The Nitty Gritty

We bought some canoes! When we went kayaking last weekend, I decided to get some inflatable canoes (easy transport and storage) and I hit the jackpot again for 2020 purchases! We tried them out yesterday at Concordia Lake and it was a blast. The weather was perfect. We saw pelicans, herons, hawks, and some people riding their horses on the trail. We had the lake to ourselves. It was so peaceful. Canoeing is my new found love. We're going to go canoeing this Saturday for my birthday! We reserved a camping site near St. Louis. We'll see if we're feeling up to camping and traveling, but if not, we can canoe close to home. :) Today we had a thunderstorm and it got crazy for about 15 minutes. Our neighbor's tree blew over onto their driveway! Thankfully we didn't have any damage.  Teaching school is going great for me. Will and Van don't like doing online school, but they love not having to wake up early to catch the bus and they love being at home.  Isaac is teachin...

Van the Man is 10 years old! His birthday was on Thursday and it was one for the books! Van was very specific in what he wanted for his birthday this year. I'm so glad he told me his vision---it made it easier for me to plan the perfect birthday for him!  1. Van wanted a Donkey Kong theme birthday. Isaac helped him put together this outfit. It's his Sven pjs with a tie cut out from foam scraps and a paper DK sign on the bottom. He wore it throughout the morning of his birthday. 2. Van asked, "Mom, the word 'happy' has two p's right?" Yes. "Ok, make the two p's look like Donkey Kong's drums on my poster." I made this poster before and during his piano lesson. After his lesson, he said, "Mom, when you make my poster tonight will you draw King K. Rool smashing my name?" I said, "No, Van. I already made your poster and I worked really hard on it so please be happy with it." He didn't flinch. He just shrugged and said,...