Out with the old, in with the new

Covid continues to still, well, suck.

So we kept it low key again this year

with some Italian takeout

and a chill night with the Heinzs

Adios, 2021!

You were filled with

4 trips,

6 National Parks,

surfing and swimming at the cabin,

soccer, swimming and football,

virtual school and in-person school, 

Dad leaving his job and discovering lots of new talents,

a complete home renovation,

and tons of other memories and adventures and stories.

There is always a silver-lining,

always something to be grateful for.

So bring it on, 2022!

Coop's big #3

We were ALL amazed that The Coop is turning 3!

How time flies!

Thea was excited we were all there

Aunt Mandy always comes up with fun games

that we play at the parties.

For Cooper's Paw Patrol/Blaze mash-up,

we had to make cars for a race--

first one down, wins.

Most of the cars were traditional

with 4 wheels and a body 

Dad tried to get tricky with a cup "sail" that they could blow in

to make their car faster

but Mom and I were the most creative

with just 2 wheels and an axle.

Everyone complained we cheated.

We like to think we're just

thinking outside the box.

After a hotly contested series of races,

we moved on to something everyone could agree on--

Aunt Mandy's greatest cake ever:

Cooper agrees!

Happy birthday buddy!

Something we want, something we need, something to wear, something to read...and a whole lot more

It's HERE!

The wait is over!

Ok, maybe we have to wait

a few more minutes for Mom to take

the obligatory picture...

but the wait was worth it!

Despite Mom and Dad insisting

scooters should be for exercising,

Santa overruled and brought us

ELECTRIC SCOOTERS!

And that was just the beginning.

Mom and Dad get us 4 gifts--

something we want,

something we need,

something to wear,

something to read.

So this year there was a mix of

Fitbits

and hats

Audible subscriptions

and desks

Our favorite gift to Mom was a new Kavu bag

with the color scheme called "Ugly"--

we were really excited about that one

And we gave Dad a subscription to Nomadic

so he could get cool hiking/outdoor gear

in a monthly delivery

We noticed we all got things we needed, things to wear,

things to read and things from each other...

but something we WANT was clearly missing.

Then we opened a box with a paper countdown chain

and a letter from Hogwarts...

a trip to Universal is DEFINITELY something we want!

We had a few minutes until we needed to head to 

Aunt Mandy and Uncle Kurt's 

AND some lovely 50 degree December weather

so we really had to give the scooters a test run

Looking especially good in the PJs

and maybe we better get some helmets...

After a few laps,

it was on to more fun with our Klusmeyer cousins

There were lots of goodies there

like Switch games, legos, and Nike Airs.

We were really excited about more wheels--

a new scooter

and a REAL skateboard!

(Uncle Kurt is going to have to show me some skills)

But the fun isn't over yet!

We hosted the Reed side

for a Christmas Mexican Fiesta

complete with a beautiful table setting

curtesy of Beckett 

and tasty dishes like ceviche,

Mexican street corn, and jalapeño grape salad.

Top this off with more amazing gifts

(like our long awaited, very own Switches)

and a lot of games and family time

and Christmas doesn't get much better than this.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

 

Twas the Night Before Christmas...and we can hardly wait!

We always host Christmas Eve.

It started when Jack and Wes were little--

it was a perfect way to for them to go to bed on time

and let Mom and Dad stay up to hang out

with the family.

Well, we aren't that little anymore

and it's time to let those with Littles

have the same stay-up-and-party chance.

So with much grumbling from me and my brothers,

we headed to Aunt Mandy and Uncle Kurt's

for Christmas Eve.

But guess what?

It was a lovely night.

I'm becoming a baby whisperer of sorts--

I LOVE hanging with kids

and they seem to love hanging with me.

Just a matter of time

until I babysit, right?

It was awesome to be with everyone this year

after being apart last year.

Chelsea, Jake, us and the Klusmeyers

Carol, Mema and Pappo

all the Drabenstotts

and even Jasmin's mother, Gardi,

joined us all the way from Germany! 

It was a great night.

Maybe not hosting will be ok after all.

Hanging with all the family is the best part

regardless of where we are!

The Elves hard at work

With only a few days until Christmas,

we were running out of time

for all our Christmas crafts!

Time to get to work

We had a gingerbread house warm-up

at Grandma Phyllis's over Thanksgiving

so we were a bit more prepared this round

Teamwork makes

the dream work!

Lots of attention to detail

I was SO PROUD of mine!

Arts and crafts are not usually my strong suit!

Weston on the other hand...

He actually told Mom

to just put this one on display

Oh geez.

Mom and I rolled up our sleeves

and got it back on track--

it blended in nicely 

with everyone else's hard work

Now,

on to something we can actually EAT...

chocolate dipped pretzels anyone?

2 days to go...

Because, why not?

Ever since I heard some people take

their hedgehogs for walks,

I've been researching and looking at bags

to take Henry for a walk.

But Mom said I shouldn't buy anything

with Christmas so close

but who can resist a 60 degree December day??

So here we go!

I mean,

he looks pretty thrilled to me!

 

Fire and Ice

Mom and Dad had some plans

for our first day of holiday break.

They teased us with "Fire and Ice"

and we had a lot of fun trying to guess what it could be.

Between the 4 of us,

I think we guessed it...

How about Melting Pot

because cheese and chocolate make

a perfect lunch

and ice skating

at Crown Center!

We'd never skated there before!

It took me 

(well, all of us)

a minute to remember how to skate

but everyone was zipping along

like pros in no time

Beck constantly looked like he was going to fall

any second but only actually fell once.

(or maybe twice)

I finally got brave at the end

and set out on my own

These 3 didn't fall once!

After we had our fill,

we headed to the courtyard

to play around the tree

There was a little village set up!

Wrap it all up with some window-shopping

at the Plaza and Crown Center,

dinner at Westport Flea Market,

and the lights of Ward Parkway

and it was a pretty awesome afternoon/night!

There may have even been spontaneous

Christmas caroling :)