Christmas 2020

Scenes from Christmas Eve and Christmas! It was our year to be with the Simons, so we spent Christmas Eve with them and joined them again in the afternoon on Christmas Day. We zipped down to my parents' house for Christmas brunch after we'd all our Christmas morning together as a family. It was a beautiful couple of days full of so much love and gratitude.

Christmas Eve:

 

Christmas morning:

Rob's First Haircut

Robbie took Rob to get his first haircut tonight from the same girl who cuts his hair. Rob did so well and is just the most handsome boy ever!

 

Thanksgiving with the Beans

We gathered with the Beans this year for Thanksgiving and loved having Mark & Elissa and their girls in town! Seeing all of these cousins together is such a joy, and having all the siblings and spouses just adds to the magic of it all.

We gathered the day before Thanksgiving to make apple turkeys and prep some pies, and then again for a Thanksgiving feast the next day. The food and family time was top notch. We are so thankful for these people!

 

Laughing over our classic Thanksgiving turkey picture from when we were kids

Drive-by for Grandma Bowen's 90th Birthday

Cute Grandma Bowen turned 90 this year! We couldn't gather for a huge celebration because of covid, but we were able to drive by yesterday and sing to her and be with her for a little bit. We love her dearly and can't wait to give her a big hug when this is all over. I hope to grow up to be like her. She is wise and compassionate and incredibly optimistic and loving. Love you, Grandma!

 

Rob's Procedure

At Rob's last well-check, we told Dr. Ring we had noticed that his scrotum looked swollen. She took a look and thought it was a hernia and wanted us to go see a surgeon as soon as we could. After getting it looked at again, the surgeon said it was a right hydrocele, which means there was a hole where fluid was leaking in, but it wasn't bowel. This made it a non-emergency (phew!). We scheduled a simple surgery and this week Daddy took him up to Primary's and he did so well. Proud of this sweet boy and grateful to for his healthy body!

Home and happy and doing great!

Beth's MRI

Beth was born with a hemangioma (non-cancerous growth under her skin) on her bum and, after seeing a pediatric dermatologist, it was recommended that she get an MRI to check for something called lumbar syndrome. The location and large size of the hemangioma were both possible symptoms.

Sweet Beth got a covid test a few days before and I had to take her in for her MRI by myself because of covid. I was extremely nervous because doctor stuff really isn't my thing, but Beth and I were both brave and she was a rockstar through it all. And the biggest blessing of all was that her MRI came back beautifully normal and the hemangioma should fade after about a year. She's on a medication called propranolol that will help it stay under control. We love this girlie!

 

Halloween 2020

Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, so we made a fun weekend of it! We had our freaky feast on Friday, which I've wanted to try for a couple of years...and am happy to report we want to make it a tradition. Saturday we visited Grandma Bean so she could see the kiddos in their costumes, and then had dinner and a little trick-or-treating around G&G Simons' neighborhood. Happy Halloween from a unicorn, Moana, a fairy, Spiderman, and a monkey. Rob did NOT like his costume, but absolutely loved the trick-or-treating part. He's sold on all that candy!