It's my first day of Christmas Break and on the to-do list: give the blog a much needed update (Hi, Mom/Grandma! ;) It's been a rich and full season, here is a peek at some of the memorable moments from Fall 2021.
Delia and I matched for school one day.
We had friends over to carve pumpkins. A "Best Design" contest ensued on Instagram. I think Delia's tiny face won? I actually don't remember!
Our church secretary is a legit professional dancer, so one night Delia and Dave went on a date to watch her company perform a fun Halloween show.
Did you see my cute front porch in the background of that last pic? We lost a congregation member this fall who was part of the family that owns the pumpkin farm we used to frequent when the girls were little. The patriarch of the family, as a thank you to Dave for his ministry during their time of loss, dropped off a load of of their famous fancy pumpkins and these gorgeous mums for us!
Ella used her monthly guest pass to literally teach her sister the ropes at her gym. Delia did great! The rock climbing membership is proving to be valuable as Ella takes guests, hangs out to climb after school every week with friends, and has even been attending a regular Thursday night yoga class with her 2 best girlfriends! In high school, my girlfriends and I used to hang out at Oakbrook Mall every weekend, not yoga classes at the rock climbing gym!!
Also at the climbing gym this season, Ella and Ben attempted to win a contest by climbing in costume on Halloween. They didn't win-- but I did because I now have hilarious pictures of a milk and a hot dog on the bouldering walls! Haha!
It's been an AWESOME school year! This is such a fun stage of life! Both girls love their teachers and classes. Both just finished exams feeling positive and encouraged. Both have been finding the joy in school projects and fun new extra curriculars. Above, Ella had to make a model of the creepy Edgar Allan Poe House of Usher. Below, both girls are enjoying our school's latest after school offering-- Culinary Club! After break, we add Robotics and a new play to the list of wonderful things that keep us at school! :) (Cast list just went out and both girls got the comedic parts they wanted and auditioned for in the Winter Comedy "The Imaginary Invalid".)
Ella's first pass at the SAT and she killed it. Bring on those scholarships!
One weekend, Ella's good friend Kacy was without her Debate partner, so she agreed to stand in, being a confident and proficient public speaker. Kacy slept over and the girls spent lots of time prepping their case. Debate is hardcore, I learned! You have to come up with thoughtful and researched speeches and responses on the fly and be strategic about timing and which partner does what. At the all day tournament with other schools, Ella and Kacy actually placed 4th and won a medal! Ella was delighted!
Thanksgiving was a lovely time to all be together, something that's becoming rarer and rarer these days! Dave's been busy at church as our second pastor took a call to another church in August. He has felt supported and been able to find a decent balance, but his workload remains pretty intense, especially around holidays.
Ella and I did some small business shopping on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
On January 8, our high school looks forward to Formal, so it's been great fun getting ready for that this month! Ella's "Will you go to Formal with me?" story is so cute! It happened at a big friend game night over a game of Telestrations. It started with The Ask and, after traveling around the whole group, ended as Avocado Toast! Everyone clapped as it was all hilariously revealed. Delia was sweetly asked to go by a good guy friend she's had since kindergarten! Stay tuned!
Delia's darling girlfriends have my heart too. There have been lots of opportunities to connect this fall with sleepovers and coffee shop dates. Delia tells me she's such a regular at the coffee shop, they even know her name and order now! :)
I continue to love my students and my co-teachers and my job! December has been busy, as the teacher I partner with has been out the whole month, her vaccinated family each taking a turn with Covid, so break is feeling realllllly good to me right now! I can't believe Christmas is just a day away! We'll get Dave through this busy weekend and then hopefully post soon with some fun Christmas updates and outings!
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