Visiting Josh

 I work with a guy named Josh. He and I get along smashingly- we both find each other hysterical and seeing each other makes our work day go so much faster. We had always been meaning to hang out outside of work but couldn't find the right time. With Diana out of town for a few days, I decided to give him a call and head over to his place. He and his wife have a boy who's only a year older than Ledger and also loves Among Us, so Ledge was just as excited to visit them and meet their son. We got there and the boys instantly hit it off and started playing Among Us right away!

Josh showed off his cooking skills by making us all some home made pizza, and it was delicious! After we ate the boys kept playing their game. Figuring we aught to do the same, Josh and Amber pulled out one of their games: a role playing card game based on the Alien film series. Having no idea how to play, they started off gently, explaining everything as we went along. It still made no sense by the end, but apparently I won, so that wasn't too bad! As the evening was getting late, we packed up and headed home. It was really fun time and we will have to do it again when Diana is actually able to join us! 

Snuggin'

We do love a good snug! With Ledger doing distance learning through school, we don't really have a set time that we need to be up and out the door. That means that there are a lot of sleepy mornings where we start the day at a slow pace. Often times our mornings start with something we call Snuggin Time. Ledger crawls into bed with Diana and I, along with Wiggins, and spend the next half hour or so just playing on our devices or chatting and laughing. I'm pretty sure this is the best time of the day, and all four of us agree! 

Movie Shelves

 So, there's been some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that the local video store has gone out of business. The good news is that I got some of their stuff! I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a post by the video store saying that they were giving away their shelves and anyone who came by and disassembled them was welcome to have them for free. I didn't even get done reading the post and I was already in the truck on my way! I grabbed my screwdriver and was on the road! I was the first person who came to get their shelves so they told me I could have as many as I wanted. Well, I wanted all of them! I didn't end up going that crazy, but I did end up taking two full aisles of shelving. I had been combing Marketplace for the past 6 months looking for shelves to put my collection in and had some success, but it ends up creating a hodge podge of different shelves and kind of looks junky. Now I can have uniform shelves and really make my movie area in the basement look amazing!

Ledger came along with me as I took apart a full row of shelves, helping me carry the different parts out to the truck. We got everything in the truck bed and filled it up. I thanked them and told them I might be back for more. They laughed. True to my word, the next day I came back and took apart a second row of shelving! Hey, free is free, right?

I made quick work of cutting them to fit and reassembling them in the basement. It took a bit to organize and reshelf my collection, but the whole thing looks 10 times better than it did before! Now it's a collection and display to be proud of!
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Kerby Christmas

 Seriously? Another Christmas? This is starting to get ridiculous! Barbara and James must have been feeling left out, because they decided they wanted to come visit and give Ledger gifts as well. Ledge was all in on this idea- his favorite auntie and more prizes? Count him in!

We were excited to have them come visit, but made sure to be very careful- Barbara works in the COVID ward in the hospital in South Bend, so it was especially important to be safe. They arrived and we had a nice afternoon of chatting, but Barbara is never content with just chatting, so we pulled out one of our board games and played a good old fashioned game of Life! It may have been a bit complicated for Ledger, this was his first time playing, after all. But he did well and ended up really liking it!

Of course, they didn't leave without giving him a few gifts as well. I tell you what, it has been so nice to have guests again and be able to socialize in person. There have been a bunch of Christmases, but we have really loved each and every visit!

Keenan Christmas

We already had a special Christmas with my parents, but now its time for a visit from Diana's side! Knowing that a big get together wouldn't be the best idea during the pandemic, Mom and David offered to come up just the two of them and bring gifts for the boy. Knowing what was in store, we were excited for them to come and Ledger to open his prizes!

Since Ledger is the only grandkid on that side of the family, and the only one of David's that lives close, they have a tendency to spoil him rotten- not that he minds... Christmas this year was no exception- they got him his own brand new computer! They went above and beyond by getting him a new powerful laptop so that he can make and edit his own videos! He's been using the camcorder we have and making silly videos, but always gets annoyed because he can't edit them or make his own gaming videos. Whenever he made videos he would always ask if we can do this or that, or if he can post them on Youtube, and I would always tell him no, we need a computer for that. Well, now he has a computer! He was absolutely beside himself with excitement! At first he thought it was fake, a toy computer to play with. David assured him that this is the real deal. He was so pumped that he had a big boy thing like this fancy computer! He's really excited to make his videos and get to learning the editing app. Thanks to his grandpa and grandma, he is now the most technologically advanced person in the household!

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Opening Prizes!

 Finally its time for the main event! With the cinnamon rolls eaten, we sit down in the living room and take in the site: a beautiful tree with tons of gifts under it- almost exclusively for Ledger!

We like to take our time with opening gifts, usually we do them one at a time and then take time to enjoy the gift before we move on. Sometimes that means opening up the box and putting something together so he can play with it for a little while. He gets caught up in playing with his newest toy- until he realizes there are a bunch more to open! 

Diana always yells at me because I always get him too many gifts. I guess it's because I grew up the youngest of three. When we were growing up the gifts filled up the spot under the tree, sometimes even overflowing out onto the floor. If we got him a normal amount of gifts the pile under the tree would look too empty for me! Sure, there's usually a lot of filler, the kind of stuff you get at the dollar store or Five Below, but it makes it full, which is the point, right?

Ledger's obsession this year is the game Among Us. He's been wanting to play it for months but we told him he couldn't. For Christmas we downloaded the game on his padpad and let him play! Along with that came a stuffed character from the game and a bunch of Among Us toys too. As you can see, he was very pleased!

After all the gifts were open, about 3-4 hours after we started, it was time to let him play and let us take a nap! We didn't get too much sleeping time before he snuck in and snuggled with us and raved about his awesome gifts. Another successful Christmas!

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Christmas Breakfast

 He got up early for a non school day, but not as early as I would have thought. Around 7am he popped into our room, jumped on the bed, and said 'Santa came- there are so many presents!' Diana I and got up and were led into the living room to see a lit Christmas tree overflowing with prizes for our little boy! How did those get there?

Before any gifts are allowed to be opened, we all have breakfast together. This is the one time of the year we make cinnamon rolls. The past couple years when we've made rolls from the can it usually ends poorly because we leave them in too long and they get gooey and crunchy. This year we opted for the premade rolls from the bakery, that way we couldn't mess them up! We popped them into the oven for a couple minutes to warm up, then we chowed down- no crunch this time!

Now with that out of the way, its time for the main event!

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Treat for Santa

 It's Christmas Eve and our little boy is totally excited for the big day tomorrow! The anticipation was almost too much for Ledger, so we tried to help the time pass with hot chocolate and marshmallows. It helped, but he just couldn't take his mind off of the coming onslaught of gifts and toys!

As is our tradition, we set out a treat for Santa. I have a sad feeling that this will probably be the last time we do this little tradition...

After spending the evening trying to wear him out so that he would actually fall asleep, we put him to bed. Surprisingly, he was passed out within about 15 minutes! Then the work really begins- Diana and I gather up all the stuff we got for him over the last month or so, trying to remember all the hiding spots we used, and bring everything to the basement. Diana will freely admit that she isn't any good at gift wrapping, so that job falls on me. I popped in a Christmas movie and got to work wrapping, cutting, and taping all the boxes and items. I had to take a few trip upstairs in order to get them all up there! Finally with the last gift wrapped (and the Christmas movie over), we place them all under the tree and tuck ourselves into bed, knowing that we are in for a long fun day!

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Brinkmas

 It was a pretty strange Christmas this year. The holiday is usually about spending time with family and getting together, unfortunately with this whole pandemic thing going on, that has a way of keeping us apart! We decided as a family that we would not do a big group get together, instead Mema and Papa would come and visit us at our place.

A couple days before Christmas we welcomed my parents over to celebrate the holiday and do a little bit of gift giving! Neither Mema nor Diana wanted to spend the day preparing a meal, so instead we opted for a meal from Vitale's. Everyone likes Italian food, right? We decided to eat first before opening any presents, much to Ledger's chagrin! He really struggled with having the patience to wait, but he got through it, miraculously! When it was finally time, he tore them open so quickly it was a blur! He got some fun gifts that he was excited to tear into immediately and play with- certainly a happy boy! It was really great to be able to spend a bit of time with my parents and just to see each other- something we haven't been able to do much of over these past months.

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A New Robot

Ledger has had a long history of making robots. He's been doing it since he was 4! He loves to find things around the house and put them together and make different characters. His deepest wish is for them to actually come alive and play, but unfortunately we aren't quite that technologically advanced yet... His latest creation is named T.M.A.R.I.T.W., which of course stands for The Most Awesome Robot In The World. He spent the day hanging out with TMARITW and creating funny situations for a robot, chatting with him the whole time. I know this sort of innocent boundless imagination isn't going to last, but it brings such a smile to my face! 

Parents Meet Wiggins

 Ever since we got Wiggins my parents have been saying that they need to stop by and meet him. My dad has always loved having a dog around, so he was eager to meet our little four legged friend. When they first pulled up we let Wiggins run out to greet them. There was a bark or two, but he quickly accepted them and gladly accepted the petting from my dad! They came in and settled in the living room and the dog immediately hopped on Papa's lap, much to his delight! My mom isn't as much of an animal person, but she soon melted at that adorably furry face. We had a chance to chat and catch up, with extra hugs for Ledger!

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Chillin'

 A lot of our days look like this. A lot of hanging out and just chilling. Fortunately the distance learning program through school has been pretty simple for Ledger, he's usually done by 1pm. That gives us a lot of free time, and that often means hanging out on the couch reading or watching TV. A popular favorite lately has been the game Guess Who, which we all love! I have fond memories of playing Guess Who with my sister growing up. There's so much talk about the hustle and bustle of life, but in our little sanctuary it moves at a snail's pace, just the way we like it!

Diana's Basement

Now that I've got a place carved out in the basement to hang out and watch movies, Diana is a bit jealous. She decided that she needs to have a place down there too so we can hang out together. She and I have different hobbies and interests so we don't always get to do our thing together, but we love to be with each other, so this is the perfect solution: we can both do things we love and still be near! We found a table and some bins so she can do her crafts and artwork just a few feet away from me as I watch movies and do other work at my table. A perfect solution for both of us! The only problem for Diana is that it's in the basement, and the basement is always cold. To me that's one of it's best features, but to her that's not ok- she's an icicle in normal weather, so when it's cold she gets frozen solid! Fortunately we have a heat dish to keep her warm. Ledger's got a play area downstairs too, so he likes to come and hang out as well, sometimes enjoying the heat dish as well...

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A Mighty Fortress

I don't know what brought it on, but Ledger asked if he could build a fort in the living room. Um, of course! So I helped him gather up all the cushions and pillows to build himself his own little space in the living room. He concocted a few different forts through out the evening; his first was on top of the ottoman. He crawled in and would make spooky sounds as his hand crept out- hilarious! He liked it but decided he wanted a fort with a little more room. I suggested that he use the chairs around the dinner table and Diana went to find an extra sheet or two that he could use. He was delighted by all the options. He spent the rest of the night building different variations until he settled on one that gave him enough room to lay in it and watch his tablet! He convinced us to let him keep it up over night so he could hang out in it again the next day.

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Putting Up the Tree

Kind of shocking its already time to put up the Christmas decorations! Though the year has been so weird with all the pandemic nonsense, it is nice to have something normal! We were so excited to get in the Christmas spirit that we put up the decorations a little early. Nothing crazy, just a couple weeks. We usually wait until the first or second week of December, but this year we put it all up a few days before Thanksgiving. I brought the big box of decorations up from the basement and the tree box in from the garage. We popped some cookies in the oven (a very important part of our decorating tradition: the fresh cookie smell!) we turned on some Christmas music and got to it. Before long our boring ol living room was transformed into a seasonal wonderland! (all right, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it still felt more christmasy than when we started).

Go Fish!

 We aren't much of a game family. We never really did much card playing or table top gaming as Ledger grew up. There was an occasional Candyland or Trouble, but he never really took to them and Diana doesn't like table top games at all. With all this time in the house due to homeschooling, we have needed more outlets for play and fun. We've tried the board games a few more times with limited success, but one exception has been Go Fish! A while ago we got a promotional set of Go Fish cards from Cheerios and for some reason that one hits the spot! We've been having a blast with these cards and playing almost every single night!

A Friend Visits

 It's been too long since Ledger had any social interaction with someone his age. We are 8 months into the pandemic at this point and Ledger has been homeschooled that whole time, so he hasn't had much casual social interactions with fellow kids. It's mostly just been Diana, myself, and him. There have been family visits and that sort of thing, but hardly anything with his peers. We finally had an opportunity to change that- we invited Zeke over to play! Almost every day he and his sisters stay had his grandparent's house until his parents get home from work. Zeke's grandparents live just down the way, so we finally were comfortable and able to set up a play date for the boys. Zeke came over and Ledge got to have some much needed time with friends! The two of them had a blast running from his room to the basement, playing with all the different toys and fun stuff Ledger has. Their favorite was a little remote controlled robot that brought them so many laughs and silliness! What a relief- it was so nice to see him relating and playing with someone his own age again. I don't know what impact this pandemic will have on Ledger's social development, but It was great to see him have the change to be a normal kid again for the afternoon!

Dinner Time

 Diana has recently decided that she wants to be a little more adventurous in making our dinners. I told her I am all for it, as long as she avoids coconuts and pineapples- I hate them! She reluctantly agreed, and went about searching the internet for some interesting concoctions to try! It has been a delight because almost everything she has made lately has been a hit! (except for the ill advised attempt at pea soup...) Ledger hasn't been as keen on the food explorations as the rest of us, but he's at least giving it the ol' college try and taking at least two bites before he makes a decision on if he likes it or not. He's actually been pretty good with trying it and will even say he liked it, but asked if mama should make it again its a quick 'no!'. Either way, success or not, its been great to have our pallets expanded!

Vet Visit

 We've had him less than a month and he's already been to the vet twice! The first visit was expected, he got fixed as part of the shelter's policy. He had some stitches that we needed to make sure he didn't lick or bite, so we had to try and keep him from it. We first tried putting him in some sort of clothing that would cover it up, but after a few adorable failed attempts, we got him a cone. He wasn't very happy about it, but got used to it. A week or two later he must have gotten his nail caught on something because he was limping around and had a bloody paw! We brought him in to the vet and it turned out he had torn out one of the nails from his foot. Ouch! The cone had to come out again so he didn't mess with the wrapping on his foot. As you can see in the picture, he was not too happy about the situation...

School Work

 So this remote learning/homeschooling thing has been pretty tough. The work itself hasn't been that bad, in fact its been pretty good at easing us in as new to the program. The problems we have been having is trying to create and stick with the schedule for schooling! The whole program is very loose with time; Ledger can do his work at 8am, noon, or 8pm. As long as it gets done it doesn't matter when. Though that flexibility is really nice, it has left us unstructured, which doesn't work so well for Ledger. We started with a definite school start time, needing to be dressed and ready to work. But as the year has gone on, we are starting much later with him usually in his pajamas! He works for about 45 minutes and then gets too wiggly and complainy to continue. We give him breaks but it takes so much prodding to get him back to the work. He talks about how its so takes up so much of the day, but honestly he usually gets everything done in about 2-3 hours. We try to remind him that if he were in normal school it would be for 7 hours per day! One benefit of this schooling set up is that we get to spend a little extra time on the stuff he actually likes! He recently had a lesson on different countries around the world. I asked him if he knew where they were located on a map and he didn't. Well, we just so happen to have a six foot map laying around so we pulled it out and spent the next half hour checking out some of the places and learning about geography stuff! He really loved the different flags at the bottom of the map!