So we got an early Christmas present for us…an Ooni pizza oven (we’d casually talked about it before but then after talking with Jim and Beth over Thanksgiving, our interest was renewed).
Tonight was the inaugural dinner with David and Anna (and kids) as guinea pigs. Initial setup was on the deck but torrential rain moved it to the garage.
And it was absolutely amazing! I foresee a lot of pizza in our future…
This was the first in-person band concert since March 2019!
All of the googly eyes make this delicious appetizer tablescape perfect.
And a throwback:
We just had Owen’s parent/teacher conferences and his teachers ALL had amazing things to say—they all commented on his attitude, empathy, helpfulness, friendliness, kindness, work ethic, class participation, grades…everything. After the shitshow of last year, we could not be happier or more proud.
I managed to record a snippet of his math teacher taking about him and this literally just scratches the surface of all the amazing things they said about him…
Or should I say candy wrappers ALL OVER.
OMG. This is one of my all time favorite pics of baby Owee. He was 9 months old.
After the shitshow of remote learning last year, seeing this come home seriously gave us chills! We could not be more proud of him! And he was so excited to show us—made us get together and close our eyes!
I’m not generally one for bumper stickers but you can damn well be sure this one is going on my car!
Katie was supposed to be an inflatable T-rex but she had a meltdown at the last minute (somehow the costume “felt different” from when she last tried it on that morning) so after a MUCH drama, she’s wearing dino PJs.
Owen is some videogame character I know nothing about (Edgar from Brawl Stars)! Good times.
The best thing? They’re old enough to go out on their own so we sent them off while we sat at a fire in the driveway! (They went out first by themselves while we were waiting for Anna and David to arrive and then went out with the boys later!)
Our costumes were “glampers” — courtesy of Anna and David’s RV (it was in our driveway from the weekend—the kids had a sleepover in it)!!
It was a gorgeous day but it was windy and chilly—but at least it wasn’t raining or snowing! The fire was nice but could have been even warmer!
Maggie sat cuddled in a blanket on my lap for a good two hours).
We also had two adult drinks (Apple bourbon smash and rum punch) to hand out to friends but I didn’t get a pic of that!
Anna’s kids were tired after an hour or so of trick or treating but our kids went out again! Unfortunately I didn’t get the annual pic of their candy haul!
The UM/MSU game was crazy toward the end. This is pretty much how both of them watched it.
We decided to take a walk in our amazing neighborhood during Sparty halftime since it was such a nice day. (Also, one of these things is not like the other.)
Owen told us recently that he had been having some vision issues—seeing green lights and wavy lines and feeling pressure on his eyeballs—so we took him to the eye doctor.
After more questions and an exam (during which he got eye drops to be able to see inside his eyes), the doctor said he thought it sounded like ocular migraines—but without the actual headache. (A bonus?!)
It’s not serious—it’s actually quite common—and we’re just supposed to track when they happen to see if we can figure out a trigger.
Instead of an in-person concert, the kids recorded the concert and we will get a video of it soon! They did post a few pics online and these are two that Owen was in!
AN INCREDIBLE WALK THROUGH THOUSANDS OF HAND CARVED JACK O’LANTERNS (Link)
Of course they weren’t all real pumpkins since the exhibit lasts all month…but they were still hand-carved. It was definitely neat but something we probably don’t need to do again!
Most of the pics are Anna’s because mine didn’t turn out as good.
And this pic I snapped as she was trying to get out of the picture? This looks like she could be 3yo again.
Owen doesn’t bring home too many projects so when I saw this I was in love…and so proud. Great tips, awesome drawings, and nice handwriting. I told him I’m keeping this one for sure.
As you just saw, my birthday started with an amazing rainbow eye look to match my tie dye outfit. Plus the crown of course.
But the actual adventures actually started with heading with my bestie to pick up my other bestie and then head to Kenosha!
Trying to find catchers equipment for Owen and backup mitts for Evan at Play It Again Sports. What you do when it’s your birthday and wearing a crown and a mask.
Next birthday adventure stop: lunch at Frank’s Diner! It’s been two long years since we’ve been here and it was as delicious as we remembered!
Next? Crumbl—this will be birthday desserts for us with the kids instead of cake. They didn’t have my fave cornbread ones this week, though. And yes, we ate a few bites straight from the trunk!
I caught Anna sneaking some bites in the car!
Now birthday adventures are on a hiatus but I’m cuddling with my doggo so all is well.
Birthday adventures, mom style: taking Katie to physical therapy! Ha.
Birthday adventures, kid style: watching a movie!
The last birthday adventure! A margarita by the fire…with Tom and Anna and David. With an Ozzy Man Reviews topper. It was chilly so I had my sweatshirt on and they thought it looked like a queen’s cape!
All in all, a great 48th birthday!
There’s nothing quite like working until 2am and sleeping SO HARD in the morning only to be awoken by the slight noise of your bedroom door opening so you open your eyes to see EVERYONE standing there so you freak out just a bit and then they start singing Happy birthday.
And then I had to hurry and get out of bed because it’s picture day and I hadn’t purchased Owen’s pics so I had to rush downstairs to do that plus take my own photos before they left for band.
Also? Owen remembered on his own that it was picture day and wore his shirt, jeans, AND A BELT! He didn’t shower so his hair was a little crazy but in the grand scheme of things not bad!!
Tonight was Warren Township High School’s Fill the Drum event! All the local middle School bands plus both high school bands perform for the community in a charity event! Owen had to wear something red, white, or blue since they were performing some patriotic songs. He looked so good we had to take a pic! (We typically only see him in t-shirts and jogging pants or shorts.)
I actually got out my big camera and charged the batteries so I could use my telephoto lens! So I had to take a practice shot!
Owen was so excited for this and had a great time!
And here’s a video I found on YouTube! You can actually see my head in the stands (I am about at the 49-yard line behind a lady in pink and you can see me taking pics)!
And here is the tail end of another song they did, in the shape of USA. Owen is in the A towards the bleachers.
I’ll take a selfie with my boy whenever he lets me!
Owen was pitching and Evan was batting! I don’t even remember what the outcome was!
We had Curriculum Night tonight. And really it was just me because they were limiting the number of people in person…but barely anyone even showed up! I pulled in early to make sure I got a parking spot (because these nights are generally a hot mess) and the lot was practically empty! I didn’t see one person in the halls the entire walk to his classroom! The good thing is that his Homeroom teacher arrived a few minutes later so I got to have a good 10 minutes with her!
Anyway, he seems to have some great teachers! And here’s some pics of his hallway and classroom!
The orthodontist has an even fancier system for tooth models now! It’s a tiny little camera she just moves around his mouth and it turns it into a 3D model!
https://youtube.com/shorts/SYxHvNj7IDM
His last adult tooth (red X) is trying to come in on top of another tooth. So they have to move the tooth that’s currently there to the empty spot (green arrow). This means six months of full braces on the top and then likely two years of Invisalign after.
Why Invisalign? Owen asked for it and since he did really well keeping track of his retainer the past two years, we said we’d think about it. Unfortunately it’s more expensive, to the tune of about $6k. We’re still waiting on the price for regular braces because we are out of insurance benefits (we were out from Day 1—benefits max out at like $1750 and we have already paid that much ourselves).