Goodbye 2019, welcome 2020!

At our New Year's Eve party (movies and frozen appetizers in the great white north), we all shared our favorite 2019 memory and something we're looking forward to in 2020.

DJ: Favorite memory is going to Michigan Adventure this summer. He's most looking forward to playing baseball this spring, hopefully for Grand Ledge.

Nellie: Favorite memory is Christmas, getting a Hamilton ticket which she was not expecting! She's excited to turn 13.

Annie: Favorite memory is going on her first upside-down roller coaster and being in Frozen Jr. She's most looking forward to trying new things in 2020 now that she's older, like auditioning for plays and riding bigger amusement park rides.

Eddie: Favorite memory is going to Michigan Adventure and "all the other good things that happened." He's looking forward to next Christmas.

Mary Cate: Favorite memory is finding treasures. She is looking forward to "nothing."

Jamie: Favorite memories are watching the kids gain new experiences and interests. For the girls, definitely being in Frozen Jr. with Midway Theater Company. For DJ, starting to love reading. For Eddie, starting kindergarten and Mary Cate, starting preschool and learning to tolerate it. Running regularly starting this summer with Kevin was a favorite personal memory (especially the ledges on my birthday). I'm most looking forward to a couple of travel opportunities this year and of course, the great blessing of seeing the kids learn and grow.

Kevin: Favorite memories are playing football with DJ, turkey hunting with the kids. Running with Jamie (and sometimes Mary Cate) all summer and fall. He's most looking forward to the next hunting season.

Papa Mike: Favorite memory was backpacking in the mountains, especially the hike up to Lava Lake in Montana. He's most looking forward to "surviving" in 2020.

Christmas season = Christmas concerts

When we decided to have five children, no one prepared me for the fact that someday, some Christmas season, we would have six concerts/performances to attend in the span of two weeks. When I filled in our calendar over Thanksgiving, I'll admit, my stomach turned a little. That's a lot of quick dinner/get dressed!/get in the car!/we're going to be late!/sitting through a lot of music/taking lots of pictures/driving home in the dark and cold.

But I was also unprepared for how much I love to hear the kids sing and play. Yes, I have heard them many times before, but this was a year of firsts with Nellie's first year in choir, first year in middle school, Eddie in kindergarten, etc. And they love it so much (with the exception of DJ, as we know.)

Some highlights were when Mary and DJ actually got on stage and sang--it's always questionable until it happens, Nellie's descant at her choir concert, Annie's solo in the church show, and Eddie's joy throughout the elementary concert!

16 years of bliss

For our anniversary this year, we decided a night out with the kids would be a fun way to celebrate 16 years of marriage AND kick off Christmas break. We basically recreated our date from last year, during which we kept saying, "the kids would love this!"

We started with dinner at Olde Peninsula. Then we took a walk through the lights at Bronson Park, stopped in an interesting downtown candy store, gave the kids a driving tour of Western's campus (Nellie asked if the whole point was to make them want to go to WMU), and got coffee at Water Street.

I suppose a rare night out alone would have been nice, too, but we had a great time with the whole family!

Where Kevin proposed in front of the nativity

Kiss pose to embarrass the kids

Fall adventures

It's been over three months since my last post. I'm slipping! Most of that time is spent in our very full two-working-parents-five-kids routine. It looks something like this.
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5:30 am - Alarm rings, go running. I typically achieve full wakefulness sometime around 5:50 while on the treadmill. Always mysterious how I got there.

6:15 - Shower.

6:30 - Wake up Nellie, Eddie, and Mary Cate and try to help them get ready while blow drying my hair.

6:40 - Downstairs for breakfast.

7:06 - If we're going to be on time, I'm buckling kids in the car.

7:19 - Drop off Nellie at school. After 7:20, things get crazy in the carpool lane.

7:45 - School. It takes 10 minutes just to get out of the car and across the parking lot.

3:00 pm - Pick up the little kids.

4:00 - Leave school

4:30 - Home. Chat with all the kids about their day and help with homework, sign practice records, empty school folders, etc. while I clean the kitchen so I can make dinner.

6:00 - Eat dinner. Clean up dinner. Make lunches and repack backpacks. (All this assumes an open night. Most nights there are practices and rehearsals and lessons.)

7:30 - Start the never-ending bath and bedtime routine.

8:30 - Grading, emails, laundry, sending kids back to bed.

10:00ish - Bed
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But that's just the daily stuff. There have been a lot of new and exciting opportunities for the kids this year, too. Here are some highlights:

• Nellie is in band and choir. She is taking flute lessons and earned a I rating at her first Solo and Ensemble.
• Annie and Nellie were cast in Frozen Jr. The performances were in October and were amazing! I went every night. I learned a lot about stage hair and makeup...thanks Youtube.
• Annie played basketball through the Grand Ledge rec league and liked it so much she signed up to play again this winter with DJ.
• DJ has grown increasingly devoted to baseball, football, basketball, and reading. He doesn't do much else than read or watch sports with Kevin while playing catch with a Nerf football.
• Eddie started talking in kindergarten. He's perfectly happy at school...just quiet. 
• Mary Cate is resigned to preschool. This is a big accomplishment for her. She's grown up so much in a short time being around all the four-year-olds! 
• Annie ran cross country. She and I ran two 5Ks together and I loved every minute of it. Annie maybe not so much. 
• We went to Silver Bells in the City and watched the parade from the warmth of Emily's office.
• We visited John and Sue in October and my dad over Thanksgiving. We were surprised by a snowstorm at my dad's and fun bundled up in our pajamas over our clothes!

On this, the first day of Christmas break, we're definitely happy to have some slower days together. Of course, we had to spend hours and hours picking up the house and folding laundry first...the kids were not super happy about that, to say the least. For once, I wish they believed in Santa.

Love this smiling runner!

Hair and makeup ready for the show. Mom not ready for teen years.

At the bridge

At the cider mill (as usual, in early November when we have the place to ourselves!)

Watching the parade

Snow day at Papa Mike's!