Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - October 27, 2019

Ethan:

I was tired this morning, but with a house full of kids; a Magi self-healing – at least overtly – wasn’t an option.  We had extra exercise buddies this morning, so while it was near-freezing; Tai Chi was still by the river.  Zack slept in, but Brianna was at full-power by then; and certainly more fired-up than Aiden and I were after our nap.  The workout was a nice way to start our day – and quieter too; since life around our house got hectic after that as we were kept busy trying to get everyone fed and ready for church – especially when some of the guys were not happy about doing any of that after staying up playing video games for too long last night.

We did all get to church; had a good morning with the service and Sunday school; and then Mom and Dad only had Ehlana and me at home for lunch before we left Dad to work in the office while Mom, Ehlana, and I headed for the lab and archives to do some work there and get out of his way when Dad had a lot to get done today.  Playing at the lab all afternoon wasn’t an option, but we did have fun for a few hours; we met up with Naomi, Aiden, and some of the parents after that at our house for a costume-making session; there was a pizzeria pizza and some home-made sides dinner with all parents and siblings so that the costume work could continue until done; and then Mom did a Magi lesson with four kids while those parents, brother, and sister went home ahead of Naomi and Aiden – and Dad got back to work.

There was some ‘real’ studying for Ehlana and me after we walked Naomi and Aiden home while multi-tasking Silkie’s bedtime outing; bath or Jacuzzi time after that; and now I seriously need to get some sleep – especially when that last round of work and studying was done in a time phase so that we could get everything on our to-do lists finished.  The countdown is on now to Halloween, but as always, we have a lot of fun to share between now and then; so the last four days of October are going to be awesome!  I definitely want to be ready for all of the excitement and entertainment, so that’s all for now; and I’m out of here and moving on to nap time.

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

I love my Jacuzzi! ;^)

Ethan’s covered the highlights of the day; so I’ll only add a few more notes before wrapping this up and getting some sleep too.

Breakfast this morning was scary – and that was, for a change, more to do with the tired-and-grumpy version of Zack instead of the annoying-prankster version of our cousin.  Mom needed to spend more time helping with the boys, but we – the girls – still managed to have some hair and dress-up fun time.  I loved playing at the lab this afternoon, but the costume-making and pizza dinner adventure was the highlight of the day.  Magi lessons with our best friends are always great, but Ethan and Aiden were getting tired by then; so Mom took it easy on us tonight.

On the Cassie and Michael front, they’ve had a busy weekend with studying and extra Halloween-themed play time with their friends.  All of the dating opportunities around here over the past month have me thinking about their friends fairly-often; and that has been true tonight after getting the weekend update from them a while ago.  Sure, Ethan and I don’t get many of the too-hot-for-kids details, but my thoughts are focused on the relationships – not the intimate details that we don’t need to know about anyway.

Most of Cassie and Michael’s best friends that got into serious relationships by the end of last year are still in them.  That’s probably odd for most college teens; and I think that’s happened in part because of Cassie, Michael, Rowen, and Tim – for more reasons than Cassie’s love of matchmaking!  That may also be proving true for new matches that are just beginning to form through their growing connections – with Chloe and Vic being a good example; since they’re currently testing out the dating waters together.  I don’t want to get into a major review of this tonight, but I am keeping track of those friendships and relationships because I think that it is interesting to see how Cassie affects others around her – and does that in ways that are positive.  We sometimes spend too much time paying attention to the bad things that Magi of the Light attract too – like we did last year at this time; yet it is going to be the love and joy we share that will lead to the Ascension of the Light!

That’s a cheery thought to end with – so I will.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - October 26, 2019

Ehlana:

Yeah – my update is first because Ethan is stuck in the lounge playing video games with the guys – and might be at that for hours-longer unless the babysitters step in and stop them.  I wouldn’t count on that; since Patrick is more-likely to join in than look like the bad guy to Zack and the other, younger guys.

We’ve had a really great day, and the Haunted Halloween Walk is one of my favorite events in town – a night that is getting a bit bigger and better every year.

I should start from the beginning of our day.

Tai Chi was chilly but outdoors this morning; we had another hot breakfast; and then got to work on the yard and house chores.  The colder weather is bringing more work with it; so the leaves clean-up took quite a while – even with the attachments on Dad’s lawn tractor.  Ethan and I did a lot of raking around trees and clearing the gardens; swept paths, the patio, front porch, and driveway; and the list went on and on – or at least it seemed so when we weren’t set free until after we stopped for a late lunch at around one-thirty.  There was a bit of rain to deal with too, but not nearly as wet as last weekend; and the weather was nice for the rest of the afternoon and when it mattered most for our Halloween fun tonight.

Naomi and Aiden were able to play with us this afternoon too – though they packed their overnight bags and brought them to our house first before we went for a bike ride around town that included a tour to check out the latest Halloween decorations.  We had an early, light dinner at home; and then we headed for Witch Falls Road in time for the start of the Haunted Halloween Walk.  We were booked for one of the first walks, so we only had time to check out the booths and play one game before enjoying the scariest part of our evening – not including the Zack and Eli show we’ve had to deal with here since getting home for the night.  As always, we love the skits; the stories the guides tell each group as we walk between each scene; and the Magi here love being in on the secret that the stories are all based in fact – if somewhat embellished or adapted to work as minutes-long skits.

I like doing the walk early and then getting to play games and enjoy all of the treats and entertainment that’s set up to the east of Quarry Road.  New this year was a pizzeria pizza food booth that was a fund-raiser for the school and operated by a group of teens; so we supported them – and then we needed to order pizzas for our bedtime snack at home – though that might have been pre-arranged by the parents anyway.  The game booths were all for charities or local group fund-raisers too; so we played everything; bought home-made or bakery-sponsored and supplied treats; enjoyed hot drinks; and had fun with the music and dance area that was set up on the road in front of Emerson’s Computers.  There were other activities like face painting and temporary, Halloween tattoos, but I didn’t want to do either; since I don’t really like the clean-up that is needed after doing that sort of thing.  It was fun watching others being transformed or tattooed; though we didn’t really spend much time even doing that tonight.

We played until nine-thirty; headed home; and Mom and Dad got ready for their night out while Patrick and Jessica took over the kid control.  A Halloween movie in the lounge kept us entertained until eleven; the pizza bedtime snack was supposed to be the transition to going to bed; and then Naomi and I had the rest of the girls in my room for some girl chat time while the boys took over the lounge and continued the video gaming that they started right after the movie.  We talked until a bit after midnight; Jessica helped with getting Brianna, Faith, and their besties into beds on the second floor after they fell asleep; and Naomi, Sophia, and I are all in my bed for the rest of the night – though Naomi is currently sitting in the window alcove and wishing that she was cuddling with Ethan instead.

That didn’t end up being an option tonight thanks to Zack and Eli; so she has several reasons to be annoyed with them tonight.  Add in their goofiness while we were out; the food and drinks grossness; and the slime in our hair; and you get the picture for why Naomi would really like to hex her brother right now.  Magi of the Light aren’t supposed to think that way, but we’re kids; not perfect; and it would only be bad if we actually did try to blast Zack and Eli! ;^)

There’s no point in going on about that, though we are wondering if Zack and Eli are trying to get all of their inner devils out of themselves by Halloween before they’ll need to at least pretend to be good so that they don’t end up on Santa’s naughty list.  I doubt that they’re actually worried about that, though they’ve been teased about it in the past; so it is possible that it is something they at least think about.  Zack loves his jokes and pranks; but isn’t nearly as happy when he’s the target instead of the instigator.

I guess that’s all I have for tonight.  It really has been a fun day even with those annoyances and all of the chores this morning.  Let’s hope that the rest of our Halloween adventures will be just as great!

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

***

Ethan:

I only have time for a nap before we’ll be up and going again, so let’s go with Ehlana’s report; and I’ll do a double update tomorrow night.

Ethan – out!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - October 25, 2019

Ethan:

There was a bit of rain this morning, so Tai Chi was indoors; and then we had a hot breakfast before moving on to our school or work day.  Ehlana and I had fun with our friends, and the weather improved, so while it wasn’t hot out by the time we were set free for the weekend; biking and playing at the park was an option – and the fun level went up a few notches as we enjoyed another chance to hang out with our friends and especially enjoy the biking now that it’s beginning to feel as though it won’t be much longer before the bikes will need to be put away for the winter.

Mom had us home with time to help out with the pre-dinner work because we hosted the dinner, pumpkin carving, and movie night.  Our jobs didn’t end up lasting all that long because we were put in charge of junior cousin kid control soon-after Zack, Eli, Caleb, and Sebastian arrived – and the Moms in the house wanted them to go up to the lounge and get out of their hair.

You know that Aunt Leanne has hit her ‘Zack limit’ when she starts joking about him being grandparent payback for her childhood with them! ;^)

While in the lounge, we played video games; the girls hung out in Ehlana’s room when they needed a break from the guys; and then we had dinner in the dining room with the parents – though there had been a strong temptation to put the kids in the sunroom instead.  I would have been okay with that, but had more fun with the parents; and that also allowed us to get the sunroom set up for the pumpkin carving while the post-dinner clean-up was going on too.  Ehlana will have the girls’ perspective on the pumpkins part of our evening entertainment; so I’ll just point out that we had fun – even if it got a bit messy; and we have some very interesting jack-o-lanterns on the front porches of eight homes – including the extras that were made for grandparents and great-grandparents.

The movie for tonight was classically-bad; with the scariest parts likely being the fact that there were kids of all ages laughing at Ernest as he was scared stupid.  For the record; perfect memories are not always a blessing when you can’t un-remember something you’ve watched! ;^)

I’m not really making fun of that movie since it was entertaining – if in a bad jokes sort of way; and we definitely had fun together while watching it.  I’ll also give Zack points for his attempts at imitating – and updating – those jokes and comedy; though he also took that a bit too far a time or four; and didn’t impress the girls nearly as much.  Our play time ended soon after the movie, but Ehlana and I had some work to do with Mom and Dad after our guests left – including dealing with the pumpkins and garbage; a more-thorough clean-up of the sunroom; and the rest of the usual post-movie chores.  Mom ended up doing a load of laundry too by the time we’d finished the rest of the work; and then we headed up to our rooms.  Ehlana and I had a bedtime chat on her bed after getting changed; Silkie ended up with her for the night because she fell asleep by the time I was ready to head for my room; and now it’s time to wrap this up and get some sleep because we’re going to have a very busy day tomorrow with chores in the morning and the Haunted Halloween Walk tomorrow night.  We’re saving the sleepover for tomorrow night because we’ll also have sitters for after the walk when the parents head for the party at Sheldon’s Pub.  We’d already planned on having Naomi and Aiden here, but Mom and Dad will have some of the cousins and their best friends here tomorrow night too; while Uncle Nick and Aunt Deborah will have another gang at their house with Leah and Sebastian.

We’ll have more on that with the net update, but that’s all I have for tonight, and I really do need to get that sleep; so I’m going to do that starting right now.

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

I’m warm, comfortable, and don’t really feel like adding anything to Ethan’s report – even if Zack and Eli definitely deserve to be written about from a girl’s perspective for some of their acts of extreme annoyance today.

Staying happy will be better for me as I head off to sleep, though; so I won’t go there and call it a night.

Now that Zack and Eli will be here for that sleepover tomorrow night; I’ve no doubt that they’ll give me all-new reasons to write about them with the next report anyway.  I don’t want to think about that either, so I won’t do that; and will move on to my nap time.

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!

Ethan's and Ehlana's Journals - October 24, 2019

Ethan:

Our top adventures of the day were the after-school play time with our friends and the Halloween edition of game night at the Inn after dinner.  For the first, we definitely had a fall-weather day, but the cooler temperature didn’t keep us from our biking on the trails – though it did get us to cut that short; skip the playground time; and take our hang-out time indoors.  Ehlana and I hosted that part of the fun in the lounge; video gaming was involved; and a few of our friends were responsible for putting a significant dent into our usual snacks and drinks supply.  It has been a while since we’ve hosted the gang at our house, but we’ll do more of that through the winter; so it’s apparently time to be better-prepared for the extra supplies that we’ll need to do that more-often.

Moving along, we kept Naomi and Aiden for dinner; went on to the Inn and had a blast with the special games and treats; and then Mom did a Magi lesson for four kids before we walked Naomi and Aiden home and multi-tasked Silkie’s bedtime outing while doing that.  Uncle Adam and Aunt Leanne won the senior team title tonight; and I think that she was motivated and fired up because of the upcoming trip to the west coast and Catalina Island.  Mom and Dad are happy too, but they’re still more-focused on all of the work that needs to be done ahead of that trip than the adventure ahead of them.  That’s why they worked again in the office tonight, but Ehlana and I headed for bed after we got back from our walk; and I’m ready to get to sleep now because it’s been a long day and I’m tired.

The Halloween fun continues tomorrow with the school dance, but while that’s for the teens around here; we still have our family-and-friends dinner and a movie night that is going to include Halloween fun like pumpkin carving; so we’re going to kick the weekend off with a lot of fun too.

Stay tuned – it’s going to be a spooky-good next few days!

Ethan – out!

***

Ehlana:

As usual; I’ll hope that our Halloween season will continue to be completely free of the Dark-Magi-Master kind of spooky fun!

Ethan has covered the highlights of the day; so I’ll only add a couple of notes.  First, he was too-nice to admit that Miles and Joshua were the friends responsible for demolishing our snacks and drinks supply.  That was Halloween-scary; and more than a little bit gross for the girls in the room.  Sure, the rest of us had treats and drinks too, but they couldn’t possibly have room for dinner when they went home; and their parents should already be afraid of future grocery bills once they’re teens!  Next up, the special games at the Inn really are fun, so in case that isn’t something that we do here in the future; those games include favorites dating back centuries around here.

No, we don’t shoot apples off of the heads of our game night partners with bows and arrows! ;^)

Bobbing for apples is one of those Halloween games, though; there was a pumpkin bowling alley set up in one of the smaller dining rooms; and holiday-themed adaptations to some of the regular games like darts, Pictionary, and cards.  The snacks at the Inn were all holiday-themed and from the bakery; so the food was a highlight too – and scary; since some of the guys were making bonus games out of those treats and the drinks.

Note to me – have very-hot hot chocolate for winter drinks in the lounge this year.  That ought to make drinking competitions for Miles and Joshua impossible – or extremely painful if they try anyway!

Okay, that’s all I have for tonight.  Cassie and Michael are having a late night on campus; so our next update will have to wait until morning – or possibly sometime this weekend; depending on how busy we all are tomorrow.  They have some Halloween fun booked for this weekend too, so while we wish they could be here with us instead; I’m glad that they’ll work a bit less and have more time to enjoy the weekend than would be possible with the added drive time that goes along with the trips home.

This is going to be a good weekend; so I’m going to wrap this up and get to sleep so I’ll be ready for all of those adventures!

This is Ehlana Proctor; coming to you live from what is now my past!