November 2020

I asked Jim to pick up some special edition Nelly Budweiser. I don't like beer and won't even taste it, but wanted to have some in our house.  I can't believe it's been 20 years since Country Grammar was released.

I went to vote and then run with my running friends.  We didn't all vote for the same people, but we still get along!

Jack had a tour at SLUH.  We were impressed and Jack put it as his first choice.

Maggie continues to love to jump rope.

Jim was able to take Patrick's den on an outdoor hike for Scouts.

One weekend was unseasonably warm and Jim's band decided to play together outside. The kids and I rode our bikes to watch them.

We rake a LOT of leaves!

Patrick's class was in quarantine so he was learning from home. During a break one day he joined me for a run.

We started a bathroom remodel. So many pipes!

A new Thanksgiving tradition was started. Jim and the kids had the first annual Kelly Family Turkey Bowl in our front yard.

For the first time, we had Thanksgiving dinner with just the six of us.

Jim smoked a turkey on the grill.

Dinner was delicious, but we missed family.

The day after Thanksgiving, I took the kids for a hike. Jim was working.

Moments into the hike, the kids found this fun log to walk across.

Look how fun it is!

That log was fun up until Charlie fell off it and hurt his arm. He went white and was in a lot of pain. He was holding his arm and didn't want to move it.  He said everything looked brown.  I called Jim and we decided he should come to the ER.

His arm was not broken, but they put it in a splint.

Aunt Sue gave the kids gingerbread turkeys to decorate. Maggie spent the most time on hers.

During the extended family Thanksgiving zoom, I quickly drove over to my Uncle Steve's house and surprised him as he zoomed in his backyard.

We decided to go to Lone Elk Park for a hike later that weekend.

Donuts for the win!

October 2020

October started with a girls' bike ride to celebrate a friend's birthday.  It was a beautiful day for a ride!

Maggie has become quite the jump roper this year. One evening, we took a stroll and she jumped rope most of the way.

The kids had a half day of school and Jim had a vacation day. We picked them up and took them to Forest Park for a picnic lunch on Art Hill.

Then we got Ted Drewes and took it to Francis Park, our old stomping grounds.

That evening, Jim's band played on the rooftop at the MAC.

It was such a fun night!

Maggie's girl scout troop continues to have meetings. They get creative with ways to make it safe.

My college roommate and I each drove a couple hours to meet for a hike one afternoon. It had been too long since we had seen each other!

I joined my Mom on a hike with my niece and nephew one morning.

A friend of mine hadn't closed her pool yet. It was mid-October, and not warm.  Patrick, Charlie, and Maggie decided the joy of the pool outweighed the cold.

My friend also has a trampoline.  So fun!

To celebrate Patrick's birthday this year, he had a few friends over to watch a movie outside. They also enjoyed the fire pit.

Here are some pictures of Maggie's soccer game.

Patrick got a disc golf basket for his birthday.

We had some cake on the patio with Jim's family for Patrick's birthday.

Our annual trip to Pumpkinland was a little different this year, but everyone still had fun. We missed going out to eat afterward. 

Maggie wore the matching Halloween dress and mask Nana made.

One weekend in late October, we went to Bentonville, AR with Jim's brother and sister.  We camped two nights and got to ride some of their mountain biking trails.

Jim took the older boys on a trail.

I took the younger two on a short ride and then we skipped rocks in the water.

The campground was beautiful.

It was not particularly warm or dry, but there were not a lot of complaints.  I slept with many layers, including a hat and gloves.

Because I am on the faculty, I got to see the school Halloween parade from the parking lot.  Here is our little witch with some of her classmates.

The 8th graders:

I brought my camera to one of Patrick's soccer games. I intended to bring it to one of Charlie's games, but the season ended sooner than planned and I wasn't able to get any pictures of him this year.

On a day off school, we met friends for a hike.

Maggie went to a neighborhood Halloween parade in the afternoon of Halloween.

Jack made his costume this year (Minecraft)!

We watched college football projected onto the front of our house as we handed out candy to trick-or-treaters.