Week 9 of 52 in 2020

Jackson: We decided to head out to WhiteTail after Saturday morning lax practice for the weekend as we were finally able to figure out a way to do 2 consecutive days on the mountain with only missing 1 lacrosse practice.  Jackson was a little hesitant about being without Connor and Michael but we had the best time. There were ups and downs and we were able to secure what ended up being a private lesson on both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday started off a little rough after all the sitting in the car and the early wake up for lacrosse. We
had an early lunch and talked things out and I convinced him to do a lesson, which I knew he really needed. By the end of his lesson on Saturday, he had figured out how to stop and turning and was done with the greens. As Jackson gets better, mom has to step up her game and may need to take a lesson to help give her the confidence.

After a couple of easy runs at Jackson's insistence, we tried a lift that lead to harder slopes that were green/blue (the next step). We picked wrong and he struggled (I barely made it). After another early lunch and pep talk (clearly, skiing is tiring), I convinced him to do another lesson. By the end of the lesson, he was able to go down another trail off the harder lift without issue.  We are excited for our next trip to the mountain.

It was a great weekend and so nice to be able to spend one on one time with Jackson. 

Week 8 of 52 in 2020

Jackson:  Jackson's club team had secured the Air Dome in Loyola for practices and he was super excited to be able to practice in the same place as the NCAA Champion Greyhounds have.  There were so many rules regarding the building including that parents are not allowed to be spectators as the building capacity is low and there are so many teams practicing. So, this picture is total contraband, ha!! He's been a little nervous about it but we are so happy of him and all the hard work despite the early and we do mean early morning practices.

Connor: Connor had a follow-up which included a change of colors. He picked white and blue to support his favorite Premiere League team, Everton, and Duke basketball although he would never acknowledge it!!

Jackson and Connor:  Despite major protesting from Jackson, who was tired from his morning lacrosse practice, we were able to take advantage of the warmer weather and see baby Violet. It took us way too long to see how cute she was!!!

Week 7 of 52 in 2020

Jackson and Connor:  It was time for their 4th grade STEAM night. The RFES staff had planned a golf themed night and it was the best one yet.   It was possibly even more crowded than usual but it's always fun seeing friends and racing around the school to all the presentations.

We had some fun with our favorite 4 year old helping him figure out snap circuits.  None of us can tell him no!!! He is the CUTEST.

Our final stop was the gym for an interactive set up of golf.

Jackson:  He's getting better and better on the mountain. A couple more lessons and I think we might be there! However, that means that mom has to get ready to move across the mountain to the harder slopes.

Valentine's Day

Between trips to multiple stores for required card service visits, I was able to join the boys for their Valentine's Day parties.  It won't be long, when I no longer have these opportunities so I'm super happy that I was able to figure it out.

It's getting harder and harder to find Valentine's for 10 year olds. I lucked out with these foam fingers and they were a hit.

After helping out in Jackson's class, I moved over to Connor's. His party was almost over but I was able to catch a pick of him with his buddy, Jackson.

Week 6 of 52 in 2020

Jackson and Connor:  I had been promising the boys that we could try R House in Remington.  School was closed and Jackson was in need of a haircut so we decided to add in R House as a stop for lunch.  The boys were mesmerized by all the choices. We ended up ordering food from 4 different places, which is the point.  Unfortunately, it took a while. Connor can be indecisive at times so I encouraged him to go for a Sammie from Ground and Griddled and he couldn't have been happier. the chips from the taco place were amazing and we are planning/plotting to get back there with Michael so he could see what it was all about and we could get those yummy chips again.

Jackson: It was another Saturday and another trip to the Sick Visit at Pavillion Pediatrics. This time it was Jackson's turn. He was really warm and wasn't feeling well and was complaining about his ears. We were concerned that he might have an ear infection and were in no way expecting a diagnosis of Flu A.  Two consecutive Saturdays of flu diagnosis. Can we make it to next week and can mom and dad survive??  Clearly, the flu is going around RFES.

Week 5 of 52 in 2020

Jackson:  After what could have been a delay on mom's part to properly schedule his appointment, Jackson's retainer was ready and he was finally getting his palate expander off.  He was happy and there were lots of giggles getting him to say words that start with the letter S with his retainer. He was a good sport. There may or may not be video...

Connor:  It was only a matter of time. After a really rough night with wheezing and throwing up medicine before we even got him in the car, we finally made it to Pavillion Pediatrics. It was of course sandwiched in after Jackson's early morning lax practice and soccer training but not before multiple vomits outside in the parking lot.  Connor tested positive for Flu B.  After 1 dose of the Tamiflu, he was feeling so much better.   Hopefully, he's back to feeling awesome soon.

Week 4 of 52 in 2020

Jackson and Connor: The boys had a 1/2 day so we were off to the movies to see Dr. Doolittle. Joining the movie club has been such a good idea for us. There was always a discussion about seeing new movies but we often times never committed to actually going. Now, we have a full lineup of movies to see in the next couple of months.

Jackson: In shorts and in preparation of our next trip to WhiteTail, we hit up the Glen Burnie Ski Swap and got Jackson fitted with a new to him snowboard along with boots and googles.  His ski pass allows him on the mountain but the costs of rentals was going to be crazy expensive so we went for it...

Climb Zone Fun

We had scheduled a get together with Graham D to meet up at the Climb Zone for some climbing fun.

The boys received some instruction and Connor's skeptical look continued the majority of our time there. He isn't a big fan of heights and it was very clear that he would be o.k. with not ever coming back to the Climb Zone.  We were so proud of him for sticking with it as long as he did.

He did good with these nets and was able to figure out the basketballs. Unfortunately, he would get nervous about the height and lower down. Maybe, he would be willing to go back and try to see if he could get a little higher. We were his biggest cheerleaders giving him encouragement.

Jackson, on the other hand, was THRILLED to be there. He was always our climber in the house and we had to stack things to ensure that he didn't get to steps or other toys. If there was a will, there was always a creative way to get there with him.

The boys had a lot of fun together and ended their time in the Gaga pit.

Week 2 of 52 in 2020

Jackson and Connor:  The joys of the Forge when a friend bring his flag football belts over and a spontaneous game of flag football takes over multiple neighbor's lawns.  The weather has been kind and we are so happy the boys were able to get out with their friends.

Connor: I was able to take Connor to his Impact Winter Training at Friends School. This was my view and I was so proud of his hitting. He was happy to get his bat out since it's been all lacrosse for a long time.

Week 1 of 52 in 2020

Jackson and Connor:  There are many reasons why we love our neighborhood (parking is most definitely not one of them). But on this random day, we had 6 friends over for lunch to help finish extra pizza and chicken nuggets that we had gotten for the boys' family party.

Jackson: It was finally time for us to take advantage of the 4th grade ski pass. Our snowboarder was excited to take a new lesson and get back on the mountain at Whitetail.

Connor: This may have been Connor's only smile of the day. He was initially very excited about trying out skiing again but struggled through his lesson.  It was shortly after this photo that he had decided hanging in the lodge and watching the football games was a better option for him. He was super close (per his instructor) and just needed to link a couple more turns together. Unfortunately, I don't know that I can persuade him that most people fall often when learning how to ski. We shall see....