New Hiking Partner

 When Mike and Tyson were preparing for High Adventure last summer, they went on a lot of hikes.  I was kind of jealous of the time spent outside, exploring the beautiful PNW.  But, the thing was, my foot was still not feeling great and I really didn't want to risk making it worse...plus I wasn't super excited to go on intense, uphill, all day long hikes.  Well, fast forward to November when it's super cold and rainy and my foot finally feels better...Mike and I set out hiking.

We really have just started out slow...our first "hike" was basically a walk on a paved path around a lake (not exactly what we thought it would be--good thing we were wearing hiking boots haha).  And we've done a couple relatively short, flat hikes with beautiful scenery.  I am excited to get into better shape and build up our endurance so that hopefully, this will be something we can do for years to come.

 Lake Tye

Redmond Watershed Reserve

Cherry Creek Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

Good for the soul!

Noteworthy Happenings

We don't have many exciting events to document these past few months because, well, we can't really do much when a lot of the world is shut down.  But we have had a few noteworthy happenings...

We bought a truck!  

(Kya gets to drive it...and it will pass down to Tyson when she leaves for college)

Tyson turned 15!

(And he is enrolled in Driver's Ed!!!)

Jordan (and Phoebe) got a new bed!

Summer lost her first tooth!

Jordan and Dad both voted in the presidential election!

(I was super excited when Mike asked me to drop off his ballot...and yes, we checked to make sure it was legal--haha)

We got to go back to church (with masks)!

Halloween, the same or different?

Halloween this year was definitely different...but also a little the same.

Same:  We visited the pumpkin patch and picked out pumpkins.

Different:  It was so muddy we could barely walk through the patch

Same: The kids dressed up        

Different:  They didn't get to wear their costumes to any parties

Same:  Summer got to go trick or treating

Different:  Summer only got to trick or treat at her teacher's house

Same:  We carved pumpkins

Different:  EVERYONE wanted to participate (yay)

Same:  We got lots of candy

Different:  We had to hunt for it with a flashlight in the backyard

At the end of the night, Summer announced she liked this kind of Halloween better than the normal kind...probably because she is still scared of trick or treating, but I'll call it a win.  

AND as long as we watch Charlie Brown Halloween and get to eat a couple peanut butter cups, almond joy and kit kat, I'm happy:)

Jordan Update

 While a lot of the world is in turmoil, Jordan's life is actually coming together quite nicely:)  

All within a few short weeks, her best friend from high school (Phoebe) moved in with us, she started a nanny job for an adorable little 2-year-old (Cole), and she started college classes at Cascadia!  That's a lot...but she's doing great and making her mama proud.

Jordan and Phoebe

Jordan and Cole

Make Your Own Homecoming

 When school, football games, and dances are canceled...you have to improvise.  A little larger group than I was aware of, but it turned out ok.  So grateful for the parents who planned and hosted such a beautiful and special night for our kids.

Kya and Jason Homecoming 2020

Starting School Covid Style

 The first day of school looked a little different this year, but here they are:

Kya--Senior Year

Definitely not the senior year Kya was hoping for, but she is making the best of it.  We are still holding out hope that there will be some resemblance of a prom and graduation at the end of it all.

Tyson--Sophmore

Summer--First Grade

Summer has since moved upstairs to the games room for more privacy.  It is so sad that she can't go to school.  Sad that she is missing out on making friends, playing at the playground, interacting with her teacher etc.  It's hard to watch.  But, she does have an absolutely fabulous teacher (Mrs. Hansen) who has made it as positive an experience as possible.  She gave all the kids her address so they can be pen pals, she has dropped off goodies and prizes, she invited them all to trick or treat at her house and she is doing her best to teach them and get to know them as best she can through a computer.

Eagle Scout

Tyson has always really loved scouts.  He was thrilled to start Cub Scouts when he was 8, and then maybe even more excited to be a "real" Boy Scout when he turned 11, because that meant he could start having campouts, go to scout camp and do all the fun outdoor activities that scouts do. I feel very fortunate that he was blessed with some of the best of the best when it came to leaders.  He had leaders that were fun, but also leaders who pushed him to work hard and finish up all the requirements to advance and earn his badges.

Tyson 2013 when he became a Cub Scout

Tyson 2016 when he became a Boy Scout

When the church announced in 2019 that they were ending their relationship with Boy Scouts of America, Tyson was still pretty far from earning his Eagle.  One of his leaders (Dale Green) stepped up and made sure all the boys who wanted to, got all their stuff done to qualify for their Eagle before the year was through.  A couple days before Christmas 2019, Tyson scrambled to finish up his Eagle Scout project.  I am proud of my boy.  It would have been easy to quit, but he was determined to finish up and become an Eagle. 

The day he finished up his project was one of the rainiest of the year

Here he is with the finished benches

Because of Covid, he didn't get his Court of Honor until August 2020.  

And here he is...Tyson 2020 Eagle Scout

Starting to Say Goodbye

Everything with my dad's passing was made worse by the condition the world is in right now.  In order for us to go to Canada, we were supposed to quarantine for 2 weeks before seeing ANYONE or even going to the graveside, we couldn't have anyone at the funeral besides immediate family...even the number of immediate family members was over the limit.  It just made everything so much more difficult, stressful, and sad.  I am grateful I was able to be there though...to start the seemingly impossible process of saying goodbye to my dad.  It was a beautiful service, and I think even Dad (who hated cemeteries and funerals) would have liked it.

Summer was too sad to come close to Grandpa's casket...finally, when it was time to place the roses, she was brave enough to do it.  So much for a little 6-year-old to go through. 

 She loves her Grandpa so much.

On my last night in Canada, I was able to stay at Mom's.  It honestly felt like Dad was still there, just upstairs watching tv.  I took a picture of his painting room before I left because I wasn't sure if Mom would clear it out before I would be able to come up again.  His empty art room made my heart hurt.  He really is gone.