Over the past 6-8 months, Carson has sprouted in height, and his appetite has significantly increased. He used to be the slowest eater by far, but now he wolfs down his food so quickly that he’s going for seconds before anyone else has finished. In addition, Carson’s voice has gotten deeper, and his nose is…
New driver
Braden has become more and more of an adult over the past few months. In December, Brian set up a checking account for Braden and got him a debit card. On his birthday in February, he got his driver’s license and Brian’s mom’s car, which she no longer drove. Braden immediately began driving to school,…
Braces and Crutches
Braden started his freshman year this year. He was a backup tight end and linebacker for the very large freshman football team. He seemed to be making strides each game, to the point he was doing really well during a game in mid-September when an opposing player fell on his leg. Braden ended up having an…
Bahamas
We traveled to Paradise Island, part of Nassau, Bahamas, to watch the Badgers basketball team compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament over Thanksgiving week. It was the first trip out of the country for the boys. The Atlantis Hotel was sold out, so we ended up staying across the street. Fortunately, this hotel had…
Teeth, Hair and Phone
Braden’s dentist has noted that he has been slow to lose his baby teeth. Now, in the past month, he has lost four. One he accidentally swallowed during dinner, one he lost in the park during football practice and two he pulled at home. According to Braden, he has at least one baby tooth left….
Our own Mr. Beast
Recently, we received a text message from the parent of one of Carson’s classmates who was wondering how their son ended up with $26.75 from Carson. Before we get to the answer, here’s some context to the story. Both boys like watching Mr. Beast on YouTube. The main premise of his videos is that he…
Safer-at-home together
Although the cancellation of pretty much everything the past six months has been disappointing, we did make the best of the situation. Most of these activities took place from March through May: Poker: Brian had already taught the kids Blackjack and a little poker, but now we taught them Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, Anaconda and…
No summer sports or camps
In April, before the Nakoma all-sports sign-up, we (Kristin) allowed Braden to quit the swim team. It was not something he enjoyed, but Kristin really wanted him to stay on. Kristin didn’t let Carson quit, so he’s still on the Orangeheads team. However, all swim meets and the All-City meet were canceled, so he just…
Best buds
We are so appreciative how well Braden and Carson get along with each other. As previously mentioned, they share the same bedroom together, and they really like playing with each other. In addition to the constant wrestling that boys of their age typically do, Braden and Carson often will play Fortnite together (Braden on the…
Las Vegas
We decided to take the kids to Las Vegas for spring break last month. We were a little nervous bringing two kids, but we ended up having a great time. We did everything we normally would do in Las Vegas except eating at fancy restaurants and going to nightclubs (though we barely do that anymore)….