Please tell me we are not the only household S-T-R-U-G-G-L-I-N-G to get back into a routine after Christmas break! Seriously -- the last two weeks have been RUFF. We're not exactly a family of early-to-bed-early-to-rise-ers, and we have experienced more than a few mornings of frazzled dishevelment as we've tried to get ourselves up on time and out the door. Doh! Thank goodness we have Ethan -- he's probably the only person in this household with the discipline to go to bed on time each night and wake up early enough to start his day. Which is extra helpful for ME, seeing as to how he has taken upon himself the added responsibility of waking Grace up every morning for seminary and making sure she gets to school, too.
But I digress. Tonight's post is all about our annual "year in review" type sheets that the kids fill out at the beginning of each new year. I think this is the 6th or 7th year running that we've done it, and they always get a kick out of reading back over the years to see what life was like way back when. Hahahaha. I enjoy it, too, and always find their responses to be not only a hoot, but in some cases remarkably self-aware for ones so young. Hahahaha.
Without further delay, here is what the kids have to say about "What a Year It's Been!":
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Ethan
Age: 17
Favorite Color: Orange
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Activity: Watching sports
Favorite Book: Life of Pi
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: "Done is better than perfect" (I got a shout out! This is a phrase that I've said to him many times this last year and I guess it really stuck! 😉)
Hardest thing of the year: Wuthering Heights podcast
Favorite memory: Living life in the era of Covid-19
What I loved most about 2020: Building the rations and living during a historic, unprecedented year
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: How to live on my own
Want to get better at: Study habits
Biggest goal: Get into BYU on scholarship and have a good time at school, while getting good grades
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Alex
Age: 9
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Activity: Legos
Favorite Book: Harry Potter
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: More math
Hardest thing of the year: School
Favorite memory: Going to cousins
What I loved most about 2020: Absolutely nothing (such a classic Alex response 😂)
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: Don't know
Want to get better at: Writing
Biggest goal: Don't know
(We finished filling out our Book of Mormon tracking poster in December -- Isaac had the honor of coloring in the "END."
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Isaac
Age: 5
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Pizza and Taco Tuesday
Favorite Activity: Playing Roblox
Favorite Book: Wuthering Heights: A Weather Primer (😂😂; but also 😍)
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: Be good and helping
Hardest thing of the year: Beating a hard level on Roblox
Favorite memory: Playdate with Rafa
What I loved most about 2020: Playing cars with Owen at school
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: Be good and help people build blocks
Want to get better at: Tag
Biggest goal: Just Dance challenge
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Jane
Age: 11
Favorite Color: Purple or pink
Favorite Food: Lemon pepper chicken or mac n cheese
Favorite Activity: Probs jumping on the trampoline or on my phone (note to reader -- she does not have a PHONE phone, this is a hand-me-down from one of the big kids and is essentially a glorified iPod touch)
Favorite Book: Blended
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: Don't fight or quarrel with your siblings
Hardest thing of the year: idk maybe the virus
Favorite memory: Going to the cousins house
What I loved most about 2020: Probs nothing/Biden winning (😂😂😂)
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: How to do more tricks on the trampoline
Want to get better at: ELA/math/S.S./science/basically school
Biggest goal: To learn how to do a back flip/back handspring (on the trampoline)
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Sophie
Age: 13
Favorite Color: Sage green or brown
Favorite Food: Mashed potatoes or spaghetti or my bread
Favorite Activity: Texting my friends
Favorite Book: The Selection series
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: Submit your assignments by 11:59 PM
Hardest thing of the year: Now, it's a little cliche, but probably quarantine
Favorite memory: Going to the cousins' Indiana house for the last time or Christmas
What I loved most about 2020: ik I said quarantine was hard, but at the same time, I really loved it
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: How to bake a lot more stuff so I can open a bakery when I'm older (j/k I don't wanna open a bakery) (I wanna open a boutique)
Want to get better at: "Controlling my temper" (Look at that self-awareness at work! Hahahaha)
Biggest goal: It seems to be a trend in my past to fill in "High Honors" for this one, so yeah that ig
A LITTLE ABOUT ME --
Name: Grace Elizabeth
Age: 16
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Lemon pepper chicken
Favorite Activity: Netflix, Disney+, Amazon prime
Favorite Book: Selection series, To Kill a Mockingbird
HIGHLIGHTS of 2020 --
Greatest lesson learned: Uh -- sometimes pandemics are fun? idk
Hardest thing of the year: Quarantine in general (obviously)
Favorite memory: Christmas, cousins, zero hour mornings, new shows
What I loved most about 2020: Some of my online classes, Christmas
LOOKING FORWARD to 2021 --
Want to learn: How to cook more
Want to get better at: Driving, saving money
Biggest goal: Get license, get good grades, get a job over the summer maybe
