Eddie is 8 and feeling great

Eddie had another great year of making music (he continued with piano lessons with a new teacher), playing sports (soccer, baseball, and basketball), and generally being a cool kid. He loves math, reading, and hanging out at home. He's generally quieter than the other kids and calls everyone "bro." Eddie is always, always up for playing at a playground, swimming, and making up games with DJ. I'm excited to witness all the fun he has as an 8-year-old! 

Here's what he had to say: 

How do you feel about being eight?

Awesome.

What new things do you think you’ll be able to do as an eight-year-old?   

Everything! Like multiplication, division, cursive.

What are you most looking forward to in the next year?
Learning new strategies for multiplication.

Who are your best friends?

Aidrick, Dallas, and Cameron.

 

Who are your favorite people to play with?
Otto, DJ, Aidrick, Dallas, Cameron.

 

What kinds of things are you good at?

Music, video games, being awesome, baseball. Well, that’s my favorite sport.

 

What do you want to be when you grow up?
A video game designer.

 

Why do you want to be …?

Because I like video games and have ideas for video games.

 

What’s your favorite song? 

The theme songs for Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. and the song “Prince Caspian” by Phish.

 

What's your favorite food?
Pepperoni, sausage, and pineapple pizza forever!

Favorite movie?
I like literally every movie. Right now, Sonic 2 and Woody Woodpecker.

 

Favorite book?   

All of the books I’ve read this year. Half Upon a Time, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, Pokemon Sun and Moon. The Chronicles of Narnia.

 

Favorite color?   

Red.

Favorite place to be?

Home. Or Otto’s house.

 

What are your favorite things to do?   
Video games, sports, reading. I like to play with Otto and my friends, things like basketball and imaginary games.

 
What is your favorite birthday present that you received so far this year?
Literally every single present. But especially the ninja warrior stuff and Mario Legos.

 

Is there anything else you want us to know about you?

That I’m awesome. Wait, I already said that.

Spring Break 2022

Between spring break camp and our recent Florida getaway, Kevin wasn't able to go anywhere for spring break this year. So when Nellie got back from Florida, I took the kids north for a few days! It was the first time I'd ventured so far or so long, or to a place I wasn't super familiar with, with them on my own. We had so much fun in Petoskey last year that we decided to try it again.

Though we missed Kevin a whole lot, I was pretty proud of myself for navigating the snowy roads, condo maintenance, and keeping people (mostly) fed and happy on vacation. It was cold and wet when we first arrived, but the snow was almost gone. So after the first day when I noticed that Eddie's hand-me-down (I think all the way from Nellie) snow pants were all ripped and holey, I threw them away. THEN we got another few inches of snow! Luckily, you can find snow pants in northern Michigan in April. :)

We spent a lot of time outdoors, getting food and coffee from our favorite spots, and wandering around downtown. The Wernets definitely don't mind a wintry spring break!

On the road!

Made it safe and sound through the freezing rain

First-day hike

I let each kid pick out a small souvenir, then we headed to Beards for dinner.

Second-day snow - a winter wonderland!

Okay, this was a highlight. We put on an impromptu talent show with music, dancing, and my personal favorite - the girls showing how good they are at playing charades together. "Two sisters, one mind."

Hiking at Petoskey State Park

We made it to the top of the hill!

Some ill-fated searching for Petoskey stones...it was really cold.

Elbow tree

Ready to head back. DJ was over it.

It was cold, but ice cream was a must.

Beautiful sunrise over the frozen lake

Warm and cozy inside on our last morning

Snow days 2022!

 I guess I shouldn't assume these will be our only snow days, but there's not much excitement in the forecast. 

We ended up getting lots of snow over the course of the day on Wednesday, which meant two snow days for us and three for Grand Ledge, plus a previously-scheduled PD day on Friday. Lucky for us, Kevin made it to the grocery store early for snow day snacks and made enough rabbit chili to feed an army for 10 days, so it was easy to settle in and enjoy a few extra days at home.

We were productive! We put away the rest of the Christmas things and pulled out our few Valentine's decorations. Mary finished her class Valentines (from last year's leftovers). We cleaned some and got all the laundry done well before the weekend - is it sad that's what I'm most excited for on a snow day? I worked some and Kevin tried to work from home with all of us hanging around.

We had fun! The kids played outside more than ever, and I relished in this new parenting stage where they all get their own snow gear on and put it in the dryer when they're done. We played Clue as a family for the first time and only one person cried. We caught up on The Book of Boba Fett and watched Groundhog's Day on Groundhog's Day. We made cookies and built fires and took naps.

Early Wednesday morning, watching the snow come down

They got out early - we turned on the Christmas/Valentine's lights for the occasion

Sitting in what's left of an old fort

It was Solo and Ensemble week, so we braved the snowy roads for a lesson

Bonus photo 1: She was marvelous (at least by mom standards)

Bonus photo 2: Cool sunset after basketball Saturday

Love letters

 Mary likes to write us notes. I got this one the other day when I asked her to bring me my phone from the counter. Very sweet, though maybe lacking a little in determination!

A very covid Christmas

Okay, to clarify, no one actually had Covid on Christmas, praise the Lord! But unfortunately, our household saw more quarantine than not in the month of December. On December 8, Mary complained about having "fire swallows ALL DAY" when we picked her up from school. I thought surely it was the beginning of a cold or maybe even strep, but nope - when we gave her a rapid test at home just to be on the safe side and to keep the boys in school - surprise! It was covid. 

After nearly two years of worrying and wondering and avoiding, our five-year-old came home with covid. There was definitely a sense of, "wow, this is happening" when I saw that positive test. We went into a flurry of testing everyone else (all negative), figuring out how to isolate her as much as possible, calling the school nurse, and negotiating work schedules for the next couple of days.

Eddie tested positive two days later, and DJ three days after that. Thankfully, their symptoms were manageable. DJ did lose his sense of smell and discovered it in a rather hilarious way. After petting Chief, he asked me to smell his hand. "Mom, I just petted Chief for like two minutes. I should smell like stinky dog, but I don't!" His hand did indeed smell like stinky dog. So DJ ran around smelling candles and garlic and couldn't. It was much more of a curiosity to him than anything worrisome, and he was relieved to be able to smell again to eat Chick-Fil-A yesterday in honor of MSU at the Peach Bowl.

Grandma Linda sent over some of my dolls for Mary!

Mary's "PCR face"

The quarantine period was a little intense, though. When Nellie and Annie were home everyone wore masks in the house and the covid kids had to stay in the family room. I slept with Mary on the couch for ten nights so she wasn't sharing a room (and germs) with Annie. In all, DJ was quarantined for 15 days and all three kids missed their Christmas parties and chapels and performances. They were very disappointed for a little while, but for the most part they settled in and enjoyed the very extended break. Annie was pretty disappointed that vaccinated siblings didn't have to do remote learning. They did get tired of each other, and may have hit their limit on screen time. 

Watching the kindergarten program on Zoom

Thanks Grandma for the Flour Child decorate-at-home cookies!

For Kevin and me, the logistics were complicated, of course. I tried to minimize my time at school, which meant a lot of driving back and forth and teaching remotely. I found that teaching remotely to high schoolers in school while the three youngest kids are learning remotely and the rest of their classes are at school right before Christmas is the most challenging combination I've experienced yet! Oh yeah, and I fell and tore my meniscus the second week and had to try to take care of that. BUT - it was also nice to spend more time at home. We listened to a lot of Christmas music, watched a lot of Christmas movies, and generally enjoyed lots of quiet Christmas break days leading up to Christmas. We owe a debt of gratitude to our gracious coworkers, especially my amazing office-mate Katherine who managed my class while I taught from home.

And by some Christmas and Pfizer/Moderna miracle, the rest of us stayed covid-free! DJ was out of quarantine on Christmas Eve and we were able to host visitors and go to family parties! So the timing, while difficult, was also graciously perfect for celebrating Christmas. 

DJ, age 10

This one snuck up on me - it's hard to believe DJ is already 10. So grown up! He's still super into sports (as you'll read all about!) and loves to read. He has a contagious laugh and wishes sometimes that he had an older brother to play football with. He can't get us to play catch with him quite as much as he'd like! This year, DJ has turned into a night owl and tries to stay up as late as he can get away with watching football with Kevin or reading in bed. (He's sitting next to me arguing that it just naturally happens.) 

We have a lot to be thankful for - DJ is happy and healthy and has a wonderful teacher and great friends at school. We love him so much and can't wait to see what the next year holds!

What was your favorite memory from the last year?
I really liked March Madness. It seemed like there were a lot of teams that weren't usually in the tournament. And I just like watching basketball; it's a fast-paced sport.

What is one way God's been working in your life this year?

Getting covid. He protected me from getting super severely sick. I could still get out of bed and play basketball.

How do you feel about being ten?  

I feel like this year went by faster than expected. [Double digits! What do you think about when being 10?] It's cool, I finally get to be 3 years older than Eddie again.

What are you most looking forward to in the next year?
Baseball season - to play and watch.

What new things or skills are you learning?
I'm learning how to do like tricks in video games and stuff. Like combos in Mario Tennis. I can dribble two balls at once with my eyes closed in basketball. I don't want to write about writing, because I don't like writing. [Okay, how about other subjects?] I like math. I've learned long division and triple-digit multiplication.

Who are your best friends?

Wesley, Ira, Brendan, Otto, Colin, Collin...

What kinds of things are you good at?

Basketball, soccer, math, baseball, ignoring my siblings, flag football, at recess when people get mad and leave the game, I'm good at talking to them and getting them to come back in the game.

What careers are you considering?

Paleontology, forestry, eye doctor.

Why are you interested in those things?

If I was a paleontologist I'd like finding new things. Forestry I think it would be cool to take a walk in the woods and know what all the plants and trees are and write notes about it. I'm not good at writing reports and stories. I can't come up with good ideas to write about.

What’s your favorite song?   

Help by the Beatles or Mr. Blue Sky from Guardians of the Galaxy.

What's your favorite food?

Chicken pot pie and those carrot things. [Sliced carrots with cinnamon. :)]

Favorite movie? Or just a movie you like. 
The Sandlot.

Favorite book you've read this year?   

The Unflushables, Who Was books, The Hobbit, and Holes.

Favorite color?   
Light green.

Favorite place to be?

In my bed. I'm joking. The basement; it's fun.

What are your favorite things to do?

Watch sports. Play sports. Play video game sports. I like reading. I like doing Legos.

Is there anything else you want us to know about you as a ten-year-old?   

No (laughing).

Christmas 2021

 After last year's Christmas of being careful - everything over Zoom and/or masked - it was so nice to be together with family this year! It was still different, with regular covid testing (especially with us JUST being out of quarantine) and no big parties. We really missed seeing some of our out-of-town family but enjoyed each moment with those we did get to see! We had to hold on until Christmas Eve when everyone was clear and covid-free, but we hosted Lisa, Sarah and Alex's family, and my dad on Christmas, which apparently I have NO photos of (the waffle party is always a bit of a whirlwind!) then the Stepeks hosted the first party at their new house the next day.

Super hero girls

Mom and siblings

Cousin picture! DJ was intentionally covering up Eddie because he'd taken off his "nice" shirt.

How many people fit on Erin and Steve's couch?

Rare family photo

I'm sitting with Eddie and Mary Cate (and Lafayette, who loves the new electric throw blanket) right now as they practice blowing bubbles with Kevin's Christmas bubble gum. I asked about their favorite things about Christmas this year. Eddie said time with cousins and Mary said guessing at what her presents were. I agree with Eddie that family time was great, and with Mary that gift-giving was fun this year. A highlight was getting a toaster oven/air fryer from Kevin Christmas morning. When he commented that I didn't seem all that excited, I had to reveal that it was only because I had gotten him a toaster oven/air fryer for his birthday and I was trying to figure out what to do! We really did need a new one. :) The girls knew about it the whole time and didn't reveal anything. Another favorite this Christmas were all the thoughtful gifts from the girls that they bought or made completely independently. Mary followed their lead and the results were delightful.

Kevin's record from Annie

Comic bookmark from Nellie about "Piece of the Earth"

Mary made me my favorite snack - a Cheez-it! - out of popsicle sticks

Mary's book for Annie, in which she wrote the whole Christmas story

All in all, Christmas was a little quieter than usual, but all the opportunities to visit with family felt especially precious. We ate lots of amazing food, including french dip subs courtesy of Nellie's successful hunting this year, Swedish meatballs, brussel sprouts, and LOTS of cookies and ice cream pie. We were able to enjoy the Christmas Eve service remotely (again) and experience Christmas anew through the eyes of the little ones. The not-so-little ones are getting older - it's a continued shift to gifts of clothes and electronics instead of dolls and Legos. But Christmas is still a little magical and a lot of fun. Here's the photo evidence:

The girls got to make cookies with Grandma while the others were quarantined!

Mom and I agree that they are very helpful bakers - they've surpassed our skills!

Gingerbread is an all-day labor of love...but we do love it.

Sisterly peace

The big gift

The best moment - waiting to be called down on Christmas morning!

Tried for the classic tree picture. Here they are yelling "ho ho ho!"

The family room post-present hurricane

They like it.

Helping with Legos

It wasn't a white Christmas but the snow came soon after!