Carving pumpkins was more difficult than we thought it'd be because they were really thick this year!
And Calista, in spite of breaking a knife,
enjoyed it.
Mostly.
Scraping the seeds out was kind of fun.
And kind of gross. But, they looked good in the end!
Kyler did a great job interpreting Craig's drawing.
Spoooooooky!
My favorite part of Halloween, other than the chocolate, is the costumes. I love helping the kids dress up as whatever their creative little minds think of, and this year I had a bit of work to do.
Group pictures are always so tough on the kiddos.
Especially when swords and snakes are involved.
Or when the sun still hasn't risen yet.
Caleb was a mad scientist monkey who defends his lab with a shield, but everyone thought he was just a monkey.
A little disappointing, to be sure.
Craig was Perseus - not Percy Jackson.
Perseus, the slayer of the gorgon.
As long as he looks at his shield instead of at her!
Although they don't always need to be slaying each other.
And, of course, that leaves Calista.
My beautiful girl, my Medusa.
I know a parent isn't supposed to have favorites, but hers was my favorite costume this year. She loved how surprised everyone was about the snakes in her hair... but maybe not the snakes themselves after all day long at school.
The headband got heavy.
Halloween culminated with a Trunk or Treat in the church parking lot. Covid friendly and all that.
Caleb managed to leave the house with just socks on, so he got to ride. Good thing they didn't have to travel very far to fill up their buckets! Which they definitely got full. It took days to eat it all.
Loves video games and will wake up at 6 AM Saturday morning to go play before we have to go do things. His favorite games this year have been Lego Harry Potter, Diablo, and Forager.
With a memory like a steel trap, he loves to read non-fiction and learn facts. That he will then share by saying, "well, actually..."
He still gives the best hugs.
He has no patience for my silly interview questions. He doesn't care what the best part of being 7 was, or what he is looking forward to while being 8, or what advice he'd give himself. But he has great thoughts if you know how to ask him. I'm still learning.
I've been calling Craig "Toothless" since he lost his first tooth in October (2020).
He's up to 4 lost teeth now, and while some of his adult teeth have started growing in, he still is lacking those main two.
I'm sure they'll show up any day now!
Another year of school, and it was full of Covid protocols.
Craig had lots of online learning due to Covid cases in class, definitely not his favorite. Although he liked sleeping in a bit and wearing shorts in the winter.
And, in spite of the disruptions, Craig still learned a lot and made tons of progress in school: his teacher said he matured, was eager and excited to learn, and made the day more fun!
Taking a little bit after his father, we have occasionally caught Craig sleepwalking. He'll be trying to brush teeth, join us in bed, or go to the bathroom while not actually awake. When we talk to him, he doesn't respond and although he seems to vaguely understand what we're saying and what he's doing, he can't quite do all the details of any particular task he's attempting. With a gentle physical direction, we can steer him back to bed, and he won't remember any of the interaction in the morning.
Of course, he doesn't need to sleepwalk to end up outside of bed...
Craig is old enough to do activities at church now, although they've been intermittent due to Covid.
Still, he's gotten to do things like go snowshoeing.
Our family had a fun year visiting the mountains,
with trips to Calgary (and Banff),
Southern Alberta (and Waterton),
and Jasper. Craig was mostly a really good sport and we had a lot of fun.
Although he learned how to peddle a while ago, this year Craig learned how to be independent on his bike.
He can now start and stop all by himself. He said he likes riding bikes better than playing video games!
Calista and Caleb are probably Craig's best friends.
They most of the time even get along.
Craig and Caleb have gotten a bit closer this year,
And it's so nice... when they're not fighting. Let's focus on the times no one is yelling or kicking, okay?
I love the way Craig's mind works, even if I don't always understand it.
He likes to do experiments and learn,
and he usually narrates a story while he draws. It is hilarious to listen to if you can get him to do it. Which, don't try. Wait for him to decide on his own, it'll be easier that way.
Craig has had his first music lesson, which was more fun than he thought it'd be. He immediately came home and built a metronome out of Lego.
Of course, he didn't want to do piano/music lessons at all, so we're taking things slowly. But that's also kind of par for the course for Craig. He'll enjoy an activity, but he doesn't want to participate in a class. He tried Tae Kwan Do, even playing lessons and teaching Caleb in between his trial classes. But when it was time to sign him up, he refused. He refused to be signed up for more gymnastics, didn't want to do hip hop class, and shook his head at curling. We wouldn't take no for an answer for music, though, and he seems to be liking it. Apparently that's what we need to do: ignore his protests and sign him up anyway.
I seriously love this guy.
I'm glad to have spent another year with him, and I'm looking forward to this next one, too!
Kyler and Jeanette got married on the 25th of August 2007, after knowing each other for four years and being each other's rebound date. It's a healthy relationship.
Mostly.
