Preppin' For Christmas

It's amazing what you will do during a pandemic to spend time with friends. Easier than a cotton swab up the nose is spitting into a vial so your scientist friend can go back to her lab to test your saliva for Covid. This is exactly what our wine group did so that we could spend an evening in a garage with the door open in December drinking wine and celebrating our ongoing friendship. It was all worth it to spend time together. Unfortunately we don't have a picture of the actual night, most likely because Sarah didn't want to take her hands out from under the heated blanket.

This year the chocolate dipping extravaganza was truly a family affair. Kelly, Sarah, Claire, and Reese all worked hard to dip as many treats as possible. Ella showed up after work and Callie came in after soccer. Both arrived just in time for the tasting of the finished products, which is the most important part of the day. And even though school was still virtual, they packed up treat boxes for the girls' teachers so they could drop them at each school's main office. The day was fun, as always. 

In the spirit of keeping traditions alive during the pandemic, but most importantly, keeping it real, we also had to decide what to do for our annual Christmas card. Sarah knew she wanted the card to acknowledge the reality in which we were all living, and her final idea was brilliant. The front of the card had a close up of the four us looking as put together as one could look without a proper haircut, and the back of the card displayed the image below which showed what was happening to all of us off camera. We were pretty proud of it, though John made a point of getting his hair cut shortly thereafter.

The pandemic would again limit our travel for the holidays and Christmas would be spent in Lexington. And despite past success at Costco, John insisted that we go back to the more expensive place where you can actually see what your tree will look like before you get it home. No grab bag Christmas tree this year.

Years from now we will all be explaining how we were smiling behind our masks in pictures like the one above. 

But the real (non-spiritual) preparation for the Christmas season involved newspaper, numbers, and a whole lot of packing tape. This year Reese helped John make the tape ball and it was massive. We were ready for the fun to begin.

"Worst" Thanksgiving Ever

Starting any holiday with a jab up your nose could be a sign that your holiday isn't going to be normal. Of course we knew this Thanksgiving would be different because we weren't heading to Connecticut or California. However, we were looking forward to three days at Pine Mountain State Park with the Abrahams to celebrate the holiday outside of our houses. We didn't know just how outside it would be.

Unfortunately for the second time in the fall our family had been exposed to someone who had tested positive for covid-19, which meant we all got to experience the joys of the nostril invasion. Although we tested negative we still wanted to take all precautions. And this was going to make things a bit different than planned. Each family already had rented its own cabin, so we were good there. The cabins even had fireplaces, so that made them nice and cozy.

However, we decided that it would be best if we had our meals outside, including Thanksgiving. Truth be told, we lucked out weatherwise, because it wasn't raining and it only dipped down into the 40s at night. Kelly and Sarah pre-made as much as they could at home so that when we drove up that day we only had to reheat the main dishes. It truly was an impressive meal. 

Despite her smile for the picture here, we later learned that largely because of the outdoor nature of the affair Ella had described this as the "worst Thanksgiving ever." We will now be spending every Thanksgiving reminding her of how we occupy such a special place in her personal history. And if Ella wasn't interested in the outdoor eating she certainly wasn't interested in the outdoor hiking. 

Truth be told, we're not sure that any of the kids really enjoyed the hiking, except maybe Reese who was excited that she got to hike with Scout, the Abraham's dog. It was perfect hiking weather, though, and the trails were all right outside our cabins. Pine Mountain is a delight and we can't wait to go back.

We even managed to get a good family picture or two while hiking the trails. As you can see, the days definitely got warmer and made being outdoors more enjoyable. But not enjoyable enough, because the next hike included only the four adults and Scout. We made our way to Chained Rock that overlooks the town of Pineville. It's not a strenuous hike and the view is quite nice. Most important for us, of course, is that it lends itself to fantastic photo opportunities like the one below. Kelly was never in danger during the taking of this photograph.

To try and bring some holiday cheer to the younger contingent who were their own barrels of joy, Kelly and Sarah made a run to a few local stores to pick up gingerbread houses and decorating materials, aka candy. So while the adults hiked the kids decorated, and most likely stuffed their faces with candy.

Here is that fake smile again from the girl having the worst time ever. Poor Ella. And below we see the creations of her compatriots. They clearly did put some effort into their houses, so we can't be too hard on them.

This picture sums up the whole unique Thanksgiving celebration. We are posed on the stairs in front of the Pine Mountain State Park lodge, masks on and smiling with our eyes while a masked state trooper takes our picture. Happy Thanksgiving 2020, indeed.

 

They say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well, when in Corbin, stop at the original Kentucky Fried Chicken. They have revamped that original joint, of course, and at this time the main building wasn't open. But we were able to hit the drive through and sat in our separate cars enjoying the delicious and greasy meal.

If this was the worst Thanksgiving ever, we consider ourselves lucky. 

Fallin' Towards Thanksgiving

 

Falling is exactly what Sarah is doing in the height ranking of the household. Despite her best efforts, including her excellent posture, she was unable to hold onto the second position and had to concede that Callie had grown taller than her. Safe to say she will never be able to reclaim her former position now that Callie has passed her by. The only question is if she will stay at #3 or fall to the bottom.

Although we weren't in school and play dates were very limited outside of our family bubble, there were still opportunities that we felt couldn't be passed up. Case in point, Reese's friend Ella invited her to visit their farm with their new miniature cows. Reese was in love at first sight and was beside herself when she got to bottle feed them. She certainly is a girl that loves animals and has the bad fortune of living with two parents who aren't going out of their way to bring any creatures into the home.

First Fixin's is an event we always look forward to at our church. As with everything else it was far from normal this year. However, we tried to reinvent the process of packing 150 Thanksgiving meals for local families. We went to the store and purchased enough for ten meals, decorated bags, and did our best to recreated the chaos of assembling the bags so that every family got every item they would need for the meal. And just like the youth event, we had to have a responsible parent do quality control because, ironically enough, even with only 10 bags we still had some hiccups.

Another tradition that we couldn't let go by without some manner of commemoration was the fall mix. In a typical fall we bring these to our offices to share with our colleagues. But this year our co-workers were actually our family members and we couldn't send the mix via zoom to others, so we just made a smaller amount and enjoyed it together. 

Halloween 2020

 For all that soccer brought us great joy, we also knew that it opened us up to potential exposures to Covid. And as it turned out, the day before Halloween we learned that one of Callie's teammates had a parent who tested positive, which meant everyone on the team had a potential exposure. So on Halloween morning we went and got our very first Covid test. And since we wouldn't know our results for at least 24 hours, we made the decision not to go out trick or treating. But that didn't stop us from dressing up!

To get the girls over their disappointment we stopped at Walgreens on the way home from getting our tests and loaded up on candy. Our plan was to dress up and then settle on the couch for a movie night with a whole bunch of sweets in our hands. Of course it is no surprise that Sarah wanted to make sure we commemorated the holiday properly, and Halloween is about the costumes as well as the candy.

It's important to note that all of these costumes came from our basement. That's right, all of this is just sitting in a plastic bin waiting for the right moment. After a little coaxing, both Callie and Reese got into the photoshoot. They knew that if they really wanted that endless supply of candy for the night they were going to have to give their mom something to work with. But if you think we got into the Halloween spirit, take a look at our neighbors the Adams. They had a whole family Star Wars theme and pulled it off quite well. We had to take their photo. But the sweetest part is that their kids dropped off a bag of candy for the girls at the end of their night because they felt bad that Reese and Callie missed out.

But did Callie and Reese really miss out? They got out of their costumes, got into these comfortable jammie/costumes, ate candy they got without having to walk anywhere, and watched two movies. We think they made out pretty well.

Exhibit 1, just take a peek at part of their haul for the evening. Neither one of the girls was going to have low sugar counts in their system. Yet again in 2020 we found a way to make lemonade out of lemons. Just like the recipe says, you need a good amount of sugar.

Where Would We Be Without Soccer?

Covid was hard, but we were so fortunate that the girls adapted to online school as well as they did. They were learning to work independently and we got good reports from their teachers. But just as important, they got the social interaction and physical activity they needed from soccer. We are so happy that they were able to practice and play all fall. Reese's team maintained its winning ways and she kept working hard. This picture captures her determination and grit quite well. 

The lost spring season in 2020 was tough for Callie because she had high hopes for her team and what they could accomplish. She turned that disappointment into motivation, however, and starting in May she started training regularly. Her first hope was to make a higher team at tryouts. Then tryouts didn't happen, and that motivated her even more to train and develop her skills.

We are happy to report that all of her hard work paid off in the fall season. She had more confidence than ever, and in the first game she scored a goal and almost had a second on a penalty kick. In fact, she went on a streak in which she scored at least one goal in every single game. It was absolutely insane and so fun to watch. She scored off of direct kicks, corner kicks, breakaways, you name it and she did it. It was an incredible season and she earned every bit of that success. You can't ask for much more as parents than to have that combination.

Through it all, we have consistently emphasized to both the girls that we want them to have fun while they are playing. Fortunately, their coaches appeared to be as excited about Halloween as they were. Both the girls had a dress up practice, and when the rain canceled the planned activities they brought it inside to ensure no one missed out on fun and candy.

The older girls were just as goofy as the younger ones, though their choice of costumes illustrated some of the differences in age. Most of Callie's team chose to dress up as characters from the video game Among Us, which is something we definitely didn't understand. But the costumes were simple and the girls liked them, so that's all that matters. 

Callie's a Teenager!

Whether we wanted to admit or not, Callie was turning thirteen this year and we just had to roll with it. It was a birthday party year, so we had to figure what to do in the midst of Covid. Callie chose to stick wtih the theme of our summer, which was camping. We made a reservation at Carter Caves State Park and started making plans. First obstacle was how to get everyone there since our Mazda had broken down in mid-September. Based on its age and the cost of repairs, we opted to get a new car. However, we weren't in any rush since we were all working and schooling from home. In short, we had to rent a mini-van to get Callie and her friends to the camping birthday. First stop, Starbucks.

 One of the best things about teenagers is that they can do some of the work. And even if they aren't sure how to do it you can have fun watching them try. Callie was willing to take the lead since she had put up the tent several times this summer. And her friends were all willing to pitch in.

So here's the finished product. They did quite well, and Sarah did even better by making sure the tent was properly festive.

Once we got the tent up we sent the girls up the road to play some mini-golf.

Since everything in the campground was so close it allowed the girls to be independent while not being too far away. They are a good group, and they were particularly kind to include Reese in all of their activities. We had also lucked out because the weather was pretty nice for early October in Kentucky.

Next up was making the fire and cooking dinner. The fire took a little longer than usual and we actually had to special order a delivery of firewood. The girls played some games at the table, did each other's hair, and overall got into the camping spirit.

And even more important, they did the dishes once dinner was over. Callie once again took the lead to show her friends how the Bowes camp kitchen works. Once they had cleaned things up we sat around the fire, had s'mores and played truth or dare with a glow ball. It was a great night and once we retired to our separate tent the chatter didn't last too long.

Once we had made breakfast and cleaned up the camp we had the opportunity to take a brief tour of the X-Cave. This park is in eastern Kentucky and its cave system is nothing as grand as Mammoth Cave, but it is still pretty awesome. 

We knew that the tours were going to be limited in the number of people who could sign up, but we were very happy when it was just our group. Our private tour got the ability to go as quickly or slowly as the girls wanted. They seemed to enjoy it, and once the tour was over we got back into the minivan and headed back to Lexington. It was a great 13th birthday party, and Callie had a lot of fun. But she had one more surprise waiting for her when we got home.

We had told Callie for a while that she could get a cell phone when she was in 8th grade or when she turned 13. In the end, we went with 13, and she was over the moon excited.

After she opened the gift up on her birthday weekend it took us three weeks to get to the store to have her phone set up. She was patient, but a girl can only wait so long. And just like that we were a three cell-phone family. 

Divide and Conquer

On Labor Day weekend we had made more camping reservations, this time at Cumberland Falls State Park. But the plan for all of us to be with the Abrahams was undone by a soccer tournament for Reese in Indianapolis. So Callie and John headed down I-75 to experience a new state park with Kelly, Kirk, and Claire. It started off a bit rough with traffic at a dead stop north of Corbin. We needed to get the tents set up before the sun went down, but we had confidence we could make it happen. You might think that Sarah was having the better end of the deal, but she was in her own little bubble of fun. She and Reese made it all the way to their hotel in Indianapolis only to discover that Sarah had forgotten her wallet at home. With a little of that California charm she was able to persuade the hotel to let them in their room, but it was going to be an interesting weekend.

Meanwhile, back in southern Kentucky, the camping crew were able to find their campsite and set up their tents before darkness fell. It wasn't the biggest campsite, but there was enough room for the tents and a fire, so no one was complaining.

We had already grabbed a bite to eat before getting to the park, so that night the fire was just for hanging out and making s'mores. 

We always say that we can never have enough time with the Abrahams, and that still holds true. It did seem a little strange to have only partial crews from both families, but we made it work.

Saturday morning came bright and early for the soccer girls. Reese and her friend Mary hit the field prepared to win in a look that had become normal for us all. It was the first tournament of the season so we were all interested to see what would happen. Although most of her teammates were the same, Reese did have a new coach so she wanted to impress from the get go.

The camping crew was also up bright and early and excited to explore the trails around Cumberland Falls. It was a short trip from the campground to the trailhead, and it was a beautiful day. Claire and Callie were hoping to work on their upper body strength along with cardio.

Although the hiking wasn't intense, it certainly provided many opportunities to see all the beauty that Kentucky has to offer. 

This is one of the many views we had of Cumberland Falls during the course of our hike. The water is far from clear, but the waterfall is quite a sight. We were not there at the right time to catch the famous moonbow, but one day we will get there for that. It is well worth a return trip.

Every time we went camping this summer we learned new reasons why the hatchet was such a critical purchase. And every time we camped we each learned new skills. Here we see where those two things converged as Callie discovered the joy of chopping wood.

We needed that wood to be the right size to start the fire and Callie was ready to do what it took to get it ready. And she didn't even come close to chopping off a toe.

At every soccer tournament, a key question is what to do with the downtime between the two Saturday games. Sarah paired up with Erin Oakley, Mary's mom, and they took a group of girls to the local mall. It had been at least six months since we had been in a mall, but clearly this store knew we were coming.

Sarah and Erin are cool moms, no matter what their daughters might say, and Erin was even cooler because she was ready to help out the walletless Sarah all weekend.

Here we see Mary, Harper, Reese, and Emerson enjoying the mall in their own special way. You can't tell from the picture, but they found their way to the cosmetics counter in Nordstrom's and got a special tour in the Body Shop where they tested countless lotions to see what combinations worked best.

They also tried to find the best combinations on the field as well. The tournament was not as challenging as we had hoped. The girls won most of their games by double digits. But they had a good team and gained a lot of confidence.

At the end of the weekend they walked away as champions, which is certainly a great way to start the season. The funniest part of the whole tournament was when Mary got a yellow card, a first for the team overall. She is one of the smallest players on the team, but she is pretty feisty and can hold her own.

And best of all, on that Sunday night we were reunited around the fire pit in the Abraham's backyard. Monday was a holiday so we were all able to relax and enjoy being together as full families. Callie, Claire, Reese, and Ella always enjoy each other's company and aren't afraid to get a little silly.