Happy Holidays 2021 | KandL Blog

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Adding another star to the tree. After we looked back through the pictures here, Oh Christmas Tree, we decided it was Elizas turn to have the honor of placing the Star.

Holiday celebration dinner with the Hawkers.

LOL

Christmas Eve dinner and festivities at our own house this year. This was the first time doing this on our own. We enjoyed developing our own traditions, and remembering elements from our childhood that we are particularly fond of. I made several batches of peanut brittle and made a pumpkin pie, both firsts for me. We had Christmas ham, and twice baked potatoes, and Christmas jello, and eggnog. We opened a couple of presents Christmas Eve, including new PJs. Now it’s time for the kids to go to bed!

Christmas morning gift opening. The kids created a FPV drone set for me, complete with the drone, remote, and goggles.

Kathryn got some awesome jewelry.

Here’s that pumpkin pie. Oh so good.

We made a trip up to Idaho to visit the family for a few days after Christmas. It was great and see Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Gerald.

Cousin time with Baby Ruth and Zoey.

Big kid cousin time doing melty beads.

Wheel club down at Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Gerald’s garage that they were so nice to clean out for these kids.

We made it back home to our house just in time to get a massive snow dump the next day.

Back when I was in school, I remembered this reading program where you’d read a book, take a quiz, and then earn some points that you could trade in for prizes. I found a similar program that also works with Home School programs. It’s very inexpensive, and I signed up Ashley for it. I then offered to pay her a dollar for every point she earned. This really kicked this girl into gear and we were amazed at what she could accomplish when properly motivated. In no time at all, she had read 20 Magic Tree House books and cashed in for her first time.