Thursday, January 14, 2021

Jan 2021

 

Happy New Year! We are all back at school or back at work. The first week of 2021 was virtual learning for the boys and myself. This meant that I was in the classroom teaching while the students were all online. This was quite odd; different from e learning. I was teaching live. The classroom was cold and the motion sensor lights kept going off; however by the grace of God and a lot of prayers the week ended well. This week started and I am a traditional teacher. This means my students are in person. I do have one student in quarantine so I’m not quite totally offline. Austin had online Live teaching and learning too. Dylan, on the other hand, had a little more freedom. He would log on in the am and complete work that had been  sent home. Chris was on vacation the entire time that the boys and I were out for Christmas break. It was a very nice time for us to all hang out and be together whether it be eating dinner, watching movies, playing games, going outside, .... Chris has been busy managing a couple of brand new guys to building and one new to The company. Not only this but the two neighborhoods he manages has about 60 plus houses and are releasing and selling homes everyday. He has been busy! 
     Ashleigh is also back in school after a long break. She is beginning semester four and semester three in her nursing pathway. She is taking 21 hours that include  three nursing classes and she will have two clinicals. She is also taking an English and her Computer Science credit too as well as a Women of the Old Testament type course. With Covid there are parameters and limitations for clinicals this semester; pray the numbers don’t spike and the vaccination changes this. She continues to serve at a local church with littles and bigs and connect with the church plant we have been attending for MC. She is missing singing during worship, but has been given the opportunity to sing with her high school teacher’s church choir recording  worship songs. However, last week she joined the service and sang “live”.  She and a couple of friends are excitedly planning a road trip to California this summer. They each  plan to serve and disciple at MH this summer. She will be the Childcare Lead. 

This is a pic of Ashleigh’s campus. One night this week she took a walk around the reflection pond in front of the chapel. She sent me this picture. 

Dylan and Austin”s routine will begin again too. They also have been enjoying spending time outside playing and on Sunday evenings they love going to student fellowship. Dylan has homework too now! One of the  books he got from Ashleigh at Christmas also involves some learning activities; he is sometimes reluctant to start but loves to do them once he gets started. He worked for Ashlyover break willingly. He will bring hime his communication device in a couple of weeks. Not that we can’t understand most of the time but we are all excited to see how this helps.  Austin helps with Chompers now that Ash has returned to the dorm.  He also has been reading a couple books He got for Christmas. He usually does not have homework but this week he had an agriculture project with dirt. I love how he tells us each day what he learns and  what he is doing. 
 


     
     
   

Thursday, January 7, 2021

Fun Day




 We had set off on Saturday to have lunch and then go bowling since it was raining. However, when we arrived at Stars and Strikes lanes would not be available until 10 pm. We decided to have fun with bumper cars and video games. Although Chris, Ashleigh and I are not big gamers, we enjoyed playing games as a family and as a team. Some games like air hockey was one on one competition! I played PAC Man as a single player and had a lot of fun! 

Merry Christmas






  A new tradition was started by Ashleigh this Christmas with a book exchange. Therefore along with new pajamas everyone also got many books on Christmas Eve. I’m Chris also surprised me with pajamas too! 
Chris was the first to wake on Christmas morning. Then it was Dylan waking. He helped wake up me, Ashleigh and Austin. Christmas presents with the kids is always full of laughs, smiles, and love. This year we opted for a light breakfast and had a mid afternoon dinner. While we did not go to the movie theater due to Covid; we did watch a movie together as a family AND it also wasn’t Star Wars. It was Sol. 
     We traveled to Georgia the day after Christmas and after having Dylan tested for Covid. He tested negative. ( side story someone in his class tested positive for Covid. He was quarantined and opened his gifts on Christmas Eve via FaceTime in his room. Since he was not showing symptoms and it had been one week in Christmas morning, we did “allow” him out.) While in Ga, we had Christmas with Chris’s family. Banessa had taken off to Disney. We had a nice visit. One day Ashleigh and I went to spend Kohl’s cash and exchange a shirt for Dylan, and I took her by our house in Loganville. Not much had changed. I also took her by my one and only childhood home. It also looked the same with the new siding that was our in with the help of Chris. There are not tall trees bordering her yard and the neighbors, but the house looks the same. I am grateful and hopeful that Sergio and his family are enjoying their home. While at Helen and Jim’s we went through storage items in the basement that we had there and recalled some memories. Some of my childhood treasures I parted with and said goodbye; others I did keep. I am hopeful that other families and  kids can enjoy the items we donated. 
   The Christmas tree and decorations were all taken down in the last day of Christmas, Epiphany; however the Christmas Light- Jesus Shines bright each day. Glory to God! Joy, Hope, Peace, and Love !









And just a couple pics from Christmas Eve... “Not a creature was stirring...



 




Christmas with Pappy and Grandma! We were also able to enjoy time with Rhonda,Billy, Kristin and Tim.