barrett: 151 months old

Barrett's hair just gets better and better!  He's taking advantage of the cooler weather by growing it longer, and it looks amazing.  Barrett has final exams coming up, but his mind is definitely on what might be under the tree come Christmas morning.  He wants some legos and airplane models, but other than that it's been hard to figure out what to get him!  I think this pre-teen age is always a struggle to not just heap "stuff" onto him, but to really dial down into what presents he'd really get enjoyment out of.  

Likes:  going on the hayride to see Christmas lights

Dislikes: having to share his video game system and the tv when Britton wants to play Stardew Valley and he wants to play Madden

 

196 months old

How is 2025 almost over??  It's been a whirlwind of activity since Thanksgiving, with this 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas having exams, Christmas decorating and parties, and general "get it done before 2026" stress!  Britton is gearing up to take at least two exams, and is already prepping for softball tryouts in January.  We'll luckily have a quick family vacation at Disney World before we have to return to the new year with new energy.

Our neighbor found a kitten, and Britton babysat it last weekend!  She is the cuddliest thing ever, and gave Britton all the kitten love and snuggles.  She was also a lot of work, because you have to keep an eye on her all the time!  

Likes:  kittens, cantaloupe 

Dislikes:  final exams, losing her eyeglasses

 

barrett: 150 months old

With football over, Barrett has gone back to the glasses, and is still growing out his hair!  I guess it's easier to do now, since it isn't so ridiculously hot every day.  Barrett got moved up to B Team for his last two games, and played well!  He doesn't miss 6:45 am practices every morning, but I do think he misses having games and playing football every day.  The extra two hours of sleep every morning certainly makes him happy.

For Halloween, I took Barrett and his friends trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, then one of his friends invited all of them to a haunted house - Barrett's first!  He liked being scared, but the strobe lights were hard. 

Likes: watching college football with the hubs

Dislikes: getting up early for football - but now it's over!

195 months old

Well, October flew right by!  I think October speeds up every year, because suddenly we look up and it's Halloween, then we're taking down Halloween decorations and Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  This year the kids got a bonus because they didn't have school on Halloween AND it was a Friday.  Unfortunately, everyone came away from trick-or-treating with a cold, including the dog, and the house has been full of runny noses and congestion.  Britton dressed up as Alice in Wonderland, and handed out candy to the neighbors.

Britton has one more game left in Fall Ball!  We have a team party this week to celebrate the season, then next week is the last game.  I'll miss seeing the girls, especially since I couldn't go to the early games when Barrett had football.  

 Likes: painting artificial nails, playing softball

Dislikes: waking up early for school

barrett: 149 months old

 

Barrett's schedule is still dominated by football!  He made a tackle in one game that prevented the other team from scoring a safety, which led to their victory!  And he's now moved up a team, and is excited to play on the same as his best friend.  He's almost as equally excited about his Airplane Encyclopedia, which he tracked down on Ebay (it's from the 1980s) and has been reading ever since it arrived.  It has all the liveries and plane models, and honestly, I don't think I'd be all that surprised if he wanted to become a pilot one day.  He just loves planes!

Likes:  playing with Poppy

Dislikes:  early morning wake up calls for football practice

194 months old

Oh, I love fall, though fall in Texas is basically summer.  If only we could get some cooler weather!  Britton and the hubs are seeking out cooler temps in Colorado this month by visiting another college campus - Colorado State.  Britton is still in the wide-open options, and hasn't narrowed down a "perfect fit" yet.  Britton is still doing Fall Ball for softball, and has games until November.  Then, tryouts in January!

We went to a Marina concert together, which was special because I took Britton to see Marina in 2022 for her first concert experience - same venue too!

Likes:  concerts, cold weather

Dislikes: running in softball practice, having 4 tests and the PSAT in one week

 

barrett: 148 months old

 

Barrett is back in school as a 7th grader this year, and is on the 7th grade football team!  So, it's a different school year start than most, in that Barrett has to be at school super early for football practice (we leave the house at 6:10 am) every day of the week.  He'll have to keep this schedule up until the end of October!  Barrett likes all of the classes he's taking, and is back for Art II this year.  

Likes:  Poppy (he's her favorite too)

Dislikes: getting up early for practice