Getting out the Christmas books, movies, and music is also fun.

New PJs from Gammer

We did what we do every year and hung up our paper stockings and mittens with an activity for each day leading up until Christmas.  Some of the things included were making and delivering cookies, opening a Lego Advent calendar, shopping for the food pantry, making paper snowflakes, looking at the decorated trees at the Inn at VT, driving around and looking at Christmas lights, drinking hot chocolate, opening a new Christmas book (this year it was A Christmas Carol), opening a new Christmas movie (Illumination Grinch), opening our new ornaments for the year (the boys got Sonic and Tails; Taylor and I actually bought each other the same ornament without realizing it - Carl and Ellie from the Pixar movie Up), going to see the Nutcracker, going to see a Christmas movie in the movie theater, watching Elf with our friends the Empsons, going to an acapella concert at church, eating a candy cane, going to holiday parades, going to the Advent Service at church (where the boys did a reading), going ice skating, camping in front of the Christmas tree in the living room, going to their school Christmas performance, going to the DAK Christmas light show, and making a Christmas craft.

Corban was excited to be in the Blacksburg holiday parade with Scouts.  They went the night before and helped to decorate the float.  While Corban and Taylor were doing that I took Gabriel to meet some friends and watch the parade.  They had fun dancing, collecting candy, and wrestling on the grass.  They were also all kind to give some of their candy to Corban since he didn't get any.

He was so excited to have everyone yelling to him and waving

When you find your kindergarten teacher after the parade (she said that they were calling
his name as his float went past and he was confused until he realized who it was)

Checking out the trees at the Inn at VT

Posing with Buddy at the dentist's office

For their Christmas performance this year Mrs. Mayhew took months teaching them Christmas songs in different languages.  They both really enjoyed it and we had a lot of singing going on around here in the weeks leading up to the night.

Corban's class led chapel one week and did a great job doing some skits.  Corban played Caleb as the spies were going into the city and did a great job projecting his voice and getting into the part.

Local house that has radio Christmas lights and Santa on some nights.  We don't really do Santa around this house but Corban asked me if he could tell Santa what he wanted to Christmas, which I said was fine.  He told him that he wanted a PlayStation :)

Last year we took the boys ice skating for the first time and they loved it.  They had asked several times if this could happen again this year and thankfully there was an afternoon that it was offered that worked for us.  They both were quite fearless and Corban especially wanted no help getting his bearings on the ice.

I was supposed to work on Christmas Day (which was on a Sunday this year and Taylor was preaching that day), but a few days before a co-worker asked me if I'd work 12/26 for her if she picked up Christmas for me.  That was a no brainer and I was happy to be and church and home that day with everyone.  The boys got matching PJs a couple days before Christmas, which they are wearing below on Christmas morning.  Corban especially likes PJs that zip up with hoods.

A couple of creepers on Christmas morning

We did what we always do and had a meal (dinner) at Waffle House on Christmas Day

The most exciting thing that the boys got for Christmas was a used Nintendo Wii with games (some that friends gave us when they gave us the Wii, some that were ordered used off of eBay by Aunt Jessica).  They were both totally shocked and have especially enjoyed playing Lego Harry Potter and Lego Lord of the Rings.  We let them play it a lot on Christmas Day (we waiting to open it until after church) and over the rest of Christmas break.

After Christmas we had lots of family come to visit.  First it was the Spears and Grandma Cheryl and after that it was the Murchisons with Gammer and Pop Pop.  I don't know how we didn't take any pictures with Taylor's family when they were here.  We really only had one full day with them though.

Lizzie with the Playmobile Santa Workshop

Cousin Mario Kart

Cracker Barrel

The week before school started back we went to the science museum and took Aela with us.  It was a fun day of exploring, eating Jimmy Johns, and picking out candy at the big candy store.

They worked hard and built this entire house together

A couple weeks after Christmas we did our annual MLK cabin trip with the Bergerons.  The boys had fun staying with Taylor's parents.  They did their favorite thing to do there: go to Barnes and Noble and pick a book, go out to lunch, and wander the mall.  Apparently waiting to read the new books until after the mall wasn't an option for them

After the MLK trip it seems like the end of break and the time to get back into the routine of school.  Our tree may still be up though (working on that). . .

It really was a nice break filled with lots of fun and time with family :)