Day 248

Sunday morning, so off to TimberCreek Church. Tracy came back down from Denver for the morning to run the Kids program. Right after church we took Matteo down to Palmer Park (near his school) to ride his new bike with a friend from school who has virtually the same bike. Those two and the friend's dad rode for a little over an hour on the bike trails there. Happy Hour Donuts magically arrived at our doorstep! And guess who really enjoyed them... Lexi! This is Tracy and Matt's last full day of their little getaway. We've gotten a few meal-time photos from the restaurants they're finding - good intelligence gathering for Nana and Papa's upcoming weekend at the same spot. Fina was the first of the Compound to try out the downtown outdoor ice skating rink at Acacia Park with a group of friends, who also hit Jack Quinn's Irish Pub afterward for some mac-and-cheese.

Gathering before Sunday School

Palmer Park

Happy Hour Donuts

All weekend with the grands.

Yes, please. Kobe-An.

Day 247

Waffles for breakfast (with some protein content!). And coffee for sure. The boys have gotten started with setting up trains for Christmas play. We're having an issue with locomotives - none of the battery powered ones are working. Were we surprised at one point this morning to look up and see it snowing. Really coming down! Fortunately it was short lived and the snow was gone by mid afternoon. Jamie did a Parlor Car Chat on the Alvin All-Star Railroad, a 3rd grade classroom project fully integrated into Lynn's teaching plans (back in 2002 and 2003). Watch the Chat here. The assembly guy for Matteo's new bike cancelled last minute so we took on the project. Success! (We think.) And the boys got a new set of Covid Cuts (haircuts).

Well this was unexpected.

Ever the artist!

Sunday School project, two halves apart.

Assembled tree.

Lynn and Jamie listened to a Prager Fireside Chat
while cooking the spaghetti for dinner.

Parlor Car Chat: Alvin All-Star Railroad.
Click here for the recording.

Day 246

When the weather is on the brisk side, the fire pit is just the thing. Jamie loves listening to Dennis Prager's Torah lectures by the fire. Our foster baby got picked up this morning by his forever family and soon, I think, we'll be getting those twins. In the meantime, Tracy and Matt went off for a couple's weekend in Denver. Nana and Papa went to Walter's Pizza while Fina met some friends for lunch at Subway. Lynn likes the teal wall. Fina joined us after our respective lunches for some Josh and John's Ice Cream. Nana not only prepped taco salad dinner but also poop-scooped the dog's astro-turf run! And lastly, Fina's making her own dress which is coming along nicely (see below). The final all-play activity of the day was watching the new Mandalorian episode with popcorn. Today's after-bedtime movie: The Christmas Star.

Listening to Prager's Torah lectures...

Lynn likes the teal wall...

 

Wall map at Walter's Pizza. We're red, Walter's is blue.

Taco salad and clean dog run!

Fina's making a dress...

Day 245

Not many pics today. The "Puzzle Puzzle" was completed. We're still not sure what the after-puzzle puzzle is, but pictured are some close-ups for clues. There are 8 mysteries per the instructions... Ravensburger Escape Puzzles.

Day 244

Veterans' Day. And yes, we got our little flags out first thing in the morning. Rob posted the picture of Papa Bill in his flight gear; he always said he "flew a desk" in the Philippines. Papa Robob was a paratrooper, also in the Asian theater. Sandy sent Jamie the quilt for his office after he marveled at the big circle made up of tiny squares. Prep is underway for the first foster baby to leave for his forever home this coming weekend and the arrival of two new foster babies, twins. One has some medical issues so Tracy got the therapy ball (pictured below) to bounce on with him. Pictured last is a puzzle puzzle, meaning once you get it put together, you have to solve yet another "puzzle" using the clues in the picture (or something like that). Today's movie was Deck the Halls.

Papa Robob

Papa Bill

Day 243

We awoke to snow on the ground (and on Pikes Peak) and a birthday breakfast celebration! The celebration included most of the kids getting up an hour earlier than normal to accommodate the birthday boy's 7am departure for school. Nana, Papa, and Matt had lunch at the Club (always fun). Bummer news... Kansas is out for Thanksgiving. So is the add-on trip to the Cosmosphere in Hays, KS. One of the kid's schools says anyone traveling to certain states with high COVID levels must quarantine for 14 days after returning from one of those states. Kansas just hit those levels. Tracy is already booking more local getaways between now and Christmas, "got to get out of this house for a bit." Dinner at the birthday boy's request was Fettuccine Alfredo and garlic bread (thank you, Olive Garden).

A Fina project.

He made his own birthday cookies!