Other January things….

January is flying by and I don’t think I am complaining.  We have had a lot of changes at school with schedules that I am adjusting to and I have a lot of IEPs coming up that I am trying to write.  But we also had our first 2 hour delay on Monday and our first snow day today!  So, I am thankful for that as well as the snow.  I love the snow.  I took the dog on a walk today, which admittedly was a bit annoying because he comes home with mini snowballs all over him and I have to clean him up.  The girls went sledding at their friends’ house.  I would have taken them if they didn't get to go.  I actually love sledding.  My other fun January thing Is I started a volleyball night.  I got a group of women together to play every Thursday for an hour, and I love it.  It is a highlight of my week where I have no responsibilities, I exercise, I laugh, and I can challenge myself a bit.  I would play two nights a week if I thought I could “get away.”  I’ll take what I can get right now.

Madison started ski club when January started as well.  She goes on a bus to Snow Trails every Tuesday from after school til 9pm.  She takes a short lesson and then is free to go ski on the slopes.  She and her friend, Gretta, pretty much stick together, and they are having a blast!  I went on the first night just to make sure she knew what she was doing.

    

We tried out our cotton candy machine.  It was a bit trickier to make than I thought.  Well, not to make, but to catch on the tube without melting it.  We had fun and should get it out a little more often.  Ellie also got a sno cone machine for her birthday that we have yet to try out.  I need to figure out how to make the syrup.

    

Ellie started basketball practices back in December one day a week for the 5/6th grade league through Wooster Rec Center.  She had a lot to learn because she has never played before.  She has done a great job picking up on key ideas.  Basketball is full of a variety of different skills that happen really quickly.  January brought the start of games on Saturdays for her team.  It is fun to watch the team grow individually and as a group.  I’ll post more pictures at the end of the season.

        

Happy Birthday, Ellie!

Ellie had a fun multi-day birthday this year.  Prior to her birthday, Grandma and Grandpa took her and Madison out to Dairy Queen to celebrate their birthdays – food, dessert, and family!  Perfect.

    

On her birthday, she chose to eat out at BJs Brewhouse.  She even convinced us to splurge on a trio of pazookies – pie/cookie sundaes.  We opened our family gifts at this time.  She was especially excited about the promise of tickets to the Dude Perfect show… a favorite of hers to watch on YouTube.  She worked really hard to finish sewing her pig purse which was a gift from Jen and Arturo.  She did a great job completing this almost entirely on her own!

    

The day after her birthday, she had a sleepover party with a small group of her friends.  They came home after school and went home the next morning.  They had pizza, created some elaborate ice cream sundaes, opened gifts (LOTS of fidgets!), and played games.  They had a great night.

    

Finally, we had a family birthday party for her, Madison, and Sophie this past weekend.  It was a good night to be together despite the snow that slowed us down a bit.  We had some delicious burrito bowls, white Texas sheet cake, and chocolate revel bars.  Kids played; adults talked.  It was good.

Ellie you are growing into an amazing young lady.  You enjoy spending time with others – always up for hanging with your friends.  You continue to enjoy imaginative play, especially playing school.  You have a great sense of humor and and easy laugh.  We are proud of your resiliency with your diabetes and how you handle that with so much responsibility and acceptance even when we know it stinks.  We love to see you try new things like basketball! Keep yourself open to where God is leading you.  You will go amazing places!

Happy 13th Birthday, Madison!

We welcomed a teenager to our house this year!!  I can’t believe we are old enough to have a 13 year old.  It is easy to see how she is maturing, growing up, finding new interests, and generally not a baby anymore.  It is just harder to reconcile that she is getting closer to moving out than she is to just being born! 

Madison enjoys all kinds of crafty things.  She looks online for inspiration for sewing and craft projects.  And unlike me, follows through with making them.  She is willing to try new things – food, activities, travel spots, styles.  It is fun to watch.  She has a caring heart, enjoys hanging out with friends, but also likes alone time, and loves reading.  We can’t wait to see what this new year will bring for her. 

She decided to invite some friends over for a pizza and sleepover kind of party the day before her birthday.  All but one of the people she invited were able to come.  They mostly hung out in the basement – playing ping pong, quizzing each other with a this or that book, talking, playing the game Clue, and whatever else 13 year olds do. 

We saw them for pizza, for cake, and for gifts. 

         

Ellie (for her own entertainment) had a friend over as well. 

On Saturday (the actual birthday), she chose to go eat out at Olive Garden.  As a birthday perk, she could choose a free birthday dessert.  She was not sad about that!!

    

We finished off the day with Grandma, Jen, and Arturo coming over for New Year’s Eve party.  Madison had another gift opening…

We had some sloppy joes and salad, watched The Gods Must be Crazy, and “met” a new creature… the exoskeleton of a horseshoe crab that Arturo had brought with him. 

         

Many stayed up to watch the Ohio State Buckeyes play in the Peach Bowl (they lost by 1).  Madison, Gloria, and I turned in about an hour early. 

Happy new year, everyone!

Another with wires

Random short post from December…

Madison got braces on Tuesday, December 27.  It was a process.  Top brackets and two spacers to prepare for a “permeant” expander.  Bottom braces with wires to start the straightening.  Later she will have other stuff added.  It made for a pretty sore mouth for a few days, but she is figuring out how to eat with all the new hardware.

    

Pepper got sick this break.  Still not exactly sure what was wrong with him, but he was very lethargic, some vomiting, not eating, and wanting to isolate.  We took him to the vet, but it was a bit inconclusive – maybe an upset stomach?  He finally – after about a week – seems to be back to normal.  How do we know?  Well, he is eating, stealing stuff, barking again, and up to pretty normal antics.  While we don’t enjoy all of his mischievous behavior, it does feel good to have him back. 

Merry Christmas from Pepper!

Yoh Family Christmas

I find it to be a gift each year that the Yohs from out of state take time to travel to Ohio.  It takes a lot of time and energy and money to get everyone here every Christmas.  We’ve talked about alternatives, but we haven’t ever tried it out.  Maybe in the future.  At any rate…

Jen and Arturo came in on Wednesday the 21st beating the winter storm.  We had them and Gloria over for tacos on Thursday night and then we all kind of hunkered down for a few days.

Jason, Niki, and the kids came on Christmas day via an airplane.  Jeremy picked them up in Cleveland around 1pm.  They were able to stay until Thursday the 29th. 

We had a two day Christmas with Grandma, opening some of the gifts on Sunday when they arrived and finishing up with a delicious brunch and the remaining gifts on Monday. 

                  

On Tuesday, the adults went out for a nice dinner while Great Aunt Julie and Zach (Jeremy’s cousin) watched all the kids at our house.  It looked like there was a lot of “cooking” in the kitchen, doctor’s visits, and other fun things happening. 

Then, on Wednesday night we gathered at David and Marianne’s with a few of Jeremy’s aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

         

We fit in a lot of fun talking, playing, and making memories.