July - September 2020

Mid and late summer was largely similar to spring and early summer.  We spent quite a bit of time around the house; Anna even mowed the lawn once!  Jack started planning his Eagle Scout project by working with a local land trust charity.  A good family friend got married outdoors in Vermont in August.  We spent two weeks at home to quarantine and then drove to the wedding.  Nearly everything was outside, and we were happy to have a trip and be safe doing it.  Ballet had a few indoor sessions in the large ballroom wearing masks, but that moved back to virtual at the start of the fall semester.  

In front of the big oak tree at Moyer Gould Woods

Anna on the mower

waiting for the outdoor wedding ceremony in Vermont

A family photo at the wedding location

Anna with Dad's scrap-built ballet barre for virtual classes

April - June 2020

Most of our activities moved to virtual or got cancelled.  No soccer.  Ballet via Zoom meeting.  Jack helped his troop move to virtual meetings using a discord server, but no BSA summer camp.  Mom and Dad did not take too many photos either. Kate helped Dad record a video message for his job and used her videographer and photo setup skills.

 

Plum tree blooms in early Spring

Kate on the patio

WLFI story about Troop 335 discord meetings

January - March 2020

Little did we know as 2020 started that this was going to be a difficult year.  Anna and Kate participated in the Nutcracker, as usual.  They both had several roles and had a great time performing.   Kate's birthday in January had snow, so she and her friends got to do some sledding outside as part of the party.  Anna went with Mom to Indianapolis for the YAGP dance competition, and while they were there, Dad took Jack and Kate to see We Banjo 3 play at the Long Center.  Then, everyone knows what happened starting March 13.  Anna and Jack's birthday was just with our family.

Kate as party goer (at rehearsal)

Kate as toy soldier (also at rehearsal)

Kate leaping in her harlequin costume

Anna as the shepherdess during Marzipan

Anna's entry during finale; Kate is in the second row, left

Do not get your hair in the candles!

Sledding at the birthday party

Before the We Banjo 3 show

The twins' birthday cake

October - December 2019

We headed into late Fall and early Winter with lots of activity.  Jack and Kate got to do a little trick-or-treating for Halloween, while Anna was working with the ballet company. That work paid off with an outstanding recital for Anna.  Jack and Dad participated in "Cranksgiving", which is a really fun bicycle-based scavenger hunt to purchase food to donate to our local food bank.  On Thanksgiving, all of us ran in the "Race Against Hunger" 5K on Thanksgiving morning; this helped raise funds to support our local food bank, too.  Both Kate and Anna were hard at work rehearsing for The Nutcracker.  Mme. Peticolas shared a great picture of Anna dancing in her Marizpan costume with us, and we are sharing it with you.  As December set in, we got our "sparkle balls" out for Christmas decorations.  This year, we were able to meet up with our cousins and our uncle at Oma and Opa's house in Tucson for Christmas.  We had our own celebration after we got back home to Tuckaho. The year ended with us looking forward to 2020 - including the Nutcracker performance in early January.

Dress up with Oliver

sunset as we finished the corn maze at Exploration Acres

Kate in her spidery-witch costume for Halloween

Jack as Emmett from the Lego Movie - "everything is awesome..."

Anna with bouquet after the Fall recital
(if you look close, you can see Dad in the mirror - he's all dressed up for the ballet, too)

Dad and Jack at the end of Cranksgiving with the food from all the cyclists piling up on the table

this is the "before" picture ahead of the Race Against Hunger; we all were just as happy afterwards  (no, really, we were!)

Anna in her Marzipan (shepherdess) costume for the January 2020 Nutcracker performance (photo from Sandra Peticolas)

our Christmas lights up in early December

experiencing the "Nature of Movement" sculpture near Rillito Park in Tucson

with Oma and Opa, and our cousins on the Tucson Loop trail

heading east on the Loop

celebrating Christmas back home at Tuckaho

July - September 2019

As summer got underway, we were all busy and did not seem to take as many pictures as we sometimes do.  One big highlight was just after Dad started his new position, the rest of us went on a trip that had rock climbing at the via ferrata (way of iron) in Kentucky.  As the calendar moved into August, we started back up with ballet and with our school studies.  One big assignment included a sampling exercise of the living things in our backyard.

our return from the ice cream run

Anna at the via ferrata

Kate and Jack on the via ferrata

Kate making her way across the rock face

Kate with Oliver

someone is going to need that ballet shoe

Anna at the kitchen table

Our environmental science / biology sampling exercise

April - June 2019

As spring really got underway, Jack started playing soccer again. He also enlisted the family to help him with service hours at a nearby park, which moved him closer to Life Scout rank. Kate danced in the ballet school recital as one of the dwarfs in Snow White. Anna then danced with the ballet company in their spring show. Near the end of June, we took a vacation to Arizona, where we visited the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona before heading down to Tucson to see Oma and Opa. The last weekend in June, Jack headed off for a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch.

Jack at Cary Camp

Jack at soccer

service hours at Celery Bog

The work crew to help spread mulch

Kate in the new "hugglepod"

Piano recital

Kate after the ballet school recital

Jack at BSA court of honor

Anna after the ballet company show

Kate is all smiles

airplane ride to Arizona

North end of Oak Creek Canyon

Bright Angel Trailhead (like the rock says)

a short jaunt down the South Kaibab Trail to Ooh Aah Point

On the way back out of the Grand Canyon

family near Sunset Crater just before sunset

exploring Walnut Canyon and its cliff dwellings

Oma with Anna

Jack before leaving for Philmont