Year 6, Dec 27th, 2021-Jan 2nd, 2022: Indiana Staycation 2021-2022

Monday

- The end of "Christmas" is now complete! The Johnson family rounded out this long "weekend" with opening gifts and a full turkey dinner. 

- "I am exhausted" is a big understatement.

- I woke up ok, really, in a better mood than I went to bed, but quickly started crying again. I had to compose myself before leaving for the parents' house. I just prayed that I would be distracted for a few hours, and I was. I was until Gary asked how my visit with my brother was. I was then able to share about it.

- The morning went well. I was excited and happy. Abishai behaved well. He even jumped in when we prayed before opening presents. I had reminded him not to do what he did at Mrs. Kelly's house about saying he didn't like something, but to be thankful. He said, "Thank you, God, for letting us be altogether and for all our presents. Amen." I legit cried. He didn't even hesitate when Grandma's turn was done. Then Jared, then Aaron prayed, and finally Gary. That kid melts my heart. I can't "even" with that kid. He is just something special. I'm so glad he's home with me. I won't let the world get a hold of him. Not one bit. He's so sensitive. So alert, so observant. He's picked up on so much. Oh my word. And then, he legit read all the clues that led him to his "prize" from Aaron and Shauna, that came from Grandpa Cook. It was a metal tool chest that you put in a garage. Aaron thought it would be cool for all of Abishai's cars and things.

- Everyone was nice and behaved. It was a bit loud. There was nothing especially triggering for me. I'll explain details with the photos. Everybody seemed to get what they asked for. I didn't really ask for anything so, eh, I got what I wanted and some good guesses.

- Ava came over for lunch, yeah! Conversation was fine.

- We decided on some of the plans for the week with decent compromises. 

- Since I've been stressed out to the max, lunch started to not settle very well, and it was time for my regular afternoon caffeine intake. I didn't want Gary's creamers, nor to rummage through whatever sweets to find gluten free stuff, so I opted to go home.

- I came home and made my coffee and had my meltdown. I was exhausted. I didn't know I was holding it in. Again, nothing in particular triggered me. There was a couple of things I picked apart but I don't need to even write down because it's not worth it. I just needed a good cry and a nap. I felt better when I woke up and finished drinking my coffee. I needed to be alone. Again, nothing about the morning, absolutely NOTHING triggered it. This whole weekend has been perfect. It's just been long. And I'm tired. 4 days of absolute craziness. On the go. Out of the routine. Which end is up? And it's all good. It's all happiness (mostly, even at PM's there's a lot of happiness I found). The week will peter itself out now. I might need to hold off on school one more week so I can recover. 

- My crew all came home at a decent time. Gary said they were going to watch "The Chosen" but they ended up starting a movie I had actually said "no" to. So I'm glad I asked and it got shut down and I played the grinch and made them come home with the excuse that Abishai needs to go to bed. I've got to stick to my guns and enforce the bedtimes or we all suffer with his meltdowns. And mine. Routine is important. Even on staycations.

- Off to another adventure tomorrow.

Johnson Christmas 2021

*Edit: Photos are in reverse chronological order. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't matter, so I'm not changing it. It's 63 photos. I'll keep the descriptions brief.

 

Leah sent these photos to me. Uncle Aaron got Benaiah good while Ava held him down. Yeah!!!!! Benaiah needed this! I can hear him squealing in my head, plus his honking laugh/asthma type wheezing. Just tickle that young adult on any point of his body and he falls like a lead weight. He's just a big old teddy bear like this dad. Actually, Jared's not very ticklish at all. But that's what makes Benaiah so easy to wrestle. And we all love it!

Awww, cute cousin photo!

Oh yeah! Ava has joined the Johnson gang playing board games! Woot! Woot! She's been playing boad games with Benaiah since the beginning of their relationship. Now, we'll see if she survives playing against Gary, lol. This is a new game Benaiah bought, Azul. I heard that Gary won quite a lot of rounds and even Justin won a round or two, but Benaiah didn't win any rounds. Poor B!

Time to start putting all those Lego sets together!

And all those new puzzles!

After he tried to rush putting it together himself, Abishai finally let Daddy help him put together his Batman Hot Wheels set.

Abishai made it very clear he wanted to sit next to Ava at Christmas dinner. He couldn't get enough of her. He has missed her a lot. Benaiah and Ava don't come to our house anymore and Ava volunteers in the kindergarten room, not the 1st grade room. Abishai gets very attached to people it seems, especially the older girls. And he's just too cute!

No, it's not a real doughnut, but an incredible ornament of one!

Our stockings had some individualized things in it plus socks from Alaska!

Aaron had a friend do the lettering but the wood is driftwood from the Mississippi River.

It came packaged like this.

But first Jared had to find it up here.

Abishai fit in Grandpa Cook's old garage tool chest.

Where'd he go? And hey, it's from the orange working store!

There's some unique wrapping!

Abishai read all the clues himself that led him to the tool bench.

Woah, I've seen that on my Facebook feed or Instagram! It's a waffle maker that divides the waffles up into pieces that look like Legos! Then you can stack them! Cool!

Hurry up, Justin!

Wow! What's that? Well, it comes with three nail guns or something. Power generator? I forget.

A lot of wrapping paper was used this year. We all had "themed" gifts where smaller wrapped gifts were put into a bigger boxed and then the bigger boxed was wrapped, too. That's how Gary gets away with the "three gifts" rule.

Is this wrapping or a club? How Aaron put this together, we will never know.

And all that wrapping for a Cuban cigar?

Careful! Don't whack anyone!

My themed gift was a lot of awesome stuff about New Hampshire!

Keturah got the one thing she really, really wanted this year: a real bow and arrow. This was handpicked by a mutual friend who has been in shooting competitions for years and years. I'm actually jealous of it. I didn't it phrase it well, but I hope to borrow it from Keturah to practice my shooting as well. Of course it is hers, but we try to share things in our household, too. We have a lot of fond memories of learning how to shoot with bows on PEI, even while I was very pregnant with Abishai.  I am super stoked for this gift. And if/when she doesn't want it, I claim it. I've always wanted one. They are quiet, I can adjust the weight of the drawstring so it doesn't hurt me, it takes some skill and physics to aim correctly, and I can shoot decently. Hopefully, this will be something that Jared, I, and Keturah can enjoy together. Jared did or does have a compound bow somewhere. But it's man sized. Oh I think we gave to someone on PEI actually. Jared already has a plan for the targets and such in the backyard. It's going to be such a terrific bonding time for us three. I'm even more giddy now typing this out! Ah! But she won't let me touch it! Come on, girl! Let me at it! Please! Pretty please! Why do you all get the cool gifts?! I asked for cash so you all could have a pool this summer. And well, I got some token gifts that were decent, but, yup, Shauna got the massager I've been looking at, Keturah got a bow, everybody else got themed Lego sets, and everybody got exactly what they wanted otherwise. Sigh. Next time, I asking for what I really, really want, no matter the cost. Lol.

Well, apparently Gary didn't order this toy to be shipped in an extra box like I did with our gifts, lol. I didn't want any of the kids to snitches, so yes, sorry trees, I ordered anything that needed it to be shipped in an extra cardboard box, like Benaiah's dehydrator. And that's why it was in such a large box! Now I remember! Jared burned our cardboard, so at least it didn't go to the landfill, but Gary's went in their trash can. And when Aaron asked if they recycled, my heart skipped at beat when Gary said, "We don't believe in recycling." Uh, come again? What he means is that the recycling that is picked up at the house goes to a facility that more than likely finds a reason to just put it in the landfill anyway. When we put our recycling bins at the grocery store, I think it does go to the same place. However, it might not. And, maybe if it does, maybe they do recycle even a part of it. And, at least in this house, we are constantly reusing as much as we can, or rehoming it. We don't put things in the trash right away. We fix things first. We give things away. Maybe Gary needs to take a field trip to the landfill to really understand what he's leaving behind for his grandchildren to take care of. Yes, there will be a new earth someday, and just because you are closer to going to Heaven than we are, doesn't mean you can leave this earth a mess. Sigh. Anyways, it's his house. His trash goes in his trash can. We burn or recycle and make as little real trash as possible. End of story.

Big guy handled all his own gifts.

Justin! How old are you?!

Jared got a little vacuum and blower for the garage. More tools to add to the collection.

Aaron and Shauna gave Benaiah some heavy iron car wheel lifts that they had laying around and another car jack kit or something. But the iron lifts were so big and bulky.

I took this photo because, well, you know. Grandparents, sometimes, well, they put goofy things on their heads, just because they can.

Keturah actually opened this first, a woven target. I'm not sure if this target will hold up well or not, and I certainly don't expect to leave this outside. We'll probably get her a better one for her birthday or something. It feels cool though.

I left this photo in the mix because it's just too funny. Where did Everly go?

Jared got a new dremel from Benaiah. Aw! Jared wore out his old one. It's a tool he has used very often in the last 20 years.

There's the car jack kit.

Yes, Aaron, I left this in here. So, Aaron thought it would be funny to steal Everly's dangly earrings and try to put them in his pierced ears. Aaron pierced his ears during college. I don't know how he could still get them in after this whole time. I can't get mine through. It was so weird to see them on him and he kept trying to hide them or cover them up. However, gotcha! I just happened to be taking a photo of him unwrapping Jared's gift to him (wrapped in a bunch of medical gauze) and when I loaded it onto the computer and saw it like this, I was like, yup, I'm keeping it in here! The Aaron smile with the tree earrings, perfect! You dare to wear it, and I'll put in the blog. The blog isn't as widespread as a social media post though. So don't worry, as long as no one posts the link to this blog post, you're safe, Aaron.

This was a Christmas gift 6 months in the making. Benaiah had to ask Ellen and Jared for statistics on Grandpa's travels over the last couple of years. He wanted to list out every place he's been to, but it would have been too long. So instead, this is what they came up with.

And this is exactly why Gary is exhausted.  And I'm tired of keeping track. And I just want him home more to have relationships with the other three kids. And I feel bad for Leah being home by herself. And I'm glad she at least has Benaiah to keep her company now.  While this is incredible for the e2 ministry and God's Kingdom on one hand, it's also a sacrifice for us on the other hand. And while we all recognize it and try to deal with it the best we can, sometimes it can be too much. I know we have all thoroughly enjoyed having Gary home on sabbatical for the month of December. I personally do not look forward to him going back on the road again. Thankfully, e2 has hired someone will hopefully take over some of it. But he also has a family with kids that are the same ages as our kids. Kingdom work is wonderful and rewarding, but it is also hard, especially on the nuclear family. So always keep that in mind when you are bending your minster's ear or calling him during an evening and on the weekend.

Benaiah's gift to me. Yeah!

ASEN's gift to Keturah. Some notecards, a horse calendar, and some nice gel pens! Sweet! It's actually probably what I would have gotten under the tree from my parents at her age, lol.

So Leah got us all these t-shirts with different sayings that fit our personalities (and I totally forgot to take photos of any of them). And she bundled them with these puzzles that our kids picked out by hand for each person at the dollar store. My puzzle has a photo of the harbor in Portsmouth, NH for example. Abishai's got missed when we had tried to open them all together, so here he is opening his puzzle and t-shirt, which had Mando and Grogu on it.

Car battery charger for the Young Adult in the room.

Gary and Leah opening the platter we made for them. They liked it of course.

Justin asked for and received the last two Overwatch themed Lego sets! Now we own the whole entire series! Justin personally owns most of it. Benaiah has one of the big sets.

This particular Lego set was supposed to be a birthday gift last year or the year before but got forgotten. Gary blames Leah, but it was actually the other way round. I remember talking to him about it when it happened. She had wanted a different specific set that year so he and I agreed to put away for her birthday. But then it came and went. Then last Christmas came and went with different Lego sets that she wanted. Then another birthday. And finally they found it again. He just doesn't want to admit that he's forgetful.

Abishai kept getting Nerf guns and Nora said, "Stop armoring him!." Never. He's a boy. It's going to happen. This boy is ready to protect you ladies!

Sporting his new winter coat from Grandma and Grandpa!

Whatcha got there, B? Oh, knock off Legos. The white car this time.

"Oooooo," Grandma says, "Cool!"

Shauna thought this was a pretty cool shirt. I totally agreed and said you have to get it for Justin. They gave him a large Lego plate for his Lego table as well.

Wireless headphones, so she can stop complaining about earbuds hurting her ears. Yes, I just got her earbuds, but that's fine. Now she has both.

The one specific thing I mentioned. Doughnut pans! Now I can use all those awesome gluten free recipes to make my own doughnuts when I can't get to the store to buy the expensive ones! Wahoo! Or Keturah can make real yeast ones! These are easy to add to my collection of baking pans because it's at the top of the pantry and there's still head room between them and the ceiling. They aren't duplicates of something I already have and not cluttering up a cupboard.

More Nerf!

No way! How come he gets the cool Austin Martin OO7 Lego and I don't get my Grand Piano Lego set? Aren't they like the same price?! (I quickly looked up the prices). Ok, I'm way off, but still! He asked and received. I mentioned the price of the piano and was quickly shot down months ago so I didn't bother put it on my list. Well, it's going on my list now. If Keturah can get a bow that costs as much as my Lego set, then I can get the Lego set. I just decided to put my gifts towards a family gift this year to help my sanity, aka the swimming pool fund. Shuana made me this cool canning jar that says "pool fund" on it and put some money in it. That was so sweet! I tucked the money away and set the jar out as a reminder to save money. I added the money to my NH trip fund and will try to set aside money for both after the taxes are done.

The girls both liked the gifts Keturah made for them.

That's a mound of presents, again, like every year, despite our please to stop it, please, and give us cash, so we can buy one big gift. Our houses are full. Don't tell us we have clutter and then do this. We appreciate you love to give us gifts and see the delight on our faces. I know it's dull for you to give cash. But I love to give and receive cash. Because it means I don't have to personally go through and decide what to do with an object later. Because we all know that once it's in my house, 9.8/10 it's never leaving. Thankfully, there was a lot of wrapping and floof in this pile. And we all did come away with things we asked for and some really lovely things we didn't ask for.  And we had a lovely time talking over each other, not fighting one bit, no hurt feelings, loads of thank you's, loads of laughter, followed by a lovely turkey dinner that the J2 and J4 had made. This is what Christmas means to me. Family. This is how a Christian family should be. Loving, forgiving, together. Kindness. Reconciliation. Communication. Paying attention at least part of the time to the likes and dislikes of each other. Celebrating with one another. Praying together. Intact (aka not divorced). We are the J12. The 12 tribes of Israel is what I like to think of. And soon enough, maybe within the next 10 years, we'll be adding to our numbers. Maybe, prayerfully, hopefully? Abraham's family outnumbers the stars, right? Let's grow!

Tuesday

- We went to Hitherto Cafe and Game Parlour in Greenfield late morning through the lunch hour. The kids and I were dying to share this gem of a place with our family since we've spent many a fun afternoon there with our friends. They had plethora of new games in for the Christmas rush. The extended family wasn't as impressed as I had hoped. We often go to fun places in New Orleans that are ASEN's favorite places, so we just wanted to show them somewhere that we hang out. Although, Shauna grew up in New Palestine and Greenfield so it was like coming back home for her. In fact, we drove right past her mom's house, that her brother now owns. I finally know where it is!

- Aaron and Shauna played a game called, "Hello. My Name Is..." with the kids and had a great time. Abishai and Jared watched.

- Gary taught Leah to play Benaiah's new game, Azul, and it took a bit for her to become comfortable with it.

- Kelly and Kya joined us after awhile, as it was "Kelly and Kya Tuesday!" Kya came home with us to spend the afternoon with Justin and the cousins. I noticed that Justin purposefully put on the friendship necklace that Kya bought him.

- After Hitherto, the J6 van with Kya in tow went home and the J2/J4 van went back to their house.

- We ended up eating some lunch and just chilling the rest of the afternoon. Justin and Kya did their normal afternoon of playing Spot It and hanging out together in Justin's room, with Jared and I keeping an eye on them. Abishai played on the PS4. Keturah played on her phone. Jared worked on his Legos. And I finished the Christmas blogs.

- Everly, Nora, and Audrina, the girls' cousin, were supposed to come over earlier, but ended up not coming until 5pm. They played Minecraft for a little while, and then we all headed over to Gary and Leah's for Taco Tuesday.

- Gary was supposed to have a root canal done this afternoon but now it has become a tooth removal on Thursday. Crazy! So much for a fun staycation! 

- After dinner, everyone stayed to start watching The Chosen Christmas special, skipping all the special songs.

- We brought Abishai home early so he could get to bed before Jared and Aaron walk over to Jim's house to hang out with him for a couple of hours. The other kids will come home after they finish the movie. We don't have any plans set up for tomorrow yet.

- Benaiah was supposed to go disc golfing with his best friend David, but they ended up just running around town together going to the disc golf store, grabbing lunch, and various other places. I wish he had joined us at Hitherto. He's also going to try to go disc golfing again on Thursday, which is when we had planned to go ice skating, so he'll miss that, too.

- This staycation thing is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I know he wants to see his friends, too, but we aren't sitting down and discussing plans like we usually do. I didn't realize that it would be this difficult. It's never this difficult when we are in New Orleans. I guess next time we do this we will have to set some ground rules. Shauna also didn't know that her sister and brother in law were going to come up very last minute or her niece was going to fly up last minute either. There's way too many moving pieces and not enough time. It doesn't feel like a vacation at all. Not even a regular visit. And my anxiety is starting to climb pretty quickly. I wish there was an emergency anxiety pill I could take. I'll have to find a way to have my essential oils nearby tomorrow that won't bother the others. Here's to a new day!

For some reason my Bible plan won't say completed. I think I have to go through each day one by one and see if there is a box that needs to be ticked. But I did finish listening to the whole Bible in under a year BEFORE Christmas! I've now read through the whole Bible (when I was a teen) and listened to it. Next year, I was thinking maybe I'll reread or listen to the books that I don't know that well again at a slower pace to understand the storylines and/or themes better. Reading books like Genesis and Exodus or the Gospels are just too easy/boring in a way. I want to understanding the minor prophets and lesser kings and lesser known stories and how/why they are included in the Bible and how they connect to the well known stories. And when you read/listen to the whole Bible in a year, you have to go through it so quickly that sometimes you aren't picking up on those smaller stories because there's just so much. I don't remember things from day to day. I need to go slower or reread the same passage over a week's time or something for it to stick. So, I'm going to keep researching for a little bit to find out what I want to do next.

Abishai?! Did you do this on my phone?! It looks cool though!

Yeah! A couch fort! He has been so busy away from home that he hasn't had time to build one recently. I think he misses home a lot. But we did make him put it away after going to Hitherto because the girls came over and needed a place to sit.

I almost bought this for my sister. We grew up eating spam on a weekly basis. I really don't mind it. Spam, with noodles and butter on the side, and peas (previously frozen, not from a can), for a vegetable. If it's still there next time I'm there, and it's closer to my sister's birthday, I think I might buy it. Bwahahahaha!

Hilarious!

This would be great for Justin's birthday!

Grogu came with us today, too.

Ah, we finally got the whole (almost) family out to Hitherto Cafe and Game Parlour today! Kelly and Kya also joined us. Hopefully Kya wasn't overwhelmed. Kelly reassured me that Kya's brothers are very loud so she is used to that. I told Kelly that we actually aren't very loud. We talk over each other sometimes, but we generally aren't "loud" people. And it was Tuesday, so Kelly and Kya day anyway, so yes, I was very happy we got to combine both things and that Aaron and Shauna could meet Kelly and Kya. I'm sure Tom was at home and they will meet each other someday. It was just good to see everybody enjoying being in a place we like to go to.

Here's a different version of the game Benaiah just bought and taught Grandpa to play this weekend. I took the photo to show Benaiah that they have a different version here at Hitherto if he's interested. He didn't come today because he was going to hang out with David and play disc golf. Well, you can't play disc golf in the rain, but whatever. I still think he and Ava could have a wonderful date night here.

I showed Jared this one because I still don't think he understands that he is slightly off on his recognition of colors. I would win this game for sure.

Oh yes, I loved this show! Unfortunately, the guy who played Screech just recently passed away. There is a new series with a lot of the same actors now as the teachers and principal and they spent a couple of minutes at the end of one of the episodes paying tribute to him. He was not much older than us of course.

I'm pretty sure some of Abishai's meltdowns are due to being out of his routine and home environment. When asked if he missed being in his pjs, he said, "Yes, because I need to work!" His "work" includes making up stories with his Legos, making couch forts, trolling his siblings, and checking the perimeter of the house, inside and out, with his new Nerf guns. He's got a lot of work to do you know. He's extroverted, but he needs to be in his comfortable safe space, too. He doesn't say it that way of course, and we only go where it is safe obviously, but it makes me feel good that we've created a home where the kids want to come home and be in their beds, where they can be truly themselves, let down their guard, be renewed, be in their pjs, be in their routines, even if that includes school work, or me reprimanding them, or arguing with each other. They still know that this is where they can still come to and be accepted no matter what. That warms my heart. It doesn't matter how dirty or cluttered the house is, or if there are gourmet meals on the table, or if I have the best homeschool curriculum on the shelf, or the best chore routines, or even if we study the Bible together perfectly, the fact that they say, "I want to go home," brings me great joy.

"Gotta go to work, Dad!"

This week, I have now insisted that Justin work on his room for 30-60 minutes each day before afternoon screen time. I've try to suggest it to him. I've try to jump start it for him. I've pleaded with him. But enough is enough. I got him the vacuum cleaner for Christmas. It's time to put this all straight again. Use the shelves for the purpose they were bought for: for displaying Lego sets, not for junk and books. Use the Lego table for what it was bought for: ongoing Lego projects and a whole Lego city, not the big sets that take up so much space that should really be one shelves. And then go through the junk that was put on the shelves and add to your junk drawer or go through it or something. Seriously, we need to build shelves above the Lego table to display the rocket and other big sets that you won't get down often, and then build that city with the rest of the themes. Or display the boxes up there. Or break down the boxes and flatten them and put Legos on the windowsill. The storage under the Lego table isn't horrible, but could use a touch up. We need something better for Abishai's Lego sets as well, the ones we don't want going into the big bins. We are thinking of using the bin that came from Grandpa Cook and getting rid of the pinball machine. The pinball machine does breakdown somewhat to be smaller, but in reality, no one plays it and it's just time to pass it on. But I know Justin's going to not be happy about it since it came from Bryce's house. We'll see. At least Justin got this top shelf down and put all his Overwatch sets up there. He owns them all now except for the one that Benaiah owns. I guess we could always ask Benaiah if we could display it with the others. We've never owned a whole theme before. It's pretty cool!

Sweet!

So, I stand corrected. Justin does have the same Overwatch set as Benaiah does, so Justin does own the whole Overwatch series. Here it is! Wowzers!

Ava and Benaiah sat here on Monday night. And now Kya and Justin sat here on Tuesday night. I did NOT plan this, I promise! But it is totally cute, and I totally love match making, and nothing escapes me. It just doesn't. And some mamas agree with me and enjoy it with me.

Ava and Benaiah a little over 24 hrs before that. Hehehehe.

Playing checkers.

Playing Azul, Beaniah's new board game.

Wednesday

- Home/hang out day

- Scattered about; Gary and Leah had errands. Benaiah went out with Ava. Aaron, Shauna, Audrina, and the rest of the girls baked cakes. Justin went with Kya's family to Spiderman 4, dinner, and hanging out. Abishai had lots of screen time. Jared worked on even more Legos. I puttered on little house projects.

- Started the day with family photo in front of Christmas trees at least. And most of us will reconvene for dinner tonight.

- More Minecraft for Everly, Nora, Keturah, and Abishai.

- My projects included putting our "where have we been" maps into frames, picking up library books, putting some of Abishai's Christmas toys away, vacuuming Justin's Lego table with hi new mini vacuum, doing and putting away a load of laundry, putting together the IAHE January 2022 newsletter, and general clean up. Oh and lecturing two of the kids on basic hygiene procedures like changing underwear EVERY day because they had ZERO underwear in the wash load. Gross! But everyone had a gazillion socks! Sigh.

- The weather is still damp, drizzly, and cool. Dank is a good for it. Blech. Depressing.

- Abishai got off of his screen time with a sore throat and fever. I went over for dinner, but Jared stayed home with Abishai. There wasn't much dinner conversation. I came home when Abishai started to throw up.

- Crazy hump day. of the week. Now I'm just exhausted.

Teens got home at 10pm last night from Grandparents' house and did NOT want to get up. So, after the usual "Rise and Shine" song, and the bugle call, I brought out the big guns! They got to watch Mommy try to dance to the DANCE music of the '90's. Ha! Oh yes, it's very cringe worthy when I try to dance. I never really learned to "dance" even for fun, and Jared, well, doesn't really like it either. And my heart wasn't tolerating it so well, so I didn't last more than a verse and chorus. BUT, now I know what I need to do for cardio! Lol. This was THE album we listened to the most I think. Since it released in 1998 and that was my senior year in high school, it's the one I remember most. I tried the video below it as well and got booed, too. Come on! Jesus Freak?! 1992 but still! What's wrong with you people?!

Almost done! Except.....there were major leftover pieces so....Jared has to back up a ton and redo it!

Better angle of the box.

Annual Minecraft playing party.

Lunch by Chef Jared is served. Socks says, "What?! At least I'm not begging! I'm just getting my lovin's.  These people keep coming in and out and I'm not getting my usual hugs and kisses from my kids!"

Let this be proof that I'm open minded. This is from the back of our conservative Christian history textbook. It's the booklist for our lesson on 9/11. And as you can see, we read this book by Jill Biden back in 2016. Back then I didn't know who she was. But now, as I was looking up the books to order them from the library again, I obviously recognize the name. And yes, I DID order the book again. And I WILL read it with Abishai. Just because someone is a political figure or related to one, doesn't mean all their written words are horrible. It's like basing an actor's whole career off of just one bad movie they made. I read very widely and take in material from all sides out of curiosity with my discernment antennae up at all times. I just criticized an article praising homeschooling because the wording of the conclusion didn't quite match up with the survey it was using. I personally didn't forward it because of this fact. I read critically. But I'm not afraid to open a book from someone I generally don't agree with. You never know when you'll actually be missing out on something really good. And of course, the opposite is true. Just because something is written by an author you generally agree with, doesn't mean, everything they write is true and trustworthy. There's a few books on our shelves where we generally agree with what's in that particular book, but we certainly do not agree with that author's personal overall beliefs. And I'm just talking about Christian authors, not the blatantly obvious ones like Karl Marx or Charles Darwin. So, here's to reading the book by Mrs. Biden again!

Everly helped to line up our family photos this year. It's a good thing cousin Audrina was around to actually around  to take them! Here's what they got. I think they are pretty self explanatory. And I'm glad the decor crew hadn't gotten to the displays yet, either. Since Gary has a master key to the church because of e2, it was nice to be able to slip in and out of church without the crowds photobombing us in the background.

Goofy picture.

Both could have used more cropping but I'll take it.

These individual photos turned out very nicely.

After a 4 minute stop at the library to drop of a few books and scan out about 3x as many, we got home in time to let the girls have some more Minecraft time.

Lunch break.

"What?! I'm just missing all my normal kid hugs and kisses and snuggles. I'm trying to make up for lost time here and there. Lol. Sigh.

When you buy yourself 2 dozen Lego sets and that's what you give yourself for Christmas....that's how you occupy your time....

Everly and Keturah made a gluten free angle-free cake with cool whip frosting and pepermints for dessert. Shauna also helped.

Doing a craft after dinner with Grandma.

Pick up the pace a little Keturah. It would have helped if you had actually followed the directions. Hm,...

The tned results of the rag tree handicraft. The sound of the fabric being "ripped" along the seams brought back memories of my mom doing the same thing.

Baby guy has a fever, sore throat, and threw up. Poor guy. Jared stayed with him while I went over to dinner. And then I stayed with him while Jared transported Justin back and forth to Kya's house. No, it's not Covid. It's just a normal childhood head cold and/or stomach virus. He'll get over it soon. He will probably miss ice skating tomorrow though. But we'll figure out how he feels about it in the morning.

Thursday

- Abishai and I stayed home. He and I sorted his 500 piece puzzle of fruit into edges and middle pieces. Then he went on the PS4 and I made the frame.

- I cleaned out the coffee/tea/hot chocolate cupboard after being embarrassed that I couldn't find the sugar/sweetener for Kelly the other week.

- I also opened all the Christmas cards from the MWS FOL Christmas Card exchange, paid for ASL lessons, bought terry clolth guards for the kids' ice skates, and called the dermatologist back to rescheudle my February appointment (their request). 

- Jared took Keturah, Justin, Shauna, Audrina, Everly, and Nora to Perry Park for ice skating. It was very busy. But he got Keturah's skates sharpened. And he rented skates himself and did a few laps. It sounded like they had a blast. Zero photos were taken for me for the blog. He took a time lapse, but I can't get that to load up on the blog.

- Aaron and Leah drove up to Michigan to see Leah's mom, Grandma Cook. Grandma Cook will pass away soon, so Leah has decided to stay up there with there brother Ed and help out for a few days. It's been tough on all involved, and it always is no matter how you slice this part of life.

- We had chili for supper at Gary's house. Then Jared went to Jim's for Bible study and we all putzed around at Gary's waiting on Aaron to get home. Benaiah was around for a bit, too. Late bedtime for everyone as we were waiting to figure out a plan for our last day together, and NYE plans.

- I'm in a lot of pain and I don't have a massage therapy appointment for another week and another chiropractor appointment for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm miserable. I'm so tired and hurting and peopled out and I didn't even go on vacation. What gives?!

Aww, I saw this one on FB, the Christmas Eve crew at church. Lookin' good there, Son!

Ok, this little tidbit blows my mind. Yup! Great actors and actresses!

For sure! And I shared it on the homeschool discussion page, too. It's all about the teacher and student relationships, so parents and kids, too.

I asked Abishai if he was comfortable and he confidently said, "Yes I am!"

Dude, whatcha doin'? Watching the dogs on the street and protecting Abishai from Daddy again. At least Socks still has all his hearing and all his barking abilities at over 11 1/2 yrs old. Beat that, squirrels!

"Quit beating up my kid, Daddy!"

Super sensitive kid, that one is!

Everly and Nora brought their guinea pigs up with them so Keturah is soaking them up while she can. I'm actually glad we don't have one more thing to look after right now. Enjoy it while it lasts, sister!

Everly said that they let each other win because they are evenly matched. You can't fool Abishai, that's for sure.

Ssshhhh, don't tell anyone I'm here, Mom! I'm hiding from Aaron!

I think this note from Abishai says that the last piece of cake is for Aaron.

Cousins hanging out together.

Uh oh, Daddy Jared better get back quick from Bible study! They broke out the country music and are square dancing! Fun fact: my parents met at a square dancing convention IN New Hampshire! And through a mutual friend of theirs. So, don't be dissing on the square dancing! In fact, I found a bunch of pins and ties in my parents' stuff when I cleaned it out after my Dad passed away.

And then go attack big brother. Just don't land face first into the fireplace screen.

Normally this is played just to find out who goes first, but they played the "bubble gum" game just to pass this time.

Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum

One last gift. But it's because Nora actually read through her Bible for the first time. Keturah didn't earn it because she a)didn't finish listening to her Bible and b)listened instead of read through it. Ok, that's really a technicality. And she had plenty of time to start over and read it through. If I had known that Nora was working on it as well, I would have had Keturah working on it. Ugh.

Nora's Gift for Reading through her Entire Bible

It's a real crystal lamp. And she got a lamp because the word of God is a "lamp unto my feet." The boys got pocket knives like, "The word of God is.....a double edged sword."

Grandma is going through some photos, look at this nice gem she found. Babies!

Grandma and Grandpa Cook from long, long ago.

Friday - New Year's Eve!

- First stop - It's a Block Party! We got to explore it in more depth this time. I think we spent about an hour there. We drove there in 3 vehicles, and it was a good thing because Gary got bored and took off after about 15 minutes. The kids rummaged through the make a mini figure bins for a long time and then decided not to purchase anything. And then after warning them multiple times, Jared and Justin bought 3 incomplete, but previously built sets that were in bags. They were buy 2 get 1 free. Grrrrr......I did help by looking the sets up to make sure we weren't getting ripped off. And it was a good thing I did because one of the items I would have gotten was not a good deal. But now, for real, 2022, no more Legos. All Lego money will be spent on display shelves or cases or something like that. It's the year we figure out how we want to enjoy our collection and organize it better. I took some photos of some of the sets we do have and how much they are currently have. Some sets we've gotten for free in our Lego.com purchases are now worth $35-55!!!! But, we are collectors, not sellers, so we won't ever make money off of them. I think the girls had fun, too. I enjoyed looking around at all the current inventory and noting some really old sets that weren't badly priced but I didn't know existed. You'll see them in the photos.

- Second stop was supposed to be the Mocha Nut or Long's Donuts, but that was all in my head and not in others. ASEN needed to get back to start packing up their things so they can leave first thing tomorrow morning and it was already time for lunch.

- Keturah worked for Renae S. from 1-3pm.

- Jared took Justin up to the Elevator and he has first work shift on Tuesday from 9am-2pm! I think I need to go up there though and make sure we are all good on the working during school hours thing. I'm ok with it, but I need to make sure it's legal. Tuesday is technically a school day in our township, and I'm not sure the owner realizes that. I can write up any letters Justin needs for it. But in my discussions with others on our homeschool pages, we are supposed to be following the laws that public schools do so no working when public schoolers are in school. I know Benaiah was ok'd to work on Fridays and earlier in the afternoons because some public school kids get out of school earlier. And he was also ok'd to work later because we had given permission for it as well. The Elevator doesn't stay open late though, so that shouldn't be an issue. I just want to make sure we are being legal.

- The girls came over to our house to play Minecraft while Aaron and Shauna packed up some more. Then they left to visit Shauna's family for the rest of the afternoon and evening.

- We did our normal screen time/nap time/evening routine. 

- Gary, Benaiah and Ava went to Gary's small group's NYE party from 6-10pm. ASEN stayed with her family until about 10pm. Jared went to Jim's house until 10pm. And then we all went over to Gary's house to ring in the New Year together.

- About lunch time, Leah sent a text message that said that Grandma Cook was not responding like she had earlier to sound and touch but she was still breathing. Her siblings and her are all focused on Jesus. Uncle Ed said, "Mom is looking for Jesus. The book of Jeremiah tells us if we look for Him with all our heart He WILL be found. He won't let her search in vain!" Uncle Bill said, "They (Grandma and Jesus) are certainly talking. He'll take her hand and lead her over when He's ready." I could cry so hard. I wish I had had people like this whispering to us in these moments when my parents were passing. I mean, we did, here and there. But the richness of maturity in age and wisdom of Leah and her siblings, wow, the legacy that Grandma and Grandpa Cook have left. Wow. It's undeniable. And then I look around and I start to feel so guilty and ashamed that I haven't done enough with what I've been tasked to do. I certainly have tried hard. But the fruit doesn't seem to be there in my own life personally or in my children's lives. What will be people say about me when it's my turn to go to Heaven? What if I die tomorrow? What is my legacy? And then I weep at the smaller things that my kids say and do that don't align with what I know is right. And I double down on the lecturing and trying to lead my example and do more/be more. If only I could just LIVE like those before me. One day at a time. Humbly. Without all the striving. And anxiety. And pressure. But, I'm reliving these moments I had with my own parents with Leah and her siblings as the updates come through. And that's hard. Those memories are extremely vivid because they come up often when anyone brings up death. Especially when we've had so much death lately in our world. It's not as nice and neat as you see it on TV. So much watching and waiting. The all night vigils. The exhaustion. The boredom that I personally had (thanks ADHD) and making sure my Dad got to do what he needed to do. The arguing with my sister that occurred. Gary and Leah literally being an ocean away when my mom passed. (The phone bill was huge!) So many emotions. Such a pivotal point in my young life 11 1/2 yrs ago. I was only 28 1/2 yrs old with 3 young kids.  So many decisions to make. But, the battle is won, and the war is over. My parents and Grandpa Cook, they are all in Heaven, waiting for Grandma Cook. They are sitting at the banquet table. They have run the race. They have been called, "Good and faithful servant(s)." What a happy reunion there will be! (Yes, I know there's no marriage in heaven, theologians, back up a bit, I get it.)

 

$65 for a set we got for FREE last year

Bins and bins of Lego mini figure parts!

Abishai is obsessed with the guinea pigs. And they munch as fast he does sometimes.

 

We own the top and right ones, again, free sets when we bought from Lego.com on May 4th, $55 & $35. Yes, we have the boxes and instructions. These and the one above might be in mint, unopened condition though. Ours are not, but they've only been made once and not played with.

Justin got the Lego set in the back I think just last year for Christmas, yes, the 20th Anniversary edition. It's now worth $300. It was probably a $120 set back then. And I guarantee you our box is much nicer.

The wall with all the big Star Wars models. Incredible.

The ladies spent so much time with the mini figures. They didn't care one bit about the Geneosis model.

Oh good grief. Now they are ALL into it!

This looks like an older box. Or just one that actually came from Denmark or was a throwback set. Sweet!

I can't remember when or where these were sold. Maybe they were just at Legoland. But I remember the kids riding on these rides in Florida. I was tempted to buy them myself.

We not only have the pieces for this, I believe we still have the box. That's $55 on that price tag! No joke! I love that little ghost!

This dinosaur alone is worth $175 and we own one! His jaw is lose though, so it probably wouldn't take in that much money. Justin is thinking about finding all the pieces to his set that goes with it and selling it. The set is going for $300. It would take a really long time to find all the pieces though.

Flounder and Sebastian from The Little Mermaid sets.

$75 for this creature and/or set. I'm not sure.

This photo was in the e-newsletter. Nice looking team we've got now! Debbie, Christina, Ellen; Mike, Jared, Gary

Ring around the rosie!

They made a seat out of their arms for Abishai!

More of the bubble gum game.

Uh oh, Benaiah wants to get in on the action.

My boys are so tall and grown up! They can touch the big beam that goes across the grandparents' kitchen/dining room! And shortly after I took this photo I told Justin that Kya wasn't feeling well and couldn't come over and he gave me the saddest puppy dog pouty face I've ever seen on him! He was very disappointed. He wanted to ring in the New Year with her. Well, I doubt she would have stayed until midnight, but I'm not sure he realized that. We'll get back to regular programming next week.

You are adorable, dog-O.

We love you, Socks!

Found a gem on Facebook!

Let's just say Ellen and Christina found a website and created a fun video to share on Facebook! Click on the link above to view the video I took of the video as it ran on Facebook!

Gary snowboarding?!

 

Johnson men are servant leaders. Cleaning up after NYE. We gathered just in time for the ball to drop so only shared some sparkling grape juice, but the men washed and dried and put away the glasses before we went home.

Gathered together one last time.

Abishai made it to midnight again, but barely. He's had a busy week keeping up with all the girls. Ava, Kya, Everly, Nora, Audrina, phew!

Keturah's NYE tradition is to put together her new Lego set.

Usually we have more fun and games together, but we were a bit scattered. Benaiah had bought that Azul game and within a couple of days, Gary has now figured out his strategy and wins every round. It's honestly not a hard game. It combines a couple of main elements from games I've played on my phone. Live and learn, younger ones, Gary is great at strategizing and he figures things out quickly. I just watch him play now and don't participate.

Happy New Year 2022!

Saturday

- At 5:53am, Grandma Mary Ellen Cook went Home to Heaven. Gary called Jared to let him know at about 10am and he had already been on the road for a couple of hours. He went to get Leah and bring her back to Indy before a snowstorm hit Lansing. Funeral arrangements had been talked about, and the memorial service is expected to be on Thursday. That creates a dilemma for me as I have an appointment that day that I do not want to miss or reschedule this time. I'll have to think it over.

- Aaron and Shauna also left today for New Orleans. They slept in but should still arrive at home by midnight.

- We slept in, including Abishai, until 9am! That's unheard of for our family!

- Very rainy and bleak and cold. A great day to clean up some odds and ends, take showers and prep for Sunday. And then get ready to start school on Monday.

- Finished the day with hamburgers, salad, and apple/orange slices. I didn't know we were actually low on food! I thought we ate more at the other house!

- Everyone had showers and early bedtimes because everyone is still grumpy. Back to our normal routines.

Late start, eh? But Starbucks helps!

Who knew that mistletoe was for that?!

Actually, I had to be careful the last 24 hrs because Facebook was only talking about Betty White of course. And I'm like, "Don't you know that Grandma Cook died? Who cares about some actress of the way, way past!" Oh yeah, no one on my FB knows who Grandma Cook is. I just don't know who Betty White really is.

Another day, another Lego build by Abishai.

I finally got my Bible app to recognize that I had finished my Bible reading plan I finished before Christmas. Woot! Woot!

Oh, I didn't realize I had read the Bible in the Bible app in 2019. Cool! I don't know if that was the audio Bible or actually reading it. Maybe audio. Which some don't count. But that's the only way Jared "reads" it. I did actually read it all the way through as a teen. And I've read individual books numerous times in Bible studies and sermon studies and for history lessons with the kids. I need to study more of the kings and chronicles and prophecies. Not the King David and Samuel times, but all the minor ones. Who goes where, type of things. I get so confused because several prophets overlap each other, but might have lived and spoken to different people groups.

I told Abishai he couldn't build a fort because I wanted to keep the living room clean for Christmas and for when the girls came over to play Minecraft. But now that those two things have passed, he asked again and I said yes! He was adamant that it had to be a fort with the two rooms, one for him and one for Justin. And Justin did go in the room on the left.

Where did my boys go?

Sunday

- Back to normal Sunday morning. Grandma took middles, Jared took Abishai, Gary preached somewhere else, Benaiah was on his own, and I sat in balcony by myself.

- 8 baptisms!

- Lunch at home to give Leah a break. Eating down the freezer before going to the grocery store so very unique lunch and dinner. For example, salmon patties, mashed potatoes, some leftovers, raw veggies, kiwi, hash browns, egg rolls, etc. Abishai even ate oatmeal as an after dinner snack!

- Typical Sunday afternoon screen time, nap time, and I nearly finished my Christmas puzzle. 500 pieces are much easier to accomplish for me than 1,000 piece ones.

- Dishes and laundry and blog are caught up and we are ready to rock and roll back into school tomorrow. Yippee!

- Decent week ahead. Just that one conflict of interest between my appointment and Grandma Cook's memorial service on Thursday. We might divide and conquer.

- I picked out my "word of the year." Last year I didn't mean to but realized I had become quite confident in who I am now that I am 40. And this year, I think I'm going to focus on HOPE. I do bring hope to new homeschoolers when they are desperate for answers when the public school system has failed their child. And by doing that, by meeting a physical need, I am bringing the hope of Christ to them. I am opening the door for them to encounter myself or other homeschoolers in groups or curriculum that quite possibly may be more connected to Christ for one, but just to be encouraged and feel loved and connected that a lot of people don't find in a secular environment like public education. From where we stand, our organization is a ministry opportunity just like any other outreach like Shepherd Community Center or the Hope Center or Samaritan's purse. We are a non profit. And we are a Christian one. So we bring HOPE that way. And then on a more personal level, I want to be more hopeful or hope filled in looking to the future in my personal relationships with my family members. That's where a lot of my anxiety is tied up. That's what I cry the most over. Relationships. And the what if's of those relationships. I fear the bad things that could happen instead of being hopeful of the good things that could happen. And I'm thinking more along the lines of relationships and not like where everyone will live or who they will marry and how many kids they will have. But more of having the anticipation that we will get through these teen and young adult years and I just need to stay faithful and prayerful that there will be a point that Mom will become Friend. I just need to keep hoping for that. As some like to say, "Better days are AHEAD." Instead of my gloomy self always wondering if the best days are behind me. I was thinking about Grandma and Grandpa Cook, and Grandpa and Grandma Johnson, and my grandparents, and my parents all being in Heaven this morning and how it's Grandma Cook's first Sunday there (I'm unsure if all my relatives are) and the hope that that brings to Leah and her siblings and to all of us still back here on earth. Even Abishai has picked up on it and said, "Grandma Cook must be walking around looking at everything right now." Aaron said, "I don't know if she would have one of her purses on her arm or a bunch of Avon catalogs." And so many sentiments like that that the family has shared via text that has made this transition so much more peaceful than it ever was with my mom. There is sadness, but there's more joy than anything because there is HOPE. 

- And now, Jared and I no longer have any living grandparents, so our kids no longer have any living great grandparents. And since I don't have my parents, the only grandparents they have are Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. That's it. The war time/roaring 20's generation is totally gone now. Crazy to think about. Christianity wasn't as strong on my side of the family, but my grandparents did occasionally go to church enough that it became a part of my parents' life and was left as a legacy. And same with Jared's side through Gary. It was really through the Cook family and Gary's Grandmother that he became involved in ministry. And praise God that both Grandma and Grandpa Cook knew that their grandchildren carried on their legacy. I'm sure if they could see from Heaven, they would know that the next generation is about ready to take the charge, too. Well, hopefully. In their own ways.  I'm just glad Grandma Cook is finally home. It makes me so happy. That's where she wants to be. She is finally HOME. She no longer has to hope for her reward, she has it in her hands. It is finished.

The rain DID turn to snow last night! Or early this morning for a few minutes. I had to scrape some ice off my windshield but it wasn't too bad. I saw people coming out of church with short sleeves on who were shivering and I just shook my head. I almost went out without a coat but I double checked the temperature and made a much better choice. Comfort before fashion. Canadians are smarter than Hoosiers in this area.

Oh sweet, or rather spicy.

Canadians will at least put on a hat and coat and gloves at this temp. Come on, Hoosiers! Quit complaining about getting sick! It's not about masks, it's about common sense and putting on the OTHER equipment you've had for YEARS.

Almost done. But then she still took forever to finish because she was playing around on her phone. Just do the trial and error method! Some of the colors were really hard to tell apart because of the shades.

Lego-ing AGAIN.

I'm getting there. It's a scene of Portsmouth, NH, that is reflected in the water.

 

So I sorted it out into scene pieces, scene reflection pieces, sky pieces and sky with a bit of the tops of trees and buildings. The pieces are a bit flimsy since it was bought at the dollar store (the kids picked them out with Grandma). I think it's going to take me a total of 5 hrs or so to complete. I'm definitely more satisfied with a 500 piece vs. 1000 piece because I can finish it over a few days vs. months.

And there's lots of hidden "spy" features on it, too. While I puzzled (worked on my puzzle) and blogged, he worked on this. He completed all his numerous Lego sets over Christmas break. Which means, he needs to get more Legos next time he has a break. AND it means, he's available to do other projects starting next weekend! Woot! Woot!

I was just thinking about this again this morning: how we need to go over the fruit of the spirit AGAIN in our household and how we all need to have self-control. Actually, it was in relation to something I read but I was countering it in my mind with my perspective of being self-governed and having free will. So I read this aloud at dinner and did an "ahem" and everybody was like, "What?" and I said, "Well, we all need this!" Justin said, "Well, I'm going to have some self-control and not tell you what I want to tell you." Oh boy, stop sounding like Benaiah.  Sounds like he and I need to have a chat about how things around here are going to go way differently than they did with Benaiah and why. I have some questions I want to ask his employer and no one can give me a straight answer and I honestly don't trust Justin to tell me them, so I want to ask them myself. Justin's situation is different than Benaiah's. And I need to make sure things are done right on all sides. Plus, Justin told the guy he could work 20 hrs without consulting me and there is no way Justin has 20 hrs to work and concentrate on his schoolwork. Not with the working hours being prime time for Justin's brain to work for school. And there's some laws that are unclear about minors working during school hrs, too. So, back it up, Mama's still in charge. Have some of the fruit of the Spirit. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Self-control everyone.

Abishai had a lot to say about the modern day video that went along with the lesson today. Something about one child trolling another? How timely!

My domestic projects today was clearing out all the extra little mason jars we have so I could make wiggle room in our glasses cupboard. And I went through some printed out recipes that were hanging out on the counter. In that stack was the doughnut recipe that inspired me asking for doughnut pans! Granted I printed this off over 6 months ago, but it's from my favorite SIMPLE recipe blogger, so I'll try this first. I already know probably how they will turn out based on the ingredients here, cakey and falling apart. And then I'll see if I can find a more dense or more yeasty kind of recipe. We'll see!

Phew! And this is finally THE END of Staycation and Year 6! Time to move on to Year 7!

The End