Ethan and Ehlana:
Another day, another early update!
Today we’re on our computers early because
we’re going to be busy for the rest of the day with incoming Johnson clan
cousins and our best friends, and while we haven’t actually made any firm plans
for the night; we do expect co-ed sleepovers to be involved!
Seth’s birthday party and dinner last night
were the entertainment highlights of our day.
For us, we especially-loved getting to be there with Jeremy and Kaitlyn;
we joined them to help out with some of the work because they’d be drafted to
help with the party set-up and dinner work anyway; and the sibling connection
between Jeremy and Seth isn’t something that we think about very often but
added to the adventure for all of us! On
that note, let’s also mention that Seth’s sister, Madison, both got teased
about and added some jokes about herself and Jayden, and that was fun too, but
the two-and-a-half years between them is still a big deal with Jayden being too-young
for her still when she is just weeks away from turning fifteen. For the record, we’ll also add that Seth’s
father, Kyle, still has fun with those jokes that are entirely about his wife’s
teen interest in Uncle Blaine, but let’s save another round of those jokes for
Jeremy and Kaitlyn’s future wedding! ;^)
Moving along, the actual party highlights
for us included a greenhouses and farms tour that some of us wanted to do when
it was offered – especially when a hay ride was part of that tour. There was video gaming in the ‘play’ room
that wasn’t still called that by the teens and tweens in the Green family; the
living room was chat central with music videos playing in the background; and
most of the work happened in the kitchen and dining room. We don’t spend very much time with Seth’s
parents because they are so busy most of the time with their farms and
greenhouses year-round; so helping out with the work included the bonus of
chatting with them for more than an hour in total. We got razzed about that by some of our
friends, but Ehlana in particular loved to talk with them about plants,
flowers, and the work that they play around with for creating hybrids that is
basically an all-natural version of genetics that isn’t essentially different
from what Ehlana does with her research – except that she can track and
fine-tune her efforts on a genetic level.
Seth’s birthday dinner was entirely
home-made except for the birthday cakes that were Olde Bakery favorites. The pastas and sides included something for
everyone – even the pickiest tween eater; and we managed to get through the
entire culinary event without any serious eating or drinking games issues or
practical jokes. That might have had
something to do with the usual pranksters playing it cool around the older
teens, but most of the men in the Green family are also fairly-large – if not
quite to the Lee Landry level; so getting any of them mad might be a very bad
idea! Helping with the clean-up didn’t
take long for the volunteers and draftees because we had a lot of helpers; and
then the evening entertainment included an unplugged set by Naomi and the
Holiday Harmonies that led to some dancing in the living room and kitchen for
couples of all ages. That was another
highlight for us, and while Seth had some friends staying the night, it was
also a work night ahead of a holiday weekend for the Green family; so we were
picked up and brought home by nine o’clock.
Let’s add that Jeremy and Kaitlyn helped out with the driving, since
there wasn’t room for eight tweens in the minivan, but they didn’t stay with us
last night – though they would have been welcomed and the offer was made. Our co-ed sleepover for eight tweens was
another highlight of our day; we watched a movie; enjoyed the cuddle and chat
time that included the post-party review and commentary; and then most of us
went to sleep while Jayden and Susan apparently sat up and talked until after
two o’clock.
That’s why they slept in while the rest of
us were up on-time for our usual Tai Chi workout. Sophia and Aaron aren’t practicing on their
own every day, but do want to learn with us; so we’re easing them into those
lessons. We also helped with the
breakfast cooking and cleaning; that meal with Mom and Dad was fun; and then
there were some chores to do for some of us while Susan went along with Jayden
to help him with packing for his return home and spend that extra time with him
too; since we won’t be back here before we all head back to school a week from
Monday. Ehlana and I eventually went on
to help Naomi and Aiden with some chores at their homes; we did a round of
visits with the Everetts, Violet, Dillon, and their kids, and our departing
Proctor cousins ahead of their trips to Woodvale or Granite Park for their ‘away’
family Christmases. We did not get in on
a lunch at the Inn that Cassie and Michael semi-hosted while taking temporary
custody of their niece and nephews for the rest of the day while most of the
parents and grandparents were busy with holiday weekend work, but we did have a
nice lunch at Sophia’s house while Mom and Dad were at the Inn instead. That might not seem fair for Sophia’s Mom,
but she actually wants us to spend more time there – or at least she had fun
teasing us about barely-recognizing her youngest daughter anymore while we
shared that meal and helped with the work too.
We’ve had some outdoor play time and biking since then, and while it isn’t
all that warm out, it is still above freezing and nice-enough for the end of
December; and we needed the fresh air and exercise.
Now we’re transitioning to holiday weekend
mode, and while Mom and Dad aren’t hosting weekend guests; we are going to be
spending a lot of time with the Johnson clan; and that will include welcoming
them here and helping with the work that goes along with those arrivals and
their luggage. Dinner for most of the
family still in town is also at the Carringtons, and we need to help Mom with
getting our contributions ready and over there; so it is time to wrap this up
and move on. We expect that our holiday
fun and adventures will continue to be awesome, so while we go and live every
exciting moment; stay tuned for those reports and we hope that you are having a
great day too whenever your ‘now’ is in our near or distant future!
Until next time, live with love, fellow
Magi of the Light!
