This winter has been mostly 50 – 60 degree days with little to no snow, and we don’t really feel like the holidays ever happened, let alone that they’ve passed. We are taking down the last of our winter lights this weekend having left them up far longer than we usually do with the hopes that it would snow so that our penguin lights could toboggan in our yard. But, sadly, that didn’t happen. We spent Giftavus in almost 70 degree heat. We nevertheless enjoyed ourselves.
Riley did fantastic in both his surgery and his recovery. He’s weight bearing on his new foot now, and walking without crutches is right around the corner. But his Giftavus was spent opening up presents from the couch and watching movies from the couch and generally living life on the couch. He handled it well overall, but there were definitely some days when frustration set in. He’s coming up on his second surgery in mid-March, and we’re hopeful that knowing what he knows now about the process will make things move even more smoothly than the first.
Everyone loved the presents and the food and the time off of the winter holidays. Giftavus was a success for all. Emmett received tshirts, Legos, drawing supplies, books, and candy; Tessa received Legos, plant-related gifts, some jewelry, and clothes; Riley received Legos, books (lots of books), bags, candy, and clothes; and Asher received a ton of Fallout related gifts (think: working, real life Pip Boy), candy, Legos, and books. On New Year’s, Emmett put on his demogorgon onesie and watched the series finale of Stranger Things at the movie theaters with equally hyped theatergoers while the rest of us watched from the comfort of our oversized couch.
Too soon the late mornings and ease of school break passed, and we were all back at school. In addition to homework and tests, that meant rehearsal for Emmett, post-op appointments and PT for Riley, friend hang outs for Asher, and getting ready for another tech theater stint for Tessa. But overall, everyone’s in a pretty good place. Tessa had a birthday (she’s 15!), and asked to keep it lowkey – she seems to be keen on lowkey these days – so we watched one of her favorite movies (Two Towers) and ordered in. She really loves The Pitt, and Mom thinks there’s a chance that it makes her want to go into medicine. Other than that, we’re enjoying Presidents’ Day Weekend now, and planning for a quiet Spring Break, but we’re also already looking at this upcoming summer.
Emmett’s set to spend six weeks at Theater Camp (yup, just like the movie – at the very camp that the move was based on). Riley will still be rehabbing, so he’s not sure yet what he’ll be able to do. Tessa’s thinking of spending some good time over the summer volunteering somewhere – maybe the Museum. And Asher’s determined to create a life size set of Fallout armor with friends and market it online. So not so many over-the-top summer camps happening for our crew Summer 2026, but there still looks to be some quality experiences on the horizon.
Wishing everyone love this Valentine’s weekend.
Best,
The Pigs
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