Happy New Year from The Bloods

Happy 2024 to all our friends and family! Here's what the Bloods have been up to this past year:

Seth (15, 10th grade): "I like computers. I still touch grass sometimes. I went biking in Norway with Grandpa Russell. It was really fun and cool and the food there was really awesome. Especially the fish eggs."

Catherine (almost 13, 7th grade): "I'm in 7th grade. We went to Tennessee and I went to Arizona (by herself, to visit family). My team won zero games in soccer." (Jon would like to add that not only did they win zero games, they also scored zero goals).

Aaron (10, 4th grade): "I won the gymnastics award (for completing the ninja warrior course the fastest). I had a good outdoor soccer team. I'm homeschooled. What's your name?" (I told him to tell me about himself like he was meeting someone new. He took it literally, which is SO Aaron).

Elise (almost 8, 2nd grade): "I am in 2nd grade. I have lots of friends. I do gymnastics two times every Friday (once is ninja warrior, once is traditional gymnastics)."

Elijah (4, pre-K): "I like 'struction vehicles. I like cutting trees down. I like playing on screens. I like Minecraft. I like putting stickers on Mom's jackets" (True story. I currently have one jacket I haven't worn in months because it's covered in hundreds of tiny stickers that I haven't had the energy to remove).

Jon: "I'm pretty much the same, just a little bit older. No new hobbies. And that's the way I like it."

Megan: "With five kids in five different versions of school, I basically have zero free time. Upped my goal of running a 10K and ended up doing a half-marathon instead. Totally failed at being able to do five chin-ups, though. Next year!"

Other highlights from 2023:

-visiting Luray Caverns, Lackawanna Coal Mine, Hershey Park, Virginia Beach, and the Great Smoky Mountains
-visiting NYC and hiking the Appalachian Trail (Meg and Catherine)
-track (Seth, discus and shotput) and band (Catherine, who also auditioned for and was accepted into jazz band)
-back to homeschooling (Aaron)
-lots of lawn mowing (Elijah)
-not lots of lawn mowing, thanks to his robotic mower (Jon)

Wishing you all the best in this new year,
The Bloods