Various and Sundry Things…

It is now cold outside, and has already snowed several times. This morning when the kids left for school, the temperature was 17°! 

I thought this was cute. But what other 2nd grader uses phrases like “in conclusion?”

Cameron came home from the hospital! He got to ride in the firetruck to the school, where all the kids and teachers welcomed him home. Then, a bunch of us lined his road with balloons and banners as he arrived home. 

A gorgeous sunrise:

We held our annual Ethiopian auction:

Chris and Adrian went on a fishing trip down by New Orleans for work. They brought home quite a catch! 

U. Russell recently went to Ethiopia again, and purchased one of Jalen’s football jerseys from the athletic department to take to Okelo. Last summer, Okelo had mentioned that it has always been his dream to own an American football jersey, and now he’s proudly wearing one of his brother’s. ❤️

Black Friday shopping:

Malia even bought matching Christmas jammies for her and the baby for next Christmas. 

We recently turned our dining room into a home office, which has been much more functional: 

And Mr. Q celebrated his 8th birthday!!! 🎈

Football and Some Cuteness…

The twins had their football awards last week, and each received their varsity letter. Jalen was named Rookie of the Year and a member of the All-Conference Honorable Mention Team. They had a great season and are looking forward to their next 3 years of football. 

Freshman members of the varsity football team and best friends - Jalen, Avery, Grady, and Jordan

Here are some cute kids:

We recently spent a Sunday with Karl and Angie, and it included a rousing and pretty hilarious football game: 

We also got up close and personal with one of the nearby wind turbines: 

And here’s another cute thing…this raccoon slept the day away in our window well. Thankfully, Jordan was able to get it out and release it into the woods. 

Florida!!

Last week, we had lots of fun and activities in Florida, including Disney Institute training for Chris (he even graduated, complete with Mickey ears and a tassel!) a TNB board meeting for Chris and me in Cape Coral, a visit to Manasota Beach, and fun at Disney for Jalen, Jordan, and Quintin’s birthdays.

We had a great day at Epcot. We were able to ride Ratatouille 3 times, Guardians of the Galaxy twice, and the boys rode Mission: Space at least 4 times. In the World Showcase, we tried poutine and wine in Canada, fish and chips in Great Britain, crème brûlée and cheese beignets in France, mochi in Japan, nachos in Mexico, stone bread with dipping sauces and falafel pita in Morocco, funnel cake in America, pizza and wild blueberry drink in Italy, and coffee-barbecued beef in Kenya.