End of 2023

Despite the lack of snow, holiday season is here and we've been spending a lot of time together.  We've played a lot of games like Happy Little Dinosaurs, Cover Your Assets, Dutch Blitz, Sushi Go Party, Uno, and our favorite of the break has been Can't Stop.  Sadly, Nina has been under the weather for a bit.  She didn't even finish the Monopoly game she was excited about or help make the pretzel chocolate treats she wanted to work on.  

Games at Annie's - always so much fun there!

We are thankful for our generous family and their kind hospitality.  Rod and Katie got us tickets to see the lights at the arboretum and it was lovely.  While there was no snow, the lights were still gorgeous and it was a nice night to wander.  We also took a trip to Treasure Island where we had free passes to the waterpark and bowling.  It was a nice getaway that felt like a mini vacation.  Lastly, the girls had a small get together at a trampoline park and enjoyed getting to hang out with some friends and let loose. There is much to be thankful for and we wish everyone a joyful start to 2024.

November 2023

November has flown by with a lot of school, work, fun, and parties.  One major event was attending cousin Abby's wedding in Iowa, where most of the Fitz  family got together and then the girls made their way to Nebraska afterward.  They had fun making sweatshirts, visiting the zoo, and playing games.  Afterwards, they brought Nana and Papa back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving and more fun.  Volleyball games, the Christmas market, Black Friday shopping and plenty of food made for a great time.

We wandered some lakes while the weather was nice, but the temps dropped for Halloween and Thanksgiving.  The girls both adore their new hamsters and still miss their former ones.  Nina's band took part in "band-o-rama" and she continues to do a good job with her instrument.  We're already looking forward to our next holiday and break from school. ;)

Last round of golf   ----    Ben has enjoyed his curling league time

A month in

School has been busy!  We are all doing our best to work hard, learn, have fun, and help others.  It has been pretty hectic and time has been made tougher as Ben is teaching an overage this semester.  The girls are both doing well in their Chinese classes as well and Pip has seen great improvement.

Nina likes middle school well enough and is happy to be at the same school two years in a row for the first time since 2nd-3rd grade.  She likes Language Arts the best and her teacher in there, and also enjoys her growth in Band.

Vivian is really liking 5th grade and the freedom and responsibility her class has been given by her teacher.  She has become an after school patrol member to help students get on the bus and has had a smooth time with her peers thus far.  She was chosen as a student council rep, attended family night at the swim meet, and took part in the Homecoming parade.

Kara is still working to get the little kiddos properly trained on how to "school." It takes a lot of time and patience, but they're slowly getting the swing of full-day preschool.

In other news, we've been enjoying a fair amount of fall activities too.  We went to viewing party of the Twins in their playoff run (note they made it past the first round this year), harvest fest to see big pumpkins, some concerts, and a failed attempt to see the eclipse.  The marathon was cancelled this year, so we were sad to miss out on visiting that, but we keep runnin' anyway.

Nina has caught up to Kara in height