Ice Skating

 There is a cute little ice skating rink really near us in Northfield.  WinterSkate is open during the winter, so we got some tickets and went in - the kids stayed on the ice for almost the whole hour and a half.

 

First nuclear family Christmas

This pandemic has turned people's lives upside down, and for us, this was the very first Christmas we have not spent in person with the Litwiller clan. And that dates back to when I started celebrating Christmas at all, even before Dan and I got married!  But we still had fun with food, family zooms, presents, and decorating our ginormous great room with a ridiculously small tree.

 

  

Decorating ourselves

Neighborhood decorations

Presents

The Litwillers

Feast

Chocolate fondue for dessert

Puzzling

COVID

Testing: Lab meetings went from 0 people to 5, to 10, to 20, to 50, and then to 80.  We had to do them outside, even in the cold, and had to do them in groups!

Protection at last! First shot, December 18, 2020.  The first one was fine, but the second knocked me out. 

A close colleague of mine, Lara Yourkin, pricking her finger to see if the rapid antibody test is any good. It isn't. 

A rare chance to work from home. There are two kids on my lap, I can't see either of my computers, and I am definitely not getting anything done. 

Gingerbread house

Dan decided to christen the house with its own home made gingerbread house. Also, the kids had been found eating the store bought gingerbread house out of the garbage last year, and everyone knows how Dan feels about food preservatives. 

Thanksgiving dinner

 

Funny Sayings

November, 2020

At our thanksgiving meal
D: I'm thankful for <a bunch of serious stuff>
R: I'm thankful for <a bunch of serious stuff>
Ro: I'm thankful for my family. Actually, I'm thankful for everything except bad guys

M: I'm thankful for bunny rabbits. Because they make good pets. 

Listening to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and learning that Mr. Bucket works in a factory to screws caps onto toothpaste tubes. 

M, to Dan: That's just like YOUR job! (remembering that Dad used to stuff enveloped)

At bedtime

M: Dad, where do you go when you die? 
D: whoa, well, nobody really knows. It's kind of like sleep, I guess.  Where do you go when you sleep?
M: Well, I'm in my bed. 

October, 2020

M: Dad, do you know why I'm cleaning these teeth so well? So that when the tooth fairy comes she won't get her wand dirty

May, 2020

M: Mom, do you know if I played with Finley (a neighbor kid) today?
R: No, you didn't
M: How did you know that? 
R: I know EVERYTHING
M: No, you don't know everything
R: Yes, I do! I know everything!
M: Do you know how old Santa is?

R: ...you're right, I don't know everything...

M: Daaad, what's a landlord
Dan gives a lengthy explanation
M: Why is Azula's dad called a landlord? 

D: Ahh, you mean firelord?

April, 2020

M: Mom, do you know what the joy of my life is? 
R: Maple syrup?
M: No, coloring cards for you. 
Ro: Do you know what the joy of my life is? Candy!

M: Well, do you know what the joy joy of my life is? Eating candy!

It is the middle of the night. Mina runs through the house and into our bedroom. She jumps into the bed and whispers:

M: Dad! We forgot to make sweet rolls today!

March, 2020

R: Ro, you are my little bunny rabbit

Ro: No, no I'm not.  I'm a superhero

Ro: I bringed it mom

M: No, it's not bringed, Rowan, it's brung

After I came home late

Ro: Mom, do you fight viruses today?

R: Yeah, I did

Ro: Well, tomorrow when we wake up you should take your sword

Watching parents kiss in The Parent Trap

Ro: They're gonna get germs

At bedtime

Ro: My brain won't let me sleep.  It only lets me take Mina's stuffies. 

February, 2020

Ro: Mooooom I'm hhhhhunnnngrrryyy. I'm starving! 
A pause.
Ro: Mom, what does starving mean?
R: Starving means you're so hungry you could die
A pause.

Ro: I'm so hungry! Mom, I'm dying!

Upon receiving boxes and boxes of Girl Scout cookies
D: Have you ever seen so many Girl Scout cookies? 

M, later: Does Gracie deliver them for everyone? In the whole world? 

January, 2020

Mina put me to bed
M: Don't worry mama, I will do everything! You'll go to sleep, and we'll stay up.
She gets me a brand new glass of water (with ice), gets my pajamas, turns out the light, tucks me in bed, gives me a kiss, gets me a stuffie, and then finds a flashlight to be my nightlight. 
M (stage whisper): Shhhh ROWan! Can't you see mom's sleeping?
She climbs onto the sink and brushes her own teeth (!!)
M: SHHH Rowan!
Then she bangs around and got Rowan underwear and pajamas, and marches downstairs. Talks to Dan, her voice floats upstairs.
M: I'm a real big kid, I even put mom to bed.  Now I am trying to help you do the dishes. 
Ro: I can cook Dad!
The kids thump upstairs a few times and finds me "sleeping." After the third time, Mina turns on the light and reads me a story for the very first time. All by herself!!! 
M: Dad, are you tired? We can put you to bed. We can do all the work. I can actually do all the work.  Except cook or vacuum or drive the car. 
D: ok...

Dan is tucked into bed and all the lights put out. There is general thundering up and down the stairs as she somehow gets into the banana chips and sticks them in bowls for herself and Rowan. 

D: why do you like mangoes so much? 

Ro: I also like tomatoes.  They're my greens. Mina doesn't like tomatoes, but if she doesn't eat tomatoes, she gets ONIONS. 

On the pot, grinning

Ro: There's a frog in my butt

A walk at Bluff Lake, Denver

Bluff lake is a little lake right by Central Park that is nice for a simple walk.  One can see the Denver skyline, a cute pond, and find some room for Christmas pictures. 

Anyone else think that Mina is sick of pictures?

 

Diwali

 Sparklers in Colorado

Party in New Jersey

  

Halloween

 Scary self-portraits

Mina went as the blue fairy (not pictured), and Rowan as an elf. Our plague doctor graced our porch. His eyes glowed red and he cackled horribly at people if they came too close. Probably not a bad thing during a pandemic, especially since we weren't really handing out candy.  I was most proud of our moving decorations - this was a projection of dancing skeletons in our window, which was very popular with the kids

 

Decorating

Themed stories: "I am a unicorn. [Unicorn] goes to the park and she hopped on the swing. She went back home and it was halloween." 

Presidential Elections 2020

 

Watching carefully

Voting