Naomi, Ethan, Ehlana, and Aiden:
Congratulations, Martin and Kimberly – it’s a girl!
Welcome to the family, Abigail Rice!
Our newest cousin was born early this afternoon while we were happily busy with our back-to-school shopping! I’m including Aiden and myself in that ‘our’ because Abigail will be one of our cousins-in-law eventually; so why let technicalities get in the way? This update is coming at you while we’re driving back to Crystal Springs from Woodvale after going to visit Abigail and the rest of her family that was there at the hospital; and we’ll be spending the night at the usual hotel in a pair of adjoining rooms. Ehlana and I are definitely going to mix up our roommates once my future parents-in-law are tucked away in their room; so co-ed naps are going to be part of the rest of our night.
Ehlana wants me to write about the rest of their Tuesday, so I’ll mention that our ball practices went well; our co-ed teen night with Sophia and Aaron included a music practice, group Magi lesson, and a movie before we got around to the co-ed napping; and then we were up early this morning to get ready for our shopping adventure.
Tai Chi was skipped this morning; we met up at the Inn for a breakfast buffet even though we weren’t doing the usual, major shopping trip; and we still ended up with more than fifty shoppers when we headed out of town – including some additions that weren’t officially part of our group but joined in anyway. The baby news we got this afternoon added to the fun, but we had a blast with all of the shopping; a fast food lunch; and then going out to dinner with some parents and cousins that waited until after that meal to head home again while we took the minivan to Woodvale to meet Abigail.
Martin and Kimberly didn’t specifically plan on having their first child in August, but Kimberly is happy with the timing and plans on taking the rest of the year off from teaching and will return in January. That might seem long for a maternity break to some young parents – and a dream that most couldn’t have when bills need to be paid, so we’re happy to report that Kimberly is able to do that thanks to Martin’s successful video games and game apps. They won’t be vacationing with the billionaires of the world quite yet, but Martin has sold millions of games and apps; and can take time to enjoy the new baby time with Kimberly and Abigail! Abigail is beautiful and perfect; and we are sure that she is going to be very happy with her parents and family! Before we move on, most of the Rice clan was at the hospital tonight, but Dawn can’t get back for a while because she’s booked for weeks in advance for her job; and isn’t even in the country today. She did schedule some time off in September; so maybe we’ll see her too while she’s home – if she comes to Witch Falls for a visit.
Getting back to our own story of the day, the shopping highlights included the stop for lingerie that Ethan helped me out with – or not; since he just turned bright red as I wrote that little fib, but for the record; we could have had fun with that sort of thing if he wasn’t such a proper kind of Wizard! ;^) There actually was a bit of shopping for underwear, but the Moms had us segregated for those stops – and for quite a bit of the clothes shopping fun too. The guys did pay more attention to fashion this year, but that wasn’t all that serious; and we only teased Ethan about picking out clothes to match his twin. He isn’t picky about name brands for anything except his trainers; and that isn’t even a big deal when his choice is good but far from the most-expensive or high-end shoes out there. I won’t name the brand and accidentally turn their journals into a future advertising campaign! The guys might suggest that the food breaks were the highlights of our day, but we also spent some quality time picking out the gifts we’ll need for birthdays and other events coming up over the next few months; and we have more of those celebrations on the schedule every year as we have next-gen family and friends added to the mix – including the gift we had for Abigail and her parents tonight.
It’s past-eleven as we’re closing in on Crystal Springs now, and we’ll be back at the hotel soon; so let’s wrap this up. The top Cassie and Michael news is that they’re already on their way home from Georgia. They’ll fly to Spain first; take an overnight flight to the east coast; and then a Friday morning flight to Indianapolis. They have the wedding to attend on Saturday; and then they’ll take the final flight-hop home on Sunday – along with Rowen and Tim for that last leg of the journey. I’m sure that Ethan and Ehlana will have more on their story with the next few reports, but since I’ve taken over tonight; I’ll mention that I am jealous and want to go on some future trips with them – either during summer breaks or maybe at Christmas or for a winter break from school. I’m sure we’d learn a lot more hanging out with them somewhere exotic and warm in January and February!
Moving along, I am not going to write about world or political news. Yes, Ethan and Ehlana keep up with pretty much all world information, but I’m just a happily-oblivious, normal teen with no serious interest in what old people do – especially when it seems that the older and richer they are; the dumber they get. If that wasn’t true, those extreme narcissists would understand that money and power are meaningless if not used to share love and joy. Yes, I joke about working with Ehlana to be billionaires when we grow up, but I’d want that to come with a billion hugs and kisses.
That’s a happy note to end this report on – and I’ll get to sharing some of those hugs and kisses with Ethan once we’re back at the hotel and can get started on our co-ed five-star sleepover! ;^)
Until next time, live with love, fellow Magi of the Light!
