Thanksgiving 2021

 Thanksgiving was a boost of normality. Covid-19 cases numbers had been dropping most of the summer with only minor rises. Vaccination rates continued to rise and booster shots became available. My Dad sought out and received his shot the first day it was available. We are all hoping to put this pandemic behind us. There is a Delta variant that is causing problems and spreading, but is mostly impacting areas with higher populations of unvaccinated people. We are hoping it stays at bay.

  Will and Heather were a little uncertain about hosting because of Will's Wells Fargo trial and Covid, but decided in the end to host. None of the extended family would be coming or Heather's family, but my Dad and siblings would all be coming. All of us shared what dishes we would be bringing, we went with our traditional tried and true favorites. Will made the birds and the stuffing.

Luckily the weather wasn't terribly cold, so many people were able to hang out outside by the firepit. Getting together was familiar and lovely, and cherished.

Our Thanksgiving meal started with my Dad offering grace and an invitation to share what we are thankful for. then we went in to find a seat at the tables.

We were able to do one large seating with 3 long tables cobbled together with folding tables. Heather pulled out 3 sets of china, one Aunt Mickey's, one Uncle William and Aunt Agnes', and one will and heather's. It was beautiful and I made a point to make sure the younger generation heard their names and bits of their stories.

Thanksgiving was beautiful and we are so thankful to be together again.

Johanna turns 9

 Nov 02, 2021

Johanna, my Cute Face, is in a good grove and is turning 9 with all of the energy she has been exuding since her birth. Johanna loves books, devours them and goes to find another one. Johanna and I are currently finishing the 3rd Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" together. She could read it on her own but reading together is a wonderful activity that we can share. When she reads on her own she tends toward funny lighter books. She loves the Dragon Masters Series and many of the children's mystery series.

Johanna has a habit of asking if she can ask a question or saying she wants to say something before saying something. She does this no matter if she has your active attention or you've been talking with her for 10 minutes already. It is one of those habits that just kind of snuck in and it seems to have stuck.

She is gradually gaining independence and is growing up. As a big kid she is bathing and dressing with less help. She is capable of doing most of the steps but needs prodding to stay on task most days. We discovered that fewer clothing options and a few regular known clothing pieces make the chore more manageable. We are transitioning out of the summer clothes to winter and that takes a little more effort as we establish the new acceptable clothing items. Having a school uniform is a blessing, especially since she likes the socks.

I am so pleased with how well her school year is going. Johanna is making friends and doing well in class. Sr. Teresa appreciates her strengths and personality and that is invaluable. Johanna has to work at spelling and longer writing assignments but the rest of the subjects come pretty easily. She comes home with good stories and not just complaints. 

Johanna likes to play cards and is pretty successful at getting Bridge, Meg, Jim or I to join her in a game of Cameo, or Kings on the Corner. We just got her a game called Tacocat that has become a new favorite.

Johanna is on a soccer team with her schoolmates and it has been wonderful to hear girls call out her name in greeting and hear her call out in return. Recently they had Johanna play goalie and it has been fun to see her hustle and smother those shots. Jo has a good defensive sense and when not in goal she plays her position well. They haven't won a game all season but it is still fun to cheer them on.

Johanna loves Legos and building things. She likes to know how things work. She and my Dad have started a fun trading of riddles and jokes, when he comes for Thursday dinner. He gets his from the newspaper and we got her a joke book so she has lots of material to share.

For her birthday this year, school was having a rescheduled Halloween Party, so that was a special day. Then for dinner Rachael and Emma came over to join us as we went out to dinner together, to Sakura the Japanese hibachi restaurant. Johanna has memories of doing this on the cruise ship when she was 3, and we picked this restaurant 2 years ago for our joint birthday. We had a great time celebrating her and watching her excitement at the heat and flame. We came home for gifts and tucking this sweet girl into bed.

I love her so much.