This was definitely an in-the-trenches-year for us. We worked on several continuing projects and fought a few fires too. Our kids span all age groups. With so much going on, we shelved most of our plans for big vacations. This was a year to finish things we already started.
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| Collin and Randy, after many years of training, successfully tested for their junior black belts in February. |
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| In August, Nathan followed suit and successfully tested for his black belt. |
During the summer, the family finished our Mormon Trail project. Nathan and Collin bicycled the last 150 miles from Granger (near Little America) to This is the Place Monument in Salt Lake City.
And on the home front, we finished a landscaping project that was seven years in the making.
The most peculiar aspect of our daily routine is the fact that each of the five children attend a different school. Cora attends a mother-run preschool twice a week. She can spend hours with her dolls and coloring books. Sydney is our only child in elementary (4th grade). She loves being part of musical productions. She also started karate this year. Owen is in middle school (6th grade). Owen took up both the piano and violin this year. Randy attends Liberty Common High School, a charter school. We are impressed with how much he is learning there. Collin is a junior at Fort Collins High School and has become interested in math and engineering. His dad has started taking him on college visits.
We had some unanticipated challenges too. Collin started driving this year and had his first fender bender. We were late to understand that he must have a learner's permit for 12 months and get 50 hours of driving practice. He won't be able to get a driver's license until he is 17. Nathan neglected his back health and learned a hard lesson by getting a herniated disc. He has been dealing with ups and downs for several months. This year, after some early warning signs, we also decided to reorient our family for better scholastic performance. We have extra tutoring for some of the kids and a stricter afterschool routine. Gone are the days when we could sit down for a T.V. show on a school night. Nathan has invested in various "screen time" control measures (which don't always work).
In terms of recreation, the highlight of our year was visiting our relatives in Utah. We made the trip three times. We had a blast with Nathan's family in a Park City cabin. We visited Robyn's family for Thanksgiving. Our kids had so much fun with their extended family that they all voted to return to Utah for Christmas in order to spend more time with their cousins and grandparents.
