Skip to main content

A new quiet...

December was quiet, our calendar was pretty empty. I don't think it was just because of Covid, but because of where we are in life right now.  The kids had two weeks of finals and school projects. They were so invested in their studying and learning, it seemed at times that all this Boyen Bunch of mine had going was school! It paid off...they all received great grades. 

Lorelei loves working in the reading room. She is such a hard working student. She has all Pre-AP classes and 3 high school classes this year as an 8th grader. 


Savannah had an outstanding first semester at UT Austin! She made straight A's! She told me she would and she did! Bailey had a successful semester too. Jonas is working to be top of his class...although rankings are not out yet, I know he will be. His current GPA is a 101.8 out of a possible 102!! I love how these guys push themselves and set their own goals. I promise I don't care what grades they get, as long as it's their best work. Their intrinsic motivation is what drives them. 

My mom had a health scare this month, which was not Covid, thankfully, but still required a hospital stay. During my visit one cold, Saturday in December, the girls Facetimed her and decorated her tree for her. Such a simple gesture made such a difference. These girls are quite a riot! 


Lorelei had her 8th grade pictures, Covid style. We drove up to the school, they completed a health screener, took their temperatures, wore their masks till right before the photo was taken. She looked so grown up. I had to snap a picture at home. 


Christmas break started with a visit to Lorelei's favorite doctor, her sleep specialist. She still struggles with sleep and anxiety. After a lot of thought, we are finally going to try anxiety meds. I proud of this girl and hopeful for some relief for her. 


We grabbed some Freddy's after, then headed to Trader Joe's for some Christmas goodies. 


We had some holiday preparations like:

Baking with Nana. 


Fresh haircuts!


Crafting homemade gifts.


Food of course! Homemade tortillas for Taco Tuesday!




Christmas Eve was quiet for a bit...until "Savanta" made an appearance! Savannah was a hoot as our Santa tradition continued with a new twist!

Warning: Photo overload! 











Here comes SAVANTA!!!













Christmas morning calm...


This year we tried something new and only bought for one person in the family. It worked out GREAT! Each person put so much thought and love into the gifts. No one was disappointed or overwhelmed. I helped each one shop, but they used their own money. We all loved it so much. 

Lorelei nailed the gifts for Savannah, with her love of The Office.


Jonas find just the right gifts for Lorelei and she loved each one. 


I had Jonas and filled his closet with trendy new clothes. Despite his face, I promise he was quite happy with his new things. 


Bailey and John had each other and exchanged later in the day...didn't grab a picture though. 

We made a nice breakfast. 

Round two with family.



Second year in a row of homemade sushi for Christmas dinner! Strange but yummy for us!


This girl is a pro at rolling sushi! And kind enough to make everyone's rolls. 


We capped off the night with the latest drink trend, hot cocoa bombs! Cheers!



John and I "celebrated" our 24th Anniversary on Monday. I should say it was more of an acknowledgement! He bought me some new pots and pans, and an electric popcorn maker. We rarely make a big deal out of our anniversary, and that's okay. Next year though...25 years! I might need to get more creative. 

The rest of this week has been lovely and quiet. We've had eye appointments and selected our new glasses. Jonas' got contacts AND started practicing driving! It's weird to think another Boyen is ready to drive!



It's time to say good bye to 2020. I think it really was a successful year, even if Covid changed the way we do things. The best part of the year...all the extra time I had with this Boyen Bunch of mine. 

Here's to 2021! Happy New Year Friends!


Comments

  1. It was a wonderful holiday season for you all!! Here's to a 2021 that gets us all back to "normal". Happy New Year!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Feeling a little salty...

  It may not look like I'm feeling a little salty in this picture, but  I was. It's June, and summer vacation had just started. All the chaos of May had me feeling a little tired, and I was experiencing what I thought was mild back pain from sciatica. I had noticed a few spots on my back and leg that looked like bug bites. Savannah was over, and we were about to head out to the pool when she noticed a crazy rash on my leg. She FaceTimed my mom, who said it looks like shingles?!?! John didn't agree and thought there was no way. Savannah insisted I go to urgent care. What do you know...I did have shingles. As soon as I mentioned how busy my month had been, that I was a teacher, had a Senior graduating, etc. The doctor said stress is one of the biggest causes of shingles. I was lucky this sweet girl of mine made me go get checked out. I was able to start meds and caught it early.  I did not have time for shingles! Hence the saltiness. That same week was Lorelei's high scho...

Roaring 20s~Boyen Bunch Style!

Is it just me, or were your 20s the best time in your life? The things I did in my 20s were memorable, adventurous, and not too crazy, but life-changing.   Here's my 20's list of accomplishments: I graduated from college with a BAE and an M.Ed.  I got my first real job (and three more teaching jobs to follow). I got married. We had the best time exploring the world together.  I moved more times than I can count, from Florida to Denver, to Houston, to finally settling and buying our first house in San Antonio. I was active: biking, hiking, snowboarding, playing tennis, and more. I made so many meaningful friendships and connections. I had not one but two kids! I had both Bailey and Savannah in my 20s!  I sure squeezed a lot into that decade. Looking back now, I cherish those years. But you know what maybe even a little more fun? Reliving your 20s at 50+ with your young adult kids.  Savannah has been living it up! She got a job she loves, her own place, and many g...

The days are long...

...but the years are short. I've always loved the saying. One of my favorite authors and podcasters, Gretchen Rubin, is credited as the original author of this quote. I always think about it when another year passes. This year was fast and furious, as I have found all the years to be since my kids became teenagers. It seems like every time I turn around, there's another graduation, major milestone, or life achievement by one of my kids. 2024 had a high school graduation, college graduation, three moves from home to college, from college back to town, from across town, back to home. And the dust hasn't completely settled yet. Gretchen Rubin has another saying now that her kids are grown. Instead of an empty nest, she calls it an "Open Door." I love that too. My door will always be open to my kids and their friends, as it seems like there's always an extra somebody at our house too. It's one of my favorite times.  Thanksgiving break brought some new friends ...