New Year Randoms

We turned the calendar this year with hopeful hearts that 2021 would bring big changes to our world -- the start of COVID vaccinations here in the United States, schools being allowed to open up again for full-time face-to-face instruction, team sports with spectators allowed to attend, businesses of all types (including bars and restaurants ) opened to full capacity again ... and the list goes on and on.  While we have enjoyed the extended time spent together as a close-knit family this year, we also find ourselves longing for the freedom that we used to have to go places and spend time with friends "outside of our bubble."  We are missing a true sense of normalcy.  

We spent our New Year's Eve at home -- just the 6 of us -- with a GOLD decorated table filled with snacks and special drinks.  We watched football, played games and after putting Jimmy in bed at 10:00 pm, we stayed up to watch the (completely lame) BALL DROP in NYC.  It was a very muted event and lacked the usual excitement and hype because of the understandable social distancing that was necessary.  And then, by 12:02 am, we were all tucked into bed.  Ha!

And now a bunch of randomness:

With the fire going nonstop in our back Family Room this time of year, we roasted hot dogs for dinner.  Kind of like a good old-fashioned campfire, and Jimmy was pretty excited about that.

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Over Christmas Break, my sister and her kids came over for a day of playing, nail painting, pizza and ice cream sundaes.  There was a lot of laughing and everyone had such a fun time!

Samantha has the longest nails ever (just like my sister) and was happy to have a fun pattern done on hers. 

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A snow storm moved into our area on January 1st, dumping lots of fresh-clumping snow (perfect for building snow forts) and left the trees covered for the most gorgeous backdrop.  The girls and our neighbor (whom we affectionately refer to as our "adopted daughter") spent hours outside the next day.

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And while the girls were hard at work constructing snow forts and sledding down the back hill, the boys were out front firing up the snowmobile.

My brother let us borrow his old snowmobile that was not running to see if we could get it running.  Steve and Jack spent a great deal of time working on it -- taking it apart, ordering a few new parts, changing out the oil, putting it back together.  It was a perfect project to work on inside our heated garage and I think that Jack learned A LOT from the whole process.

Is there anything more fun than throwing snow up in the air and watching it fly?

Jimmy pushed the snow all by himself into this big hill so that he could be "king of the Hill."

Just two brothers who love camo and snow.

Jack's "happy place" is buried deep in the snow.  He is truly an outside boy at heart -- Winter, Spring, Sumer and Fall.

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My kids have all been good "nappers."  They would consistently, without fail, take afternoon naps up until they went to kindergarten.  They always needed that time to re-charge and were in better spirits and ready to take on the world afterwards.  

With Jimmy preparing to start all-day kindergarten in the Fall, I was been letting him skip his nap once in a while.  Sometimes, he can handle it and make it until bedtime (8:00 pm) without falling asleep.  But there are some days when I find him like this by the middle of the afternoon:

It's tiring being an active preschooler:

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At school, Samantha had to dress up as an "old lady."  They were celebrating kindness and the idea that "kindness never grows old," so Samantha asked me what we had at home that she could use to dress up.  A long skirt, some knee-high socks, a turtleneck sweater (which she told me that she 'would NEVER wear a turtleneck sweater in real life!'), a shawl, a broach, glasses and her hair in a bun.  Yup, she nailed it!

Also, it should be noted that the kids continue to go to school face-to-face after Christmas Break, but only for half-days.  The arrive home by 11:45 am every day to eat lunch with little/no homework.  It is upsetting because they are truly only receiving half of the learning that they should be and we are anxious to get them back in school full-time.  Maybe after Spring Break?

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Jimmy is still going to school for half-days Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  They are truly the best days for him and he is more than ready for kindergarten in the Fall already.

I ordered this shirt for him that displays his Preschool name and all of his friends.  Each of the kids had to draw their own face on the shirt and then they were printed.  I plan to hold onto this and put it on display for his high school graduation in 2034.  2034!!!