Holiday Songs for 2021
Richards family style....
We have a rule in our house:
no listening to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving unless you are
making the music on your own (piano or voice).
Once we hit the day after Thanksgiving, Boom! It’s on – at home, in the car, in the shower
until well-past the big day arrives (at least through New Year’s).
So, in the spirit of the music of the season, I bring you a (sort-of) mash-up of Christmas Carols to summarize our year. I highly recommend reading this post with its accompanying audio – visual presentation at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIAkDcU0a7U
“All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth…. “ In true second grade fashion, Rory lost both of his front teeth the week after Thanksgiving after allowing them to dangle grotesquely in his mouth for almost a month. My mention of not wanting to spend the money set aside for Christmas gifts on dental bills was enough to help him accelerate the process.
Now, we travel back in time chronologically to the beginning
of the year…..
“Joy to the World, we’re off
to school….” After doing remote school at home for almost
the entirety of the fall semester in 2020-2021, we found out we would get to
return to school at the end of January – IN PERSON! The kids over-the-moon excited to see their
friends and get to interact with teachers in real-life. I was relieved to be able to work while they
were in school, meaning I was actually able to do my job!
We are eternally grateful for the courage and resolve of
teachers everywhere to deliver learning experiences in whatever format they
could.
“Walking in a Winter
Wonderland……” We were fortunate to enjoy multiple
opportunities for winter play in early 2021.
We went tubing at Beaver Meadows tubing park, which was thrilling and
warranted wearing helmets in my opinion.
We cross-country skied up in Wyoming at Happy Jack’s. We took a long weekend to downhill ski at
Granby Ranch, where the kids gained a lot more confidence on their skis. When we had snow in Fort Collins, we went
sledding on our neighborhood sledding hill, snowshoed around the neighborhood
trails, and built epic snow forts. These
snow forts endured numerous snow ball battles and hide-and-seek games with
quality engineering and construction strategies.
“Hark the Herald Angels Sing,
Now we have a new vaccine!. . . “ After 6-8 months of not seeing grandparents,
we welcomed the grandparents for visits in spring of 2021. Woo-hoo!
It felt so good to reconnect and laugh together.
“Rory (not Rudolf) our youngest
member, bounced right off a trampoline….”
It was bound to
happen. One house in the neighborhood
got a trampoline during COVID and that quickly became the hangout for all of
the gang. Despite adult recommendations
of zipping the netting shut and limiting the number of kids on the trampoline
at the time, Rory bounced right off that thing one day and broke his
wrist. Despite kick-starting spring
break with a broken arm, Rory didn’t let it slow him down. He played half of his first soccer season
with a cast wrapped in soft towels.
“ O
Pop-Up Camper, O Pop-Up Camper, you are so nice and cozy…” We certainly enjoyed camping and visiting some
new AND old favorite areas in summer 2021.
Our first trip was across northern Colorado to Dinosaur National
Monument on the border of Colorado and Utah in early June. It was an awesome trip despite having to
change a flat tire in the middle of the desert on a 90+ degree day (yuck). In July we enjoyed a large family camping
trip with grandparents, sister/aunt and cousins! We played a lot of games, ate a million
snacks, told countless stories, and hiked to couple waterfalls in Rocky
Mountain National Park. For Labor Day we
returned to Brainard Lake (one of our fave camping spots) for a re-charge
before the fall got busy with sports and activities.
“Over
the river and through the plains, to grandparents’ house we go…” 2 trips to Kansas kept us connected to
extended family in summer 2021. We were
grateful to get to attend a celebration of life for Haley’s late grandmother,
Anneliese, and a Baldwin family reunion.
We watched a lot of the summer Olympics in Wakeeney, and then Harper and
Rory got to attend “Cousin Camp” for a week, coming back with countless
adventures to share.
“It
Came Upon a Utah night, a million stars so bright . . . “ Utah was a new state to check off
the list for Harper and Rory. As
mentioned earlier, we took one trip to Utah in early June to visit Dinosaur
National Monument. In the fall, we
visited southeastern Utah and Canyonlands National Park. We learned a lot about the ancient Puebloan
people, the desert landscape, and astronomy – holy cow dark skies!!!
“Deck
the Halls . . . “ Back to school 2021 – an actual “normal” back
to school!!! In August, Harper began 5th
grade (her last year at Bauder Elementary, sigh), and Rory began 2nd
grade. They both love their teachers and
are thriving in school. I got to return
to working on campus at Colorado State University after working 100% remotely
for 17 months. We’ve all learned a lot
about what it means to “work” throughout the pandemic. I’ve found that it’s HARD to do my job when I
cannot see and interact with my team and my students in-person. And yet, I’ve also found that there are many
tasks I can do even more effectively at home, so I’ve crafted hybrid work
schedule to blend the best of both. Eric
continues to work at Larsen Structural Engineering without too much change or
disruption.
“O
Come, All Ye Neighbors. . . “ The great blessing of the pandemic has been
the strengthening of community and neighborhood bonds. There are 10 kids on our street who are now a
super tight-knit group, traveling in small packs from yard to yard,
entertaining themselves for hours outside and eating all the popsicles parents
can stock in the freezers.
Harper appointed herself (sometimes
in collaboration with other friends) as event coordinator of the group. She planned an epic Last Day of School party
that spanned 4 houses, with 5-6 different activities over 8 hours. Yes, 8
hours. That party lasted from noon to
8pm. Whew! In October, she and 2 classmates (who are not
neighbors but know all the neighbors from school) created a Harry Potter party
that basically involved guided activities that followed the plot of the first
Harry Potter book. Everyone came in
costume and had a great time.
Upcoming: Winter Break Christmas
movies – 2 different showings with tickets and a concession stand.
“Up on
the Rooftop. . . . “ Our rooftop is changing!!!! After years of saving and planning, we
finally embarked in a big house project - - re-doing our back yard to include a
covered patio and outdoor dining space.
We’re hoping to have it ready for dining al-fresco from May - September 2022. Come visit!
“Silent
Night, Holy Night. All is not calm, and
not all bright. But, we seek peace and
honor our light….” These are uncertain and complicated
times. It’s not always easy or Instagram
pretty at our house. We know it’s not at
your house either. We do our best to
live our values everyday and honor the light we see in all around us, including the light in you.
Sending love, hope, peace,
authenticity, honesty, and empathy to you – however you are feeling yesterday,
today, and tomorrow.
“We Wish
you a Merry Christmas . . . and a Happy New Year!”
