How has it already been another month? Time? Please slow down… The house is decorated, almost done shopping, and all the presents that are in the house are wrapped and under the tree. This year, we assigned each person in the house a Christmas themed name for other gift tags, so no one (except the elves) knows whose package is whose. We have Fruitcake, Noel-It-All, Hot Apple Cider, Sleigh BElle, Jack Frost, and Silber Bells. Still don't want them o shave all the presents, but this way no one knows who's is who's. They think I chose names to suit their personalities. But, Did I?????We had a pretty low-key Thanksgiving. Lara was staying with my parents due to her sorority house being closed for the week, and the boys (Britt, Jake, and Finn) and I went to Perkins for a nice lunch, so family time, board games, and all the storytelling we could handle.
Then, after that brief break, everything hit the winter stride. When basketball season starts, we just get so crazy busy! Add to that, Jake went to the eye doctor ad now has glasses and contacts – all new a week before his first game! It’s been an adjustment (he missed ALL his shots first practice with contacts), and his lenses are on BACKORDER (thank you, global supply chain issues), so we are wearing contacts only for games and trying to save them while wearing glasses all the rest of the time. (PS - Britt measured the boys last week. Jake is 6'7" and Finn is 4'6")
So while we have been in many gyms watching many basketball games the past few weeks – including our beloved OSU Cowboys, we also squeezed in some other fun as well. We took Finn to the OSU Merry Mascot Christmas party with Pistol Pete at the Alumni Center. He liked the inflatable slides, tolerated the line to get a picture with Pistol Pete, and LOVED all the Pete’s Pet Posse (P3) therapy dogs. He has started a collection of their trading cards, and is already up to 8 or 9 in his collection!
On campus, I was also able to participate in a fun activity during finals week to help get the students through a busy and stressful time. We have a “Hugs from Home” event a couple of times a semester where a parent-led group partners with the Residential Life and Student Affairs staff, and we hand out gift cards, snacks, and HUGS! We also have P3 therapy dogs on hand for cuddles as well. It was SO COLD, but we were determined to be outside so the kids could see us. We ran out of hot chocolate in about 30 minutes, handed out all the warm Chick-fil-A sandwiches in about 45 minutes, and by the 1-hour mark we were out of gift cards as well. But we got to hug so many kids going to and from their final exams! And the therapy dogs were of course a huge hit! I even got to hug on my own kid, and her “little” as well!
Today is Cousin Kayleigh’s 15th birthday. I haven’t seen her in a while, but the grandparents went down to Texas late last month to see her in her school play. I can’t believe she is FIFTEEN! And that means Jake will be 15 in 5 weeks, too! HOW are these babies so old already??? We are wishing her a VERY happy birthday and hope she gets treated like royalty today! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAYLEIGH!
My college kids are done for the semester, and the boys go to school all this week, then Monday and Tuesday next week. I am working Monday – Wednesday next week, then I will get a bit of a break as well. So thankful to work at the university so I get a nice long break as well. Not as long as the rest of my family (Lara gets like 6 weeks! Emma about 5, and the boys almost 3), but long enough to recharge some very drained batteries. Still learning new things every day, and we are in the middle of having several systems ready for “go live” on Jan 24, so the next month will be intense! I can’t wait for the next steps…
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