Nick's Life: December 2017

When we were young, chewing gum in school was a bad thing, but apparently that's not true anymore.  Nick says kids chew gum all the time in class. In fact, he has a kid in his class that 'deals gum', selling it for pencils or other non-monetary items.  A gum dealer... first time I'd heard of it.  They are also practicing yoga in school, and he showed us a few of his moves.

He participated in the school shopping activity for the holidays, purchasing some small gifts for family members.  What impressed me is that every gift he bought had intent and purpose - something he knew we needed, or remembered us mentioning it.  Nick's also expanding his independence in the kitchen, where he's cooking a little on his own.  He now grills dinner for us with limited supervision.

Before we left for our trip, the pet crabs from last year passed away, about a month apart.  Grandpa was happy about the timing, so they didn't die on his watch.  We're not sure if it was age or stress, but Brandi certainly cared for them with great attention.  She's become 'wis-ly' about raising crabs.

Our holiday trip was a success, with 5 warm days in Clearwater Beach, Florida. We stopped on the drive down, where Nick dropped my dinner on the hotel floor in his usual whimsy whirlwind.  But I was able to relax, with two full days not wearing socks (that's a big deal for me), but a good portion of the trip still on my laptop.  Working by the pool with a cocktail was so much more enjoyable.  I got a little sun (literal sideburns). Nick had crab for dinner twice, but didn't see the girl he remembered from last year.  He announced that it was the best place on earth ("Hot girls, hot cars, great food, the beach... the perfect place.") 
I spent an afternoon with Donny catching up. Nick and I had custom donuts at the Donut Experience, and played billards one morning. Overall it was lots of walks, some building in the sand, and much needed relaxation.

On the way home, we stopped in Pinehurst for a visit with Lee and Judy, seeing the local sites and giving Nick a chance to blab at someone new about birds and technology.  

The last stop was Christmas in Cincinnati, where Nick spent the afternoon playing with Noah, Mason and Myles, and I built a nativity scene from vegetables.  Carrie's new boys, Gabriel and Ethan, were a treasure to play with, and I spent some time getting to know them from inside the playpen.

Pictures here from the adventures.

Jason