December 21

Every year for as long as I can remember, we've spent part of an evening driving around and looking at Christmas lights.

Tonight was the night. After Isaac finished his third (and final!) driving lesson, we loaded into Charles the Explorer and headed out. We checked out a selection of displays here in the valley, and stopped partway through for dinner from the Wendy's drive-thru. (I had no idea that Son of Baconator was a thing but apparently it is. Go figure.)

Anyway, we saw a mix of old favorites and new offerings, and it was a peaceful outing. All in all, it seemed like there were more lights than usual this year, and in particular, more joint efforts across multiple neighbors. The latter surprised me, given how divided we all seem to be these days, but it also gave me hope for the future. If we can find common ground in Christmas lights, maybe we can find it in other places, too.

December 20

And just like that, the first semester is over. Abby is three semesters from finishing her Bachelor's degree in English writing. Isaac is three semesters from high school graduation. Brady is one semester from starting high school. And Logan... well, Logan is perpetually five and a half years old and always in and on my heart, especially now as I take the time to look back at photos from Christmases past and remember how much joy he brought into my life. How. I. Miss. That. Child. How I wish that chapter of my story played out differently.

But I suppose that missing him makes me appreciate the present a bit more, so here's a photo of the rest of us from today during our usual end-of-semester post-school lunch outing to Mountain Mike's. 

It was, all in all, a successful semester for these three. The grades were (mostly) solid, but the continued personal growth and development for each of them has been outstanding. 

I've said it numerous times before, but I'm so very proud of them. I'm proud of how they tackle tasks (even ones they'd rather avoid), and I'm more proud of how they conduct themselves. And I'm most proud of how they love each other and their friends. They are blessings.

December 19

The cold I have is kicking my bum a bit, so I laid as low as I could this afternoon and fortunately felt a little better following a nap.

And then this evening, Abby got home from school for Winter Break! There was much enthusiastic merrymaking upon her arrival; Isaac was up in the shower, but Brady danced around the kitchen. A few minutes later, I caught them hugging with no adult provocation. And then when Isaac came down, he was wearing the Cheer Fan Shirt she brought back for him. The mood was frenetic and upbeat.

And they all complied when I told them I wanted a picture.

So for this scene right here --for these amazing young people I am so humbled to call my kiddos-- I am so grateful.

December 18

It was a chilly day for December in Northern California; the kind of cool that seeps underneath layers of clothing. The kind of cool that I'm more likely to associate with Maryland than here.

I'm currently dealing with a cold that one of my sweet boys shared with me earlier this week so I tried to lie low this afternoon, but I couldn't help but notice this classic Winter (well, almost Winter) sky as I looked out the window this evening.

It "looks" cold (if that makes sense), but it's still pretty. And I'm grateful for some loveliness when I'm feeling under the weather.

December 17

I own a lot of Christmas ornaments. Old ones, news ones, mass-produced ones, homemade ones, big ones, little ones, loud ones, quiet ones, sturdy ones, delicate ones. 

But my absolute favorites are are the ones that my kids made, and the ones that I (or Adam) created via Shutterfly that feature photos of our family over the years.

Last week I began decorating our family room tree with just those special pieces, and I've started to silently refer to it as our Family Tree. I smile every time I walk by it and see Logan's face peeking out from behind a branch, and I laugh when I see the big group photo of my side of the family at my brother's house in 2021. 

They're good memories, and I'm blessed that I can literally just turn my head and look at them right now.

December 16

Brady went over to Jackson's house to work out this afternoon (because that's what they do these days) and then afterward, they went for a bike ride.

At one point he texted to tell me to look out the window, so I did. And I saw him ride by on his bike. He had a big grin on his face and I could tell from his posture that he was having fun -- a lot of fun, really.

I feel a bit bad that he didn't have a bicycle earlier; bike-riding was, after all, a huge part of my growing-up years. We'd ride up and down the path behind our house --which was known as The Cobra for its succession of rises and falls-- and up and down the street and around the lake. Everywhere. I think we practically lived on our bikes during those summer months when I was around his age.

But lateness aside, I'm so grateful and glad that he's enjoying it and that he's having those experiences now. It's a gift to watch him have fun, and to know that it's an activity that he can enjoys with his pals.

December 15

Brady needed a helmet in order to use his bike (slight oversight on my part) so he and I headed over to Dick's after church to buy one.

While we were out and about, I stopped at Target (purely because it's Target and Target is wonderful). On the way back out to the car, Brady mentioned that he remembered sitting on the big red dots outside when he was a little kid. So I told him he should sit on one right then and there, and he did without hesitation. At 5-9 1/2 (his height when we measured him last night), the task was much easier than it was way back then, but it was still kinda fun to see him sitting there.

Sweet, unexpected little moments that trigger nostalgic memories are blessings. (As are kids who humor me when I ask them to do silly things just for old times' sake.)