Happy Holidays 2025!

As is tradition, please enjoy our quotable moments from 2025. While they may not be as plentiful, they are still chuckle worthy in my mind. Happy Holidays to you and yours! And yes, I still make them go take a photo with Santa! 18 years and counting!

Christmas Even 2024 - We head to my dad's house to visit, Mike offers to drive and I send him the address. Somehow his phone selects to navigate to Chili's because of a prior internet search. Everyone in the car hollers, "Chilis?!" and general mocking ensues.

Christmas Day 2024 - On Christmas morning while opening stockings, we discover an orange from last year in the toe of my stocking completely desiccated. Just want I wanted! 

March - I am hurriedly trying to leave the house in the morning for school but Isaac is missing 1 shoe. How is he missing just one shoe? After a frantic search we learn that Sam dragged up with his laundry, it was in his basket. 

April - Sam goes to Minecraft movie with friends. Mid-movie he sends me an urgent text, "mom, look it's Dolly Parton!" (he knows I love Dolly). It was a picture of Jennifer Coolidge.

June - Mike and I prepare for our 20th anniversary trip to San Antonio. Noah asks “is San Antonio is California or Mexico?” Wow those A's in geograaphy are really showing.

June - While we were in San Antonio on our anniversary trip Noah and Sam had a Friday night on their own. We told them if they got food we would pay for it. The somehow managed to spend nearly $50 at Jimmy John’s with just the 2 of them.

July - Josh shaved his head and Isaac said “oh uncle Josh I thought you had a couple

years left!” (referring to the balding process).

July - We are heading home from lake, Mike asks why we need 3 seats in the back of the minivan. I pause and then slowly state "for our 3 children." He had forgotten Sam. 

September - I was at school, teaching a student about the word "scared", I made a scared face, and then he proceeded to trace the wrinkles in between my eyebrows with his finger repeating "oh scared". Job well done, I guess?

November - During the annual Ladies Lunch the day after Thanksgiving, Deb tells us that Isaac had diagnosed her dog with degenerative myopathy. Over the summer, apparently he saw the dog and googled it and told her. Turns out, he was right! 

November - Isaac assures me he does not have a black shirt for a band concert, so we buy one. Then I'm showing his school picture to people and low and behold he is wearing a black shirt. The picture was taken just a month prior, so yes now he has TWO black shirts!

Beginning of the 2025-2026 school year

So we returned home from our Jersey Shore trip and then the boys had to get neutered.  They were less than thrilled about the cones, but managed just fine after a day.

Isaac had a cool experience at a "take your kid to work" day with Mike.

These two had their first day of school.  It was Noah's LAST first day of high school and Sam's FIRST first day of high school.  It's pretty awesome these two are back together!

This guy had his first day of junior high! Despite the bus missing him on the first day, he has managed to do just fine!

The cats have adjusted to the new school schedule and are happy when all the people get home each day.

Sam has perfected the art of feeding all 4 at once.

School pics are in and looking good!

Isaac enjoys being the first one home most days, he gets some good times with the cats!

We did our annual trip to the Rodeo in Fort Madison Iowa.  This year it was me, Isaac, and Noah.

Isaac found himself a pretty sweet buffalo hat!

Our annual line up photo of the kids!

Back at home for more kitten cuddles!

Sam went to Homecoming at Conant!

And Mike and I did a quick reunion trip to Augustana College and the place we met!

Back to more cat snuggles!

And Sam had his first band concert!

So we head into fall and all the fun that comes with it!

End of July 2025

So we returned home from the 4th of July at the lake and a couple days later I received an unexpected phone call from my cousins, Meg and Ella.  Well, it was actually a hilarious facetime during which they were attempting to capture some stray kittens in their yard.  Long story short, they caught the kitten (2 boys) and all the shelters were full....

So yep, we picked them up.  We kind of knew the moment we had them that they would be staying with us permanently barring any major complications with our current cats. So Isaac and I took a ride and picked them up!

They are adorable and lived namelessly in our basement for a few days while we got them settled, checked into their health and got to know them.

They were very social and settled in just fine with us.  We took turns sleeping in the basement.  We suspect they were part of a litter in someone's home and they were dumped at a construction site near Meg's house.

After the world's saddest ear cleaning at the vet, they got a clear bill of health and were confirmed to be unchipped boys that were now ours!  Approximate age of 4 months old, so we picked a March birthdate!

And we named them!  Ares is the white guy and Apollo is the orange guy.  We started slowly introducing them to our other cats Molly and Minnie (who were less than thrilled), but by using treats, toys and birdwatching as a distraction we had some progress. 

Too cute!  They love being together and being around people.

Meanwhile Sam enjoyed golf camp AND his 15th birthday!  He had some friends over to celebrate and I didn't get a single picture.  We also did some shopping for clothes.  Happy 15th, bud!

We had a Lauren day and sleepover.  She loved the kittens, they were confused by her but generally had fun playing!

Then we left on our Jersey Shore adventure.  Just a short 15 hour car ride later - here we are!

It was good to be reunited with Meera, Jason, Kali and Kirin in Ocean City, NJ.  Let the napping commence!

Isaac found an amazing hat on the boardwalk!

We rented a boat for a few hours to explore the other side of the island.

We also got to try out some great food.  Sam loved the crab legs!

Jason and I took a bike ride to get crab fries one evening!

Funnel cake - multiple times - yes please!

We hit the water park one day too - had some great weather!

The boardwalk was beautiful and fun and filled with good treats!

Jersey pizza - eaten as the locals do!

Interesting shirts that Noah was thrilled about!

We went to a candy store where you could scoop lots of different choices.  Sam ended up with 2 lbs of banana runts.  Why? No one knows!

Crab Trap group shot!

Goods secured - cheesesteaks and hoagies for all!

It was a great family trip!

After a smooth 13 hour car ride home we were reunited with all our cat friends!  It seems like they worked out some truces while we were gone.  The adult cats are much more settled (even if they still don't LOVE the babies).  And the babies are happy to have their people back!

And, if you look closely, you can see all 4 cats in this picture - progress!  So hopefully we can just enjoy this last bit of summer all together before the school year begins!