Billi and Greg and their family came in March, Dan and Henry Westcott came for a boys weekend in April, Mushfest in May was a big success, and the Learning Gardens hosted camps that the kids enjoyed! Hunter even joined us for a week at the farm for garden camp.
The dock was added, the treehouse was built, and lots of beautiful memories were made!
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We had a nice evening at one of Grant's favorite restaurants, Fogo de Chao, introducing Cadie and Jack Ranger to all-you-can-eat steak. Ranger was adventurous and tried almost everything! I stuck with the salad bar because it is just so good. Nina got Grant a special requested gift - a picture of our family on the first day we went to the farm after we closed. We loved getting to find just the right spot at the farm to hang our family picture from Day 1 at CRC.
We love you Grant Walsh! Happy 46th Bday.
What a wonderful Christmas season! It included the annual Glam and Gaudy Lynch party, Erin attending Colton's 4th grade class party, annual Walsh-Hamm family Christmas Eve party at DD and Big John's with the white elephant gift exchange, Gullickson Family Christmas Day zoom call and gift exchange,
For the record, here was the Gullickson Family exchange for 2023 (Note: This was Henry's first year in the exchange!)
(à = buys for)
Christmas morning at our house was wonderful and included a few highlights such as a Papa Jack framed piece of Paris art for Cadie, a bidet for Colton, and a new guitar for Ranger. Chat GPT helped Grant write an epic poem to commemorate the bidet:
In this season of Christmas joy and
delight,
When snowflakes dance in the pale
moonlight,
A tale unfolds of a unique affair,
A tale of love and a bathroom
affair.
Oh, Merry Christmas dear Bidet, and
a celebration so fit,
A porcelain throne upon which Colton
will sit,
With elegance and grace you gently
spray,
A cleansing touch to brighten our
day.
Your sleek design, a sight to
behold,
A jewel amidst the bathroom’s abode,
You bring each booty freshness and a
sense of cheer,
A moment of peace in a world
unclear.
Celebrating Christmas with porcelain
bliss,
May Colton find solace, and may the
spray never miss,
A tender caress, a gentle cascade,
As his worries and troubles begin to
fade.
On this merry date, of Bidet we shall
sing,
Of the joy you bring, like an angel’s
wing,
A gift so precious, a treasure so
rare,
Merry Christmas to all, and clean
butts we declare!
Isabelle asked if Colton would be willing to play Joseph for the Christmas Eve service and I quickly said yes. Colton wasn't super thrilled about it, but he was a very good sport. The donkey was not so much of a good sport. He was very jittery and pooped at the church right before they walked down the aisle. Now both of the boys have portrayed Joseph at church!
Just a few short years ago Ranger would have thought this was the worst day ever - shopping! But now that we are in teenager world, it is a very good use of a Mom day, especially since Ranger is incredibly specific about his clothes. The sleeves can't be too long, but the torso can't be too short. Pants can't have cuffs at the ankles and should have zipper pockets. It needs to be an acceptable brand. Colors are pretty limited to gray, black, blue, or purple. Shoes can't be too loose in the heal or too tight across the middle. No velcro. Socks need to be crew, no no-show socks. Ranger is money conscious so if it is on sale that is definitely a factor. The list goes on....
Anyway, I think we went to almost 13 stores and we walked away with a jacket, 2 shirts, a pair of tennis shoes, and 2 packages of socks. No pants! We did get almost everything for 50% off so that made us happy. I actually do love shopping with Ranger. Because he is so clear on finding exactly what he wants it makes finding the right thing pretty rewarding - like a treasure hunt!
We did do a bit more than just shop. We started off with donuts and we also did "The Heist" Escape Room. I was bummed because I had actually booked online - at a different escape room! But it all turned out ok because the nice guy at "The Escape Game" in Grapevine gave us 40% off and then the original Escape Room I had booked are sending us vouchers to rebook at another time. I was bummed that I did that though! Also, while we were shopping I took off my sweatshirt and it knocked off an earring, but I didn't realize it until later. Ranger ran back to the store and found it! So all my mistakes turned out to be ok.
We had a fun time at the Escape Room and we got out with 1 min. 59 seconds! Ranger was being a great sport and even dressed up in some of the costume elements in the Escape Room. What a delight to get to spend the day with this handsome, smart, and fun young man.
From Cadie, "Dad took me to London as my Christmas present this past year, and it was one of the best trips I've ever been on! We flew business class with fully reclining seats on both the way there, and the return trip! I absolutely adored getting to see places such as Stonehenge, the Roman Bathhouse, and the Tower of London! We even saw some West End shows like Mama Mia, Book of Mormon, and my all time favorite, Phantom of the Opera! There were a bunch of little Christmas Markets scattered about the city that I loved exploring. We got to tour some iconic places like Windsor Castle, Westminster Abbey, the Globe Theater, Stratford-upon-Avon (birthplace of Shakespeare), the London Eye, The City of Bath, and many more! I'm even taking Latin at school, so seeing the
Roman Bathhouse was an amazing way to see real life Roman artifacts/culture! One of the favorite places we got to visit was Westminster Abbey! Learning about my family's ancestry is one of my most fascinating hobbies, and I loved getting to see the burial place of Mary Queen of Scots because she's the main reason I truly went down the ancestry rabbit hole. I couldn't be more appreciative of Dad for planning this once in a lifetime trip for us, and I'll cherish the memories we made for the rest of my life!"
