Top 50 Things of 2021

 

And just like that, 2021 is over...onward and upward, bring on 2022!

1. Jacob’s Freshman baseball season as a Stratford Spartan with all his drippy drip.
2. Annie playing Petite Elite volleyball like a pro.
3. Gwyn playing MMS basketball, with a mask on!
4. Gwyn and Annie’s Spring / short summer season of Heat Elite softball together, Gwyn pitching and Annie catching fly balls in right field!
5. Gwyn’s 13th birthday at the house with a home hibachi chef…house smelled like Benihanas for a week, I was stuck in my room due to COVID exposure.
6. The snowpocalypse in Houston…long freeze with no power, and COVID going around, wearing comfys for days, kids spending days going house to house if anyone had power.
7. Annie’s SBMSA basketball season with the Hawks and her making the All-Star team, Brian continuing his reign as ultimate clock operator/scorekeeper.
8. Gwyn’s awesome MMS track season…800- and 400-meter star!
9. Spring break in Arizona…Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona.
10. My first ever Brian original….Marge Simpson birthday cake!
11. Gwyn’s MMS soccer season, loved watching her play again and score goals!
12. Annie playing soccer, with TFC in the Spring and then Albion in the Fall, finding her groove, earning fouls left and right.
13. MDUMC’s outside Easter service, all the good things the kids get to do through our church.
14. Jacob umpiring at SBMSA games, he’s such a good umpire!
15. Gwyn finishing 7th grade, Jacob finishing his freshman year, and Annie finishing 5th grade and Boogie Down Brittmoore!
16. Brian and his BANJO!
17. Kyle Chapman May League and one tournament for Jacob before his arm injury would require surgery, so sad, I LOVED watching him play catcher.
18. Emily, Sadie and Grace’s visit from Dallas, swimming, sushi, poker, fun!
19. Workcamp for Jacob and Gwyn, doing good.
20. Jacob and Daylan’s summer sports camp and Gwyn and Avery’s summer fun camps!
21. Jacob turning 15, birthday at Hiccups, movies, friends, his Hiccups Insta shoutout.
22. Summer fun trips with friends to Galveston with Millers and the Ranch with Crawford’s for Jacob, New Ulm and Seaside for Gwyn.
23. Lots of summer swimming and hanging out at the house!
24. St. Thomas family vacation with Jason, snorkeling and having fun, and also being sick and Gwyn throwing up in the hotel room.
25. Jacob getting his permit, watch out!!
26. Another year of Annie keeping Pepper alive and her cage cleaned!
27. Jacob’s arm surgery, the best hospital steak he has ever eaten.
28. The start of Middle School for Annie (6th grade), 8th grade for Gwyn, and Jacob’s sophomore year.
29. Labor Day soccer tournament for Annie in Austin, weekend trip for the girls!
30. Brian’s back surgery…and recovering at the Rushing’s because we lost power for a week!
31. Gwyn’s Fall season with Marucci, winning a lot of tournaments!
32. October weekend in Galveston!
33. Gwyn’s 8th grade MMS volleyball season, Gwyn and her serves were lit (Jacob speak).
34. Stratford Friday Night Lights, and Stratford vs Strake Jesuit basketball game, best ending to a game there ever was!
35. Annie turning 12 with a game night birthday party!  RCE friends and new WCE friends.
36. Annie working the Starbucks booth with friends at Trunk or Treat.
37. Annie as Stich, Gwyn as a pink football player? And Jacob dressed as Johnny with his friends all dressed up as Jacob in shades and Hawaiian shirts for Halloween.
38. Jacob’s first real homecoming dance.
39. Thanksgiving in Dallas with Brian’s side and in Houston with my side.
40. Dinner and staying with Emily, Grace and Sadie over Thanksgiving.
41. Jacob making some serious cheese (Jacob speak) working for Jason when he pays his shows, he’s dressed in all the JB drip.
42. OSU ALMOST making the football playoffs!!! So close, yet so far away.
43. A night at the Mucky Duck for Ian Moore, no concerts since 2019!
44. Annie’s 6th grade year of Art…making the wall displays for the school, all her awesome gifts and artistic talents!
45. A Kindness party with moms and daughters with friends.
46. Holiday Hustle round 2 and this time with Brian as BUDDY THE ELF!  Annie running the 5k!
47. Pet sitting a hamster that likes to escape until Santa could bring her, John, on Christmas to our neighbor.
48. Brian’s amazing Christmas meals, hello, Beef Wellington!!
49. Christmas with Rick and Sue (Stacy and Justin’s family on zoom due to covid), and at Jason’s with the Browns.
50. 2021, while an improvement over 2020, brought with it new challenges.  We cherish our family time together, the years are slipping by way too fast, we are trying to hold on to the precious gift of time we have been given and soak in all these memories we are making along the way, as before long, one by one these kids will be out the door and off on their own life adventure., they are our whole world.