Around here we have been…

CELEBRATING eleven years with {D}! What a fine young man he is becoming! He is still very obsessed with all things airplane, and we splurged a bit on his gift by buying him a flight lesson at our local airport. It includes half an hour of instrument instruction and half an hour of flight time. He is very excited to learn more about flying, but has decided to wait until the spring for his lesson – when the weather is better.

{D} is also still passionate about field goal kicking and continues to spend hours outside most days practicing his form. This video compilation shows just how far he has come over the past year. Another exciting milestone the big eleven year old reached was the retiring of his glasses for a pair of contacts! Though they were difficult for him to put in at first, he is now a seasoned pro. He feels much more free without worrying if his glasses will fall off or get broken when playing sports.

EXPRESSING our thankfulness for all that we have been blessed with. We celebrated Thanksgiving with extended family this past weekend and it was so great to catch up on all that has been going on in each other’s lives. The kids really enjoyed playing with their cousins as well.

PREPARING for the busy Christmas season. As part of our Thanksgiving celebration we exchanged presents. Angela, her mom, and two sisters were able to go on a little Black Friday shopping spree – lots of memories made.

{D} will again be performing for the annual ‘Jingle Bells’ telethon. He has a guitar/vocal duet with a friend from school and also joining the school choir for a couple of songs. The telethon seeks to raise money for families who are less fortunate in our community – to provide them with baskets full of food, toys and gift cards for Christmas. It is a wonderful event.

You can see a clip of {D}’s audition here.

The house is slowly starting to look festive for Christmas as well. The tree is now up and the kids had fun adding the lights and ornaments. Angela has posted about Christmas decor ideas here and here. Be sure to follow the blog if you would like to see photos of our home decorated for Christmas.

SADDENED by the loss of three of the feral kitten who have been living around the farmhouse. The mom cat also looks to be at the end of her life. While we aren’t completely sure what is going on, we are thinking that a virus of some sort has been spreading among them. We aren’t holding out too much hope for the two remaining kittens, one grey and one white – but we are making sure they have shelter, food and water. These two kittens are quite friendly and allow us to pet them on occasion. We have enjoyed watching them grow and will be so sad if they also pass away.

This is just a glimpse of what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!