Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving during the three week "pause" for Covid was not drastically different from our Thanksgiving last year.  After our years and years of trying to stop and see everyone at three or sometimes even four different Thanksgiving dinners, we have embraced the fact that we don't mind having a relaxed, quieter day.  

Hailey made our traditional turkey cupcakes and made plates to drop off to her besties and their families. 

A recent tradition we did miss was going to the YMCA for their annual Turkey Trot that we have participated in the last several years.  The boys were still asleep so Hailey, Trent and I bundled up and did our own Turkey Trot in our favorite woods. 

My mom came over to eat with us but that was it.  Just the six of us.  Trent and I had done much of the cooking the day before so on Thanksgiving day we only had to roast the turkey and make the potatoes. 

Trent has become an expert at cooking turkeys.  I was also thankful that Hailey got one more year out of the the turkey shirt I made her. 

Due to Covid, we sat the boys in the kitchen just because they have been around other people and we didn't want to risk them sharing germs with my mom. 

Later that night after we had driven Grama home with plates of leftovers, we sat down to play an escape room game that we had purchased in Manistee over the summer.  

It was fun.  Not as challenging as a "real" escape room but some of the clue elements were the same.  

Hailey decided to play a little beauty shop and pull Daddy's hair back into a man pony tail. 

Since it was our first escape room game we had a bit of a learning curve to figure out.  We didn't "escape" in the hour they gave us but we managed to get out about ten minutes later.  We will definitely try one again.  The only downside to it is that it is a one and done thing.  You have to write on the cards and cut stuff up so once you finish it has to basically be thrown away.   It's hard because it's a quality game and you feel like you are being a bit wasteful. 

All in all it was a good day.  I am continuously amazed at how blessed I am to be able to live my life with my favorite people. 

It was good while it lasted

Since the cases of Covid 19 are higher in Michigan than they have ever been, it was not much of a surprise that it was time to set things back a bit.  The order we got last night was a three week "pause" to let things calm down and hopefully alleviate a bit of the strain on hospitals and medical workers. 

I am honestly surprised that our high school was able to continue with its hybrid virtual/in-person model for as long as it did.  They were still in pretty good shape as far as cases and quarantining and could have probably made it to December if not for the latest order. 

Evan is at school today for the last time for the next three weeks (and let's face it - most likely they will add on to the three weeks and just have them go back in January after the holidays).  He is not super bummed about not having to wake up early.  Though we are not sure what the virtual schedule is going to be, he may still have to get up for regular class time and check in.   Encompassed in these next three weeks will be his first trimester exams.  Ugh.  I'm not sure how that will go virtually.  I guess we are all in the same boat and will just have to go with the flow. 

Since this post is mostly about school I just wanted to add in something that I thought was so funny.  We received an email that Evan was awarded a Pride Pass.  I am not sure if it's the first one he has ever gotten but it is the first time the teacher has emailed it to us.   Evan has over a 4.0 GPA.  He has extremely challenging classes that he maintains A's in throughout the trimester.  The ONE time he gets a Pride Pass is because he "ran really hard in gym class".  

It's great.  We are always proud of him.  I am glad he is a fast runner when he needs to be.  Ha!