barrett: 152 months old

 

Going back to school this week has been rough on everyone, especially Barrett.  He absolutely loved loafing around over Christmas break, with no demands on his time other than playing, riding bikes with friends, and trying out the new Madden 26 video game.  I feel his pain - I may have shed a tear or two on my early commute Monday morning.  He did have a great time at Disney World before Christmas, and discovered a love of roller coasters!  We tried out Slinky Dog, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Cosmic Rewind.  Unfortunately, my favorite Big Thunder was down for renovations.  He and the hubs were also the only ones willing to risk getting soaked on the new Tiana ride (previously Splash Mountain).  

Likes: Planet Coaster - a video game where you can create roller coasters

Dislikes: going to bed at a reasonable time now that school is back in session

197 months old

We had a fantastic Christmas this year, taking the kids to Disney World to see all the Christmas decorations and attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party!  We left on the last day of school, and arrived home on Christmas Eve.  It was a whirlwind trip, and I don't think we ever stopped going (20k steps per day!) and admittedly once we got home we vegged out hard.  

Britton has softball tryouts this week!  I'm sending "good luck" vibes her way!

Likes:  Nella

Dislikes: putting away laundry

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