Escapolgoy

 Cooper and I went on a date night with Lynelle and Ben to Escapeology.  We did escape, but it was not easy!!!  

I took Kaylee, Dawson, Nathan & Owen to attempt to save Santa!!  This was definitely a challenge and we struggled to save him.  Nathan was nervous that we were going to be "locked in" the room.  He really thought that if we didn't solve the problem of Santa that we would never get out.  So he was a bit worried.  Owen kept messing up the puzzles and the order of the boxes when we were trying to keep our clues straight.  Each of us seemed to take turns figuring out different puzzles and clues.  The workers gave us hints, which definitely helped.  When we finally opened the final door to save Santa, Owen looked around to find Santa but couldn't find him!  Its because Santa was a 1 foot tall doll on the shelf.  That was a little bit of a dissapointment when we really thought we were saving the real Santa!!  All in all, it was great fun!  We did it, we saved Santa, and we got candy canes at the end!!!

Way to go team!

The Lake House

 We went in on a lake house purchase with our good friends Lucy and Greg Graham.  Lucy's uncle owned the home and lived there until he passed away last year.  It has remained vacant and is beginning to fall apart.  One of Lucy's dreams was to purchase the lake house on Blue Lake and hold on to the memories she had as a child visiting the lake with her cousins.  Going in on this purchase together obviously saves money for both of our families, and we get to build it up together!  We plan to fix it up and spend some time up at the lake!  The interior needs a lot of work.  The kitchen needs expanded.  The attic may become a loft space for bunks, and the side wall is going to get moved out several feet.  We will reside the house and repaint and re-floor and every thing else!!  It is an exciting project we hope to complete in the next year!!  

The Remodel Project

 We decided to remodel our house after 10 years of living here!! As you can imagine, with 6 kids in the house, quite a few cats and some dogs over the years, the floors and walls needed an upgrade. Nate took on the project for the most part, and hired out some friends and workers through the process.  We pretty much lived in the basement for a couple of months while the walls and floors and kitchen were all torn up or covered in plastic.  We went from a traditional dark colored home to a bright white beach looking house resembling our fun Florida rental homes!  Woohooo!  

We had scaffolding built all the way up to the ceiling and plastic covering walls and stairs.  The windows were covered so we could paint, so the house was super dark.  Photos to follow when we finally complete the project!!!  

Thanksgiving during Covid-19

 Thanksgiving was different this year.  Covid kind of messed up with everyone's plans!  Grandma and Gramps in Utah were going to come for the week, but that did not happen.  The entire Routsong family were not able to get together this time.  We sent photos of each of our table spreads and wished each other Happy Thanksgiving from afar.  

Dawson and I baked a beautiful turkey together from scratch!  We followed a recipe that he found on Alexa.  We both were not sure how it would turn out, but it certainly did!!!  It was delicious!  We had mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, salad, rolls and fruit!  We had a cozy family movie night together after our feast.  We had fun together as our own little family at Thanksgiving this year.  

Owen's Puzzle Skills

Owen loves to make puzzles with Dawson and Mom.  He was super proud when he finished this puzzle and understood how to find the right pieces and how to make them fit.  It was fun to see his little mind thinking so hard about the project.  He did not want help, but slowly figured it all out!!  Great Job Owen!

Grandma Hutchinson's Preschool

 Grandma Hutchinson has her Play-To-Learn Preschool.  They had a Thanksgiving feast and she was so proud of her cute kids that she sent over some pics.  Her entire basement is transformed into a fun preschool for all the kids.  She teaches just one class these days, the 4 year olds on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays.  Melissa has taken on Tuesday and Thursday classes and Monday/Wednesday/Friday afternoons.  They've got a great thing going on!!  

Jaxton Turns 14!

 Happy Birthday JAX!!!  

Can't believe our biggest kid is fourteen!  Happy Birthday Big Guy!  Covid has affected everything including birthday parties.  The plan was to have a bunch of his buddies over for a party but with Covid spreading like mad, that was not possible.  We helped him have a nice day though.

We have told him for years that he gets a phone at 14 years old.  So he kinda was expecting one.  We wrapped up an old iPhone 4 as a joke and he was pleasantly surprised and humble and grateful to actually have a phone.  Then we let him open a new iPhone SE and he then understood our joke and was stoked!  Clearly that was his favorite gift.

Here are some fun things about Jaxton at 14 years old:

1. Jaxton has his first job.  He began working for a small cotton candy business.  He has learned to spin cotton candy and comes home smelling like sugar every time he works.  He loves knowing a skill that most people don't know and he enjoys working for Lucy and Greg.  He started at $8 per hour and recently got a raise for his work ethic to $9 per hour.  Yay!

2. Jaxton is a boy scout and well on his way to earning his Eagle Scout Rank in about a years time.  He is finishing up his Life Rank in the next few months and he also was recently elected to the Order of the Arrow, which is an exciting honor within Boy Scouts.

3. Jax loves to eat cereal for just about any meal.  He loves rice bowls and ramen and seems to enjoy cooking these types of foods.  We get the Hello Fresh meals weekly almost and he will take a recipe card and go to town with the recipe.  

4. Jax is almost as tall as me!  His feet are just as big as mine and at times I will use his shoes or his mud boots.

5. Jaxton enjoys creating songs on a computer program.  His songs are pretty amazing.  He is very talented!!

Owen's Walk Around the Sun

A Montessori tradition is to walk with the earth around the sun as many years as you are alive. Today Owen got to walk around the sun four times. They sing a special song and celebrate his four years of life. He also prepared a timeline which shows pictures as a newborn, age one, age two, age 3 and age 4. He was so proud to have a turn to walk around the sun.

Matt & Lora

Matt & Lora are some great friends of ours.  We meet up almost weekly for date night.  This particular evening we attempted an Escape Room downtown Fort Wayne.  We did indeed escape!  It was a fun night.  Matt & Lora are on a spiritual journey similar to our own, so we have much in common and much to relate to.  We are so grateful for these genuine friends that we can spend time with. 

 

Raking Leaves - Simplx Cares

We joined Simplx Cares to rake leaves for the NeighborLink program.  Several Fort Wayne residents reached out to NeighborLink for help with their autumn leaves in their yard.  We were given 5 homes to serve and we bagged leaves for 3 hours.  It was actually hard physical labor and the kids helped a lot.  Some of the people we served were extremely grateful.  Glad we could help out!

 

Happy Birthday Owen!

 Happy Birthday Owen!!!  Owen is 4 years old.  I just cannot believe it.  He is such a sweetheart and such a joy in our family.  To think that he surprised us with his idea to join our family... I cannot imagine life without the sweet little guy.  I am so so grateful for him!!  

Because of Covid, we did not have a party for him besides a family gathering.  A yummy ice cream cake with four candles and party hats for the family!  Owen has recently claimed the back add on bedroom above the third garage that was initially built for Dawson's baby nursery.  Jaxton took a turn in there for a few years, and then it was used as a little library and then a toy room.  Owen has been sleeping in there for fun and saying it is his.  So we decided to deck out his little space in an ocean theme.  For his birthday he got a shark bedding set and pillow, new toy bins, and an octopus & beanbag.  His little "shark" room is fun and quaint for him.  Grandma in Utah got him a castle set and Grandma in Kendallville got him a PJ Masks rocketship set.  He was so proud to be 4 and has been waiting for his birthday for so so long.  

Some fun things about Owen at age four are:

1. His favorite TV shows lately are Power Rangers, PJ Masks, Cat Boy & Lava Girl. 

2. His favorite friends are Nora, Ezra, Claire, and Daisy May from his class at school.  

3. Owen's favorite thing to do in the mornings is to sit and sip his hot chocolate and my hot coffee together.  He has asked to do that outside, the way we began doing that in the mornings, but it has been so cold.  I am looking forward to warm weather that will allow this tradition again.

4. Owen has very little fear.  He does whatever his older siblings are doing and gets himself in the middle of wrestling matches and running races without thinking about his age and size.  He is driven to not be left behind, but wants to stay in the mix of everything going on.  

5. Owen enjoys 2 songs at night, of which we rotate every evening.  "I Love You Owen" (the old Girls' Camp tune) and "A Bushel & a Peck" of which he does not understand one word of, but knows how to sing the entire song.  :-)

We love this kid!  Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Veteran's Day Parade

 My boy scouts and I got to participate in the Fort Wayne Veteran's Day Parade.  It was a new experience for all of us, and very exciting.  Nathan and Dawson, a Lion & Wolf scout, were glad to get dressed up in their uniforms and be a part of something so great.  Jaxton also recognized the significance of the event.  We saw many veterans sporting their vet hats or gear along the parade route and we waved our appreciation to them.  It was a fun outing with great meaning.  I hope that the kids recognize how grateful we are for the veterans of our country and the role they played to make our country a safe place to be.  

Nate's 40th Birthday Beer

 I had a crazy fun idea for Nate's birthday this year.  He is turning 40!  With our faith journey, we have studied and researched everything from a scientific perspective.  This includes items from coffee to tea to beers and wines.  Part of the disconnect from these items is that we were never educated on where they come from or how they are made or even what ingredients are in them.  We were always simply told they were bad.  I found an opportunity for us to study beer: where it comes from, what ingredients it involves, the process of brewing and how we can actually do it with our own hands!!  At Gnometown Brewery they have a program where people can come in and make their own beer from scratch.  How intriguing!  We invited our friends, the Grahams, whom we have just created a real estate holding company called Blue Fox Properties and purchased a lake house with on Blue Lake.  All of us have similar religious backgrounds, so this experience would be second to none!

First, a load of barley was poured into a large "tea bag" and allowed to brew in boiling water.  This brings the flavor out of the barley and into the boiling water, just like tea!  We were required to place a big masher into the tea bag and mash the barley to help disburse the flavors.  We had to do this every 5 minutes or so for about an hour.  This was a messy process because the tea bag was floppy and awkward trying to keep it from falling into the pot, leaning the opening over the edge in between stirs/mashes, etc.  After a long time of doing this mashing, the tea bag of barley was removed and a few ingredients were added, one of them being hops.  I had never heard this term before, completely new to me.  I never knew why the Hoppy Gnome was called "Hoppy" and I never knew what went into beer. Hops are plant pieces that grow.  Our beer maker teacher actually grows some in his backyard.  There are different flavors and types of hops with different levels of potency.  The darker color the hops, the more bitter the flavor of beer.  Super interesting.  Anyone could grow them and make their own small batches of beer at home.  Never knew that.  How interesting.  So our teacher guy knows the correct amounts and what not and he let us drop in some hops and other interesting ingredients and let the mixture continue to brew.  Finally, we used a pressurized system to push it into a barrel which would then sit for 4 weeks to age.  He put our name on the barrel and we left it there to return at another time to bottle our homemade beer.  

What an interesting process.  Education is key in understanding the world around you.  Hands on education is fascinating, to learn and understand first hand how things work.  We am constantly eager to learn more and more and more about the world around us.  Happy 40th Nate!!  

This wall shows the process of brewing beer.  

El Dia de Los Muertos

 El Dia de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, is also a part of Halloween.  Our family enjoys the movie Coco which is surrounding this theme.  So because of Halloween, the kids suggested we create our own afrenda to place photos of our ancestors.  I have a deep appreciation for my ancestors and those who came before me.  There is so much to learn from them and so much to be grateful for the road they paved for us.  On our afrenda we placed photos of Alma Joseph Riding, my maternal grandfather who passed before I was born.  We put a photo of Royce & Leonard Hutchinson, my paternal grandparents who passed several years ago in California.  I could not locate a photo of my mom's mom, my grandma who I loved so much, Thelma Riding; though she was in my mind.  The kids hardly knew these great people.  

We also placed a photo of Nate's grandma, Martha Routsong, who had just recently passed away.  The kids attended the funeral with us and her passing was on all of our minds.  This is what spurred the idea for an afrenda.  Lastly on our afrenda was a beautiful photo of Becky, my sister, who passed about a year an a half ago.  We went to her services in Utah and the kids are familiar with Becky.  I was so glad to have an afrenda to honor these great individuals that we are connected to.  We do not know exactly where they are, but hope that they have peace and know of our love for each of them.