Thanksgiving 2020

It came as no surprise to anyone that Thanksgiving 2020 would look quite different this year. To our great disappointment, our annual Thanksmas gathering was cancelled due to the ongoing pandemic. It was the right decision but still no less disappointing. To commemorate the occasion, Jeff's Aunt Patti had a special gift made for all of us - Thanksmas face masks! We made sure to grab a family pic of us wearing our masks, and we even snapped a photo at home with Collin and Kevin to pretend we were enjoying the infamous "pantry shots" which is a long standing Thanksmas tradition.

Instead of traveling to Michigan for Thanksmas, we took a much shorter trip this year to my parents' house for a smaller Morgan family gathering. Collin and Kevin were able to join us and we really enjoyed the extra time with them. It was strange to think that the last time they were with us in White Oak, the boys all looked a LOT different!!

Our group was smaller than usual -- just my parents, all of my siblings, and all of the cousins -- but we all had such a nice time catching up and just being together again. As with all our family gatherings, we enjoyed nonstop game-playing and lots of yummy food. For our Thanksgiving meal, Jeff enjoyed his role as grill master for a special treat of ribeye steaks. 

We all laughed at one major difference with our family visit this year -- a house FULL of dogs! With Jeb and Alli's dogs Rosco and Millie, Michelle's border collies Shiloh and Gus, and Ben and Charlotte's new birddog puppy Rip, there was no shortage of love for all the fur babies. Kaitlynn, of course, was in heaven and there was no shortage of puppy love being doled out by all the cousins. And even Grandaddy was in on the action as he worked with Rip on his hunting skills. Watching the doggos in action was certainly nonstop entertainment for all of us!

Grandaddy was also happy this trip that he had a ton of free labor for his latest project, an outdoor storage shed that he's building behind his house. With the help of all the guys, he was able to get the roof installed which was a huge help. There is never a shortage of projects at Meme and Grandaddy's house! 

Kaitlynn and Anais's Thanksgiving Visit

When the Thanksgiving holiday finally arrived, Thanksgiving was the last thing on the kids' minds. Instead, they were so thankful for some much needed downtime from their hectic schedules. For Kaitlynn, it also represented the perfect opportunity for another long awaited visit with Anais. It's always a special occasion when these two get together, and this visit was no different. They swam, they danced, they jumped, they choreographed, they watched videos, and they Roblox'ed to their hearts content. There's never a dull moment when these two are together, and their hearts are never more full!

Connor's First Homecoming

The week before Thanksgiving, Connor had the cool opportunity to participate in his very first high school Homecoming weekend. Usually this would consist of a hometown football game followed by a school dance, but of course, Covid-19 changed all of that. Luckily, Connor has a great group of buddies with wonderful parents who came together to plan a fun event for the boys in celebration of their first Homecoming. After reserving a beautiful facility nearby called the Greenhouse at The Oaks restaurant, we all decorated to make it festive and fun for the boys and their dates. The full group consisted of about 15 guys and gals that dressed in their Sunday best and arrived for a fun night with dinner. Of course, no Homecoming event would be complete without a night of incessant photo-taking by the parents. To say we heard nonstop moans and groans about the photos would be an understatement, ha! I sure was glad for all the photos, though. What a fun high school memory for Connor and his friends!

Catching Up on Fall

Our Fall 2020 seems to have passed us by in such a whirlwind. Perhaps because the first half of 2020 was agonizingly slow, the fall season snuck up on us and was over before we knew it. The lack of activities in spring and summer led to an over-commitment of fall activities for both kids, and we ended up with a packed fall schedule most days/nights of the week. Here are some updates and photos from our busy months of fall.

During the crazy school year amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the kids' school portraits barely registered on our radar. It was hard enough to coach Jeff and the kids through some enhanced grooming (ha!) and outfit selections via our long distance phone conversations. Then I had to do some extra work to figure out even how to get the photos now that things are handled so differently, but luckily I managed to grab the digital versions. If nothing else, I'll have them for their memory boxes.

Connor's 9th grade year has been quite the challenge for him so far. On top of 2 college level courses that he's taking, he also had a completely full plate with both baseball and basketball. Most weeks of the fall saw him completely swamped 6 out of 7 nights of the week along with occasional weekend tournaments. This kid has been exhausted out of his mind! On the rare moments when I'm home, I soak in every opportunity to spend time with him and accept any cuddles he offers. As much as I've dreaded his teenage years, I have to admit that at least for the moment, I am LOVING age 14. 

Occasionally, Connor has had a virtual learning day at home. Jeff and I really enjoy the extra time with him (when I happen to be there). He loves the at-home learning MUCH more than the face-to-face, but he will continue attending school in person in order to take full advantage of the additional instruction time for athletics.

As for Kaitlynn, I always find the cutest pics of her in my iPhone photos from her fun playdates with Lily. The smiles on their faces never seem bigger and the time these girls have together never seems enough. Of course, that might also have something to do with a certain special guy named Duke, ha!

Like Connor, Kaitlynn's extracurricular calendar stays completely full. Between cheer and tumbling along with school activities like student council and theater, she rarely has a night off and is constantly on the go. Poor Jeff usually has to juggle all of the chauffeuring duties on his own, which leaves one or both kids eating dinner in the car or staying late at practice to wait for a ride. They don't seem to mind and take it all in stride.

As hard as it is sometimes to juggle the busy schedules, it seems a small price to pay for active and happy kiddos. In the grand scheme of things, Jeff and I know how fleeting these years will be and we are trying to soak in and savor every moment.