What a Year It's Been!

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

 And that's a wrap!  Can't wait to see how 2021 pans out.  Hahaha.

(This year's "Come, Follow Me" tracking poster for reading the Doctrine and Covenants.)