Ehlana's and Ethan's Journals - June 21, 2026

 

Ehlana, Aiden, Naomi, and Ethan:

Happy Father’s Day to all of our favorite Dads!

Happy 12^th Anniversary, Tory and Kyle Denninger!

We have a lot to cover tonight; so let’s get to it starting with the rest of our story from yesterday.  While we helped out with the dinner at Sophia’s house, Zack and his team held out for a seven-to-six win thanks to two final-inning outs that ended a comeback attempt by the Rangers.  The dinner that Sophia and her parents hosted was awesome; and we even had some joint-family connections because Cassie and Michael were there with their nieces and nephews.  Ethan and I were not drafted for the clean-up because he needed to be at the park for his ballgame; so all of the teens involved in playing or cheering for our team were set free – along with all of the younger kids and their assigned support adults while others took care of the work.  We all had fun at Ethan’s game, but it also wasn’t very competitive as the Locusts cruised to a twelve-to-seven win over the Sting.  That score only looked better than the game play was because the Locusts held back during the final three innings instead of running it up on their classmates and friends on the Sting team.  The co-ed sleepover at Sophia’s house was great too; we stayed up too-late again with movies, co-ed cuddling, and teen chat time; so we only napped for around four hours again last night – early this morning.

We were all still up early for Tai Chi by the river; the teens in the house took care of the Father’s Day breakfast that included bonus Bassett clan guests; and Ethan and I missed out on the breakfast that Cassie and Michael hosted for their parents, Jake, Stephanie, and their kids.  We should get used to that sort of thing; since we will need to take turns sharing our own family from now on – and they’ll need to share us now and then too!  The breakfast clean-up was teen-led too; we all managed to get ready and over to the church on time; and then we all enjoyed Pastor Martha’s annual short service gift to the all of the fathers in our congregation.

Aunt Leanne and Aunt Grace hosted the family-and-friends’ barbeque lunch, and we were drafted to help with the work before that meal and then with kid control after we ate.  The meal needed to be indoors because it started to rain by noon; so we also kept the younger kids entertained in the sunroom while getting those kids fed too.  Zack led an afternoon video gaming competition after lunch while there were thunderstorms in the area; we went out to play when we could between blasts of rain and after the bad weather cleared out for the rest of the day; and then we split up when everyone wanted to get ready for the late buffet dinner at the Inn.  Naomi and Aiden used that time to also pack overnight bags for their co-ed sleepover here; and they stopped in on the way to the Inn to drop their gear off and then head out to dinner with us.  The Father’s Day celebration was in full swing for everyone at the Inn; and most of our favorite Dads were there with us.  We couldn’t sit with all of our parents at one table, so Ethan and Naomi ended up with their parents while Aiden and I were with his family, Leah, and her parents.  We all had fun; there were many cameo moments with other favorite people; and then we came home for the night with Mom and Dad.

Mom did a group Magi lesson with us while Dad took care of a bit of work he needed to get done for Monday after his week in Crystal Springs; Ethan and Aiden opted for showers while Naomi and I took turns in my Jacuzzi; and now we’re watching movies and winding down in the lounge with co-ed cuddle time and our usual computer checks.  We should mention that Sophia and Aaron were invited, but opted for their own plans for tonight.  We’re okay with that – and with starting our fifteenth birthday soon with our respective, favorite co-ed cuddle buddies!

Naomi wants me to mention that she’d be okay with separate co-ed sleepovers for us on birthdays and other holidays, and I know that will happen eventually, but not yet – and let’s add that she’d be okay with that plan on all non-celebration days too! ;^)

That does bring us up to now; so let’s deal with some world news and then we’ll wrap this up and get back to focusing on the movies and cuddle time.  Starting with the Ukraine war tonight, the top news is about European leaders committing to sending more missiles and drones and weapons to Ukraine; Russian leaders are responding with escalations along the front lines and more missile and drone attacks across Ukraine; and too many leaders on both sides are calling for more war and even expanding it beyond Ukraine while most of the people affected just want it to stop.  As for the Middle East and the Iran war, while the peace talks seem to be nothing more than political theatre in Geneva; the fighting continues in Lebanon and that ceasefire never even got started because Israel is only focused on taking territory and killing anyone that tries to stop them.  President Trump obviously can’t or won’t stop them; so all of the politics and diplomacy over the past month might just have been yet another ploy to distract while ‘our’ side continues to take what they want in smaller chunks for as long as they can until they can’t do that anymore.

That strategy has worked for decades now, so we aren’t expecting that to change anytime soon, but the anger and hatred that is growing in the rest of the world against ‘western’ countries is very real; and could eventually end badly for ‘our’ side.  That sounds dramatic, but it is only fair that we should add that the Ascension of the Light is coming; our leaders probably won’t blow up the world before that happens; and we will be doing our very best to help the rest of the world to be as happy as we are after that so that we won’t need all of those nasty militaries and weapons of any kind anymore!

I like that thought to end with, and maybe you’re even reading this far-enough into our future that there is no war in your now!  As for our current reality, we’re going to move on; enjoy the pre and early birthday co-ed cuddle and movie time; and then have a nap so we’ll be ready for all of our birthday adventures tomorrow.

Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!

Ehlana's and Ethan's Journals - June 20, 2026

 

Ehlana and Ethan:

Let’s begin with the baseball news of the weekend that we have so far.  Our Glacier team earned a close win over Valleyview (Polar) Vortex; and the ten-to-eight score only ended that way thanks to our two-run tiebreak in the final inning.  We have two family games booked today, but Zack, Eli, Sebastian, Caleb, and the Bakery Brigade are still playing their game against the Rawhide Rangers; and Ethan’s game doesn’t start until seven o’clock.  We caught two innings of Zack’s game, but we’ve spent most of the day doing chores; so the best parts of our day are still ahead of us!

That was true for our Friday after the journal update.  The fun included biking the trails, swimming in the river, setting up a major campground in our back yard, a family-and-friends’ barbeque dinner, the ball game, and the outdoor movies and camping adventures.  Ethan and I had a blast with all of that; we even managed co-ed camping naps in our tents thanks to some younger cousins taking on the next-gen junior campers in their tents; and we all stayed up too late after the movies, late swims, and teen chat time.  We did help with the youngest kids when needed, but they all slept through the four hours of sleep we actually managed to get before we got up for Tai Chi by the river.

Rain and thunderstorms are in the forecast for tonight, so along with getting ready for the day and feeding our gang of campers; we needed to pack up the tents and gear; and then get started on our usual weekend chores.  Ethan and Aiden did more of the harder chores while Naomi and I mowed lawns at all of our homes; we stopped for a mini-subs and salads lunch; and only one cool-down swim that we fit in with that visit to the park for the baseball action.  Now we’re home to pack overnight bags and get cleaned up before heading over to Sophia’s house.  She’s hosting our group of six best friends for dinner and a co-ed sleepover after the ball game this evening, and since her parents are also hosting that dinner for family and friends; we’re booked to help out with the cooking and set-up.  We really need to get over there soon; so let’s wrap this up and save the rest of our own stories for our Sunday wrap-up.

Ethan and I do need to mention the continuing top world news story – the non-peace in the Middle East and the failing peace talks that still aren’t really happening in Geneva.  We don’t expect any ‘real’ changes in the region, and while reports claimed another ceasefire in Lebanon; Israel didn’t actually stop bombing or continuing their ground offensive to take more territory in southern Lebanon.  Iran’s military is responding by declaring the Strait of Hormuz is closed again; and their political leaders are pointing out that an end to the fighting in Lebanon is at the top of the list for the Memorandum of Understanding – and pointing out that the United States agreed to make that happen.  If Israel won’t stop the fighting; so the peace talks are dead on arrival if we can’t earn any trust from Iran on even basic parts of the agreement.

We’ll save the rest of the world news for tomorrow night too, so stay tuned for that; and we’ll get back to the first full day of our summer vacation!

Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!

Ehlana's and Ethan's Journals - June 19, 2026

Ehlana and Ethan:

We’re free!

Okay, we aren’t, but our summer break has officially begun; and we’re only writing this quick update now while getting ready to head out and play with our friends and family for the rest of the day.  Tai Chi by the river and breakfast with Mom was great; our half-day at school was entertaining as we pretty much just played and wrapped up with a Pizzeria pizza party.  Now we’re going to head out on our bikes and mix in some swimming too; and then the rest of our plans for today include a barbeque dinner that Mom and Dad are hosting; a major camping night; and either an outdoor movies or campfire time after the ball game that I have tonight with Naomi, Sophia, and the rest of our team.

The rest of our story for today – the best parts – can wait for our next update, but before we get started on all of the fun; let’s cover the top world news highlight.  As we’ve written about every day over the past week, today was supposed to begin a sixty-day negotiation for peace starting with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States.  That did not happen at least so far today; and that’s because Israel attacked Lebanon again; Hezbollah retaliated; and Iran didn’t send their delegation to Geneva because an end to the attacks on Lebanon was part of the deal.  Since then, there are reports of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, but that is just the latest of many ceasefires that Israel has broken; so trust is not there at all.  Iran announced closing the Strait of Hormuz again, but that report came out before the ceasefire report; so that could change – and we’ll see whether the peace deal is only delayed or cancelled.

There is more news out of Ukraine and Europe too, but other than a report about the United Kingdom has announced that they will send 150,000 drones to Ukraine to use against Russia.  If they can actually do that, it would only extend the war and destruction; so that just proves that the European leaders continue to have no care at all for the Ukrainian people; since that ‘help’ will just lead to the deaths and injuries of tens of thousands more Ukrainians and more destruction of their infrastructure and loss of more territory.  We really do need to get going now; so that’s all for this last report of our school year!

Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!

 

Ehlana's and Ethan's Journals - June 18, 2026

 

Ehlana and Ethan:

Happy 31^st Birthday, Violet!

Our cousin’s birthday dinner was a highlight of our day, but everything was pretty good from Tai Chi by the river and breakfast with Mom through our play day at school and on to that dinner and the final game night at the Inn ahead of the summer break.  Some of our favorite parts of today included spending a bit of time with Cassie and Michael as they volunteered again to run the football toss game for the afternoon; sharing the competition with Naomi, Aiden, Sophia, and Aaron; and winning the overall team title with our best friends!  Violet’s dinner was at the Inn so they could do that with Jake and Stephanie too; and the game night highlights included the annual win for Miranda with Mom’s help and the bonus that has the junior title with our family too!  If you’re guessing that Ethan helped Naomi to earn that win, I’m happy to disappoint you because Aiden and I managed to best them – and they actually finished in fourth place this week.  Naomi loves me anyway; and they had fun even without the second team title win of the day.

We came home from the Inn with a stop to collect Silkie for a walk along the way to seeing Naomi and Aiden to their homes; bath or Jacuzzi time followed that walk; and now we’re ready to get some sleep to be ready for our last school day and start to our summer break.  Mom is still doing a bit of work in the office after helping out at school all day, but that is partly because she’s working with Cassie tonight too and some of our international partners via video conferencing.  We’re out of the loop for that, but know that they are all planning and preparing for all contingencies they might need as the situation in the Middle East develops – whether that is a move toward peace or not.

The anticipated deal-signing in Geneva is now just hours away if it happens, and we will welcome a real de-escalation, but the war talk continues from the hawks in Israel and elsewhere; so only time will tell if the fighting actually stops in the region.

We also see stories about President Trump pivoting from the Middle East to ending the Ukraine war, but Russia doesn’t trust ‘our’ side at all; and those stories about putting peace in Ukraine back on the front burner are countered by war-mongering news out of Europe and more attacks on civilians in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia that requires ‘western’ help for targeting and other tech support.  Russia pushes on with their attacks all along the frontlines in Ukraine; and the missile and drone attacks continue across Ukraine.  Our commentary may seem biased to the Russian side, but it really isn’t; since we distinguish between legitimate war targets and civilian targets.  We are sure that Russia has caused civilian casualties in Ukraine too, but we don’t see any verifiable information of intentionally doing that while the opposite has been proved hundreds of times now for Ukraine attacks on ‘soft’ civilian targets.  That isn’t popular among western leaders and media, but it is still true; so pretending otherwise is pointless.

Ethan and I are ready to get started on our nap time now.  We get the annual short school day tomorrow; so we want to be ready for all of the play time that we’ll get to have for our first weekend of our summer break!

Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!

Ehlana's and Ethan's Journals - June 17, 2026

 

Ehlana and Ethan:

The highlight of our news today was all of the time we spent with our best friends and Cassie and Michael.  The Pizzeria pizza and sides dinner was quick and entertaining; the teen praise team practice included a run-through for the holiday weekend service; and then the rest of our evening included movies, lots of chat time, and a midnight snack that included leftover pizza.  Yes, you can be shocked with the news that there were leftovers after feeding dinner to two teen guys, but it happened; and we were all happy to finish off the food while we watched the last movie.  We stayed up too late; only had time for a nap; and then we used some Magi healing to deal with the fatigue this morning.  Tai Chi by the river was followed by a hot breakfast; and then our last ‘real’ school day was all about a final round of work to close up the school before our play day tomorrow.  Ethan and I helped with the music room and getting gear together for the parade that we staged so that it won’t take long to get everything out to the float on the Fourth of July.

Ethan and I opted for play-work with our books or beakers after school; we had a quick dinner with Mom after that; and then we all headed to the park for the co-ed ball practices.  Naomi and Aiden met up with us and we were assigned kid control duty for next-gen kids.  While some of our favorite parents played or watched baseball; we kept the kids entertained at the playground and took them for a swim because it was still hot out – though cooler than the near triple-digit high we hit this afternoon.  That was fun; and then we came home without any requests for babysitting because we do have that school play day tomorrow.  We know that some of the ball players went to the pub after their practices, but as far as we know; no teens were recruited to help with the kids – at least for the family-and-friends’ kids closest to us.  Mom wouldn’t let us do any work or a Magi lesson tonight, so bath or Jacuzzi time followed soon after our return home; and now we’re ready to wrap this up and get some sleep so we’ll be ready for all of the play day fun tomorrow.

The world continues to wait for Friday and the peace deal that is supposed to lead to an end to the Iran war.  As details come out, though, if what we’re seeing is true; we don’t see how this can work when Israeli leaders continue to insist that they are not part of this deal at all.

We aren’t going to get into a major update for the Ukraine war, but we do want to mention one ugly story that feels personal to us because it again involved students.  This time, a Ukrainian drone targeted a school bus of Belarusian student-athletes while they were traveling through a western-Russia region.  One woman was killed and there were injuries too, but what is so ugly about this story is that Ukrainian drone operators are apparently intentionally targeting civilians and children – just as they did when attacking that school dormitory a few weeks ago.

That’s enough for tonight.  We really do need to catch up on our sleep; and I’m not just writing that because Naomi will not be happy with Ethan if he isn’t ready to play his best tomorrow!  Stay tuned; and we’ll have those adventure stories for you sometime tomorrow night.

Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!