This is the miscellaneous post where I dump all the pictures I’ve been meaning to sort and post by topic but ran out of time.

School carried on in September. Ruth went on a field trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens with the neighbor girls who are homeschooling this year. She went as part friend, part mother’s helper.

After learning about the power of the sun, she did a cool activity with the magnifying glass and a leaf.

Jeremy sorely missed baseball season last spring. He spent some time across the street pitching to the net.

Thankfully, he was able to participate in a 7 on 7 intra-squad football team several weeks this fall. The sport is not exactly made for linemen, but he did get his hands on the ball a few times.

Speaking of football, take a look at this map. The dark green states are the ones that are not playing high school football this fall. Telling, no?

Mom and Dad have been diligently heading up to Michigan every week to see my Grandpa. They are required to make 30 minute appointments to see him, and the visit must be outside. He is always delighted to see them.

He’s done well, considering the residence has been on lockdown for months now.

We hear he’s quite the charmer among the residents. No surprise.

Derek exited the teenage years in September, and he was happy to see them go. I still vividly remember bringing him to his 2-day doctor appointment–yes, 2 days after he was born–and hearing the doctor tell me that “this one has a look in his eyes that is wise beyond his years.” Indeed.

Since Derek is living in the “Wheaton bubble” this semester, we originally planned to bring the party to him and eat a picnic lunch outside somewhere. But he was itching to come home, and we were eager to have him home even if just for a short time.

The time was so short, in fact, that this was the ONLY picture I got of the birthday boy.

Jeremy came with me one afternoon to drop off Ruth at volleyball practice. He wanted to stop at Hobby Lobby to pick up a bird house to make into a bird feeder. We realized halfway into the drive that he forgot a mask. And in this Age of Covid, no mask, no entry, so I stopped to get a mask for him. He now owns the coolest mask of all of us.

He hopes it’s not too distracting for the pastor at church. We got back home, he painted the bird house and attached it to the tree. For a while, it was an attraction for birds and squirrels. Until the squirrels broke the feeder part. Now it’s a nice birdhouse decoration outside the back window.

He’s been the animal whisperer lately.

Ruth capped off September by visiting the Great Wall of China. Covid-style.