Author Archives: Megan Armstrong

April 2021

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Happy Easter! We got all spiffed up and went to church on Easter Sunday for the first time in a very long time amid the Covid pandemic. We enjoyed church, and then afterward while leaving our parking spot had a slight fender bender where two of us leaving at the same time backed in to each other. Ugh. Made for a memorable return to church. We were barely moving and no one was injured, just some cosmetic damage to Kevin’s bumper.

The highlight reel, and reality – ha! In all fairness it was quite bright.

We had a lovely easter egg hunt in the Duncan’s yard with our neighborhood crew. The kids ran all over and scooped up candy and other treasures like rings and bouncy balls.

A bit later in the afternoon we hosted a driveway gathering with the Bethune’s, Mom, and Dad. We had some desserts and another fun easter egg hunt with the cousins. Lots more treasures were scooped up!

I’m on the neighborhood Landscape Committee and we’re looking to make some improvements to the common areas within the neighborhood. So Kathy, Jane, Beth, Carlene, and I headed out on a tour of the neighborhood to make notes and put together some ideas on things we can do. We’ll be planting some spring bulbs, pruning and cleaning up some overgrown shrubs, and planting some new plants in the coming months.

Since I’m going back and writing this post in November (for April) it kind of feels like forever ago. Here are a few pics of Griffin playing spring soccer with his I9 team and receiving a medal for the week.

The weather has been all over the place this spring. As evidenced by soccer outside in shorts and s’mores outdoors with no coats to several inches of snow! The snow made for pretty pictures at least!

Griffin’s Boy Scout Pack 248 is going to hold the Pinewood Derby this year, outdoors, so Griffin and Kevin got to work making his car. He went with an Ohio State theme again this year and learned how to use the drill to help with sanding and such.  Griffin came in 3rd place overall this year, which he was super pleased with. It wasn’t until afterwards when we retrieved his car that we noticed a malfunction – the sticker was unpeeling from the bottom which was undoubtedly caused from friction and slowed down his car. Lesson learned for the next time!  The kids vote on other awards for different themes and Griffin also received the award for best themed sports car.

We started our annual batch of garden seedlings in the kitchen again this year. Probably most notable in these pictures is Reid’s “haircut” that he gave himself recently.  Pretty good view from the top, lol.

This section of photos I’ll entitle “The many shenanigans of Reid.” Throughout the months of March and April we really have not had childcare and Kevin has watched the boys while also working from home. It is no easy feat and I have no idea how he can do it. During the short stints I’m at home I am far more prone to lose my marbles. Reid is often on his own with periodic check ins from Kevin. So he’s enjoyed some nice exploration shall we say. Kevin often finds him in the afternoon sleeping in random places. He’s at the stage where he really could use a nap, but refuses one if you suggest it, yet he’s asleep in random places. In addition to practicing his scissor skills, he’s also given coloring his face a go.  Super cute! So these are some memorable photos of Kevin finding him getting into various things when coming off work calls.

Nothing like building a snowman in April!

It might be time for a hair cut for Griffin 🙂

Dad came down to Millcreek to pick up a load of soil, so I surprised him by shoveling it all into cans while he was at lunch with George. Dad will likely use some Millcreek greenhouse space moving forward as Mom and Dad look to move to Dublin.

And here are a few from my Google photos “memories”.  A great picture of Kevin, from one year ago already! And some others of Griffin at the age of 4 and 5, where Reid is now. Seems like the blink of an eye!

 

And here are some videos for the books:

March 2021

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It’s birthday month around here! Mom and Dad made a delicious birthday dinner for me that I chose from options they offered!) that they delivered still warm! Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, bread, and a blueberry custard pie!

After Grandma and Grandpa departed we were inside when suddenly, Griffin lost a tooth! We recently purchased a bike trailer for Reid to ride in when we go on our longer adventure bike rides. He was getting a big large for the upright seat that goes on the back of the bike. We call this his bullet and he absolutely loves riding in it. All the exploration and no work, even a nap from time to time to no surprise.

I took the kids to their semi-annual appointment, which was Reid’s first “real” check up. He did really well and like getting to wear the spiderman glasses. And Griffin had a good checkup as well.

On my birthday, Kevin decorated the kitchen with ginormous 4-5 balloons and flowers. As per their tradition, the boys helped Kevin make my bunny cake. After they had it wrapped up we headed up to Nocterra for dinner and drinks while the weather was pretty nice. Then it was back home for presents and cake.

 

My “big gift” this year, that I’ve been wanting forever was a dumpster! When we arrived home from Nocterra there was something orange in the driveway and I could not figure out what it was, but as we drove up the driveway I figured it out. Over the next week Kevin took to the basement storage area and various other places and filled this bad boy up! We had plenty of space and the timing worked out that the Bethune’s were able to add their swingset that they wanted to part ways with also. Yay for purging!

Unfortunately, one night when Kevin was pulling out of the garage (with Brutus in the back of the car), the basketball hoop was all the way down and with it being completely dark he hit the corner of the backboard with his rear windshield. It made a loud pop and then shattered. Poor Brutus was scared to death though we weren’t able to immediately get him out because of all the broken glass. We didn’t want him to walk all over it. We eventually got him out through the passenger door. Thankfully Kevin was able to have a local repair shop pick up his car, replace the window, and drop it back off. That all worked out great given that we didn’t really have childcare!

Here are some sillies and flashbacks thanks to Google. I’m always amazed how much the kids are changing and growing up when I get these reminders.

 

Up next was Griffin’s 8th birthday!! What? Not sure how we’ve already arrived at 8, but here we are and he was excited for his birthday. He was up at the crack of dawn with excitement. Kevin and I had decorated the kitchen the night before and when he came down he was excited to see his gifts and blue chair. We Facetimed Grandma and Grandpa during the opening of his gifts – that was new and different! Then we rode our bikes to dinner at Culver’s, Griffin’s choice. It was a nice ride but a bit chilly to sit outside with ice cream!

Once we got home we surprised Griffin with his cake – Pokemon! We sang happy birthday, he blew out his candles and had some cake, and then was onward to trying out his new rollies! He was really excited about these and for the next couple of days was up early before school and out in the driveway improving his skills. Within just a couple days he made crazy progress!

 



Everything checked our wonderfully at Griffin’s 8 year well-check. No shots, great weight gain and inches grown.

Haya stopped over for a birthday visit and gifts for the boys with baby Summer. She’s growing like a weed and is super cute! Griffin loves his huge remote control Corvette and Reidy loves his bowling set with a light up ball. It is always good to see Haya and Summer.

For Griffin’s “party” we had a small gathering of neighbors join us for mini-golf. It turned out to be a wonderful sunny afternoon perfect for putt putt. Afterward we headed home for pizza and driveway hockey for the kids and hang out time in our driveway for the adults. It was a perfect evening.

This is the third most common area you will ever find Brutus, actually he’s typically in the mulch just behind him against the edge of the grass. He loves to go outside and just lay in the sun. He will prance all around the kitchen and bark or scratch at the door just to go outside an lay down!  Griffin is holding some of our “overwintered” bonus carrots from the garden that we took out when prepping the bed for this year. And later are some pics of Griffin and Reid’s creative play. Always finding new things to do and making fun things up.

 

Lately we’ve seen some four-legged friends out in the morning while on our walks. This particular morning there were five deer just checking us out as we walked down the dead-end road. Brutus just zones in on them while prancing along and they just stare right back. Sometimes they dart away and other times just wait for us to pass and continue doing their thing.

I arrived at work one Sunday afternoon to find that Robert, our IT consultant, had spontaneously installed monitor mounts at my desk giving me a whole new setup! It was a nice surprise and one that I’ve enjoyed as it gives me more countertop to use. The little things!

We stopped over at the Bethune’s house to drop off Amy’s birthday gifts and the kiddos all played outside for a bit running around the yard and climbing the fence. We were only there for a brief bit before heading to the rink for another birthday party. Griffin has vastly improved in his skills and confidence since he’s been using his rollies in the driveway. Those skills just translate right over to the ice I guess!

Thankfully now that there is a vaccine available for Covid-19 I was able to schedule both doses for me. So now I’m just a couple days after Kevin for both shots. We are both receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

 

And here are a couple to just make you smile. Silly Reid and his many faces and styles. With not having regular childcare Reid has been largely on his own while Kevin is on phone calls. Every now and then he’ll pop in to Kevin’s office to check in and say hello. You never know what he’s going to show up wearing (or where you may find him sleeping later) :).

We were fortunate to have our Millcreek Spring Fling Kick-off event this year at the Food Truck Depot in Delaware. This building we took the picture in is actually open on two sides, so it provided good air flow. There were sand volleyball courts, several food trucks, and everyone seemed to enjoy being able to be together and out and about.

 

Check out these videos 🙂

 

 

February 2021

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Brutus looks just about how I feel at the moment, lol! This is his favorite spot in the house, the front dining room where he sits and watches everything going on outside and lays there basking in the sunshine. He can either be found here or on the landing of the white stairs.

In going through photos this one that I saved popped up about Cameron. Seems hard to believe that five years has already passed since we said our goodbyes to her :(. I miss that sweet and sassy girl. She had the best ears and was so timid but also so loving. At the time I thought her tail was strong and painful but compared to Brutus she was a breeze!

Lexi has been doing some fun themes with Reid lately while Griffin is doing school from home during the days. This week it was bear paws and they also made food to go along with it! Charcuterie platters have become a staple around here.  A mixed offering of fruits, nuts, sweet, salty, crackers, cheeses, meats, etc. A little something for everyone and you get to choose what you like. It’s a win-win it seems.

 

The boys have been making fun treats from time to time also, including this heart brownie cake they decorated for valentines day.

 

Snuck this one in here to remember that Griffin seems to have the hardest time with his teeth! He’s now chipped two teeth – ugh!  Here’s to hoping this trend does not continue.

 

Here is some artwork that Griffin drew of Kevin, as he is wearing his Base 22 shirt 🙂 And some work from Reid too.

Another installment of “where we find Reid sleeping”.  During the month of March Lexi was not able to work much and over time it became less and less, with less notice due to personal issues so that meant Kevin was on his own working from home while Griffin did CDL and Reid was home too. It was so-much-to-handle. But somehow day in and day out Kevin managed everything while I was away at work entering my busy spring season.  So finding Reid like this was the norm.

While CDL is great it also has it’s challenges. Griffin doesn’t love having to be in “class” while Reid gets to watch shows or just play.  And he’s been pushing the boundaries (as he’s had very little supervision since Kevin is working and I’m at Millcreek) and we’ve found him doing thinks like cutting his hair, cutting his shorts, spinning his chair around so much it broke the cord to his headphones, etc. A little destructive behavior here and there for sure, largely attention seeking behavior, but frustrating nonetheless.  Despite any of that he is doing well in school and Miss Peacock is a wonderful teacher. The daily routine has been great in comparison to what would be a hybrid schedule that he would be on if he had been in the building.  Griffin was the “Scientist of the Week” for his class and got to demonstrate “floating hearts” which he chose as the timing was around Valentine’s Day. It was a fun experiment which he did in advance in order to present it to his class and then he was able to do it live via a Teams meeting. This kid is so bright when it comes to navigating his computer and Microsoft Teams, Google Slides, and so on. He’s grown leaps and bounds this year technologically speaking. Miss Peacock also put together a little slideshow of “When we are 100 years old” in celebration of their 100th day of school which was pretty fun!

 

This e-note from Griffin’s classmates for Valentine’s day was fun to peruse. Seems as though Griffin is one funny kid with his classmates! We were also able to have conferences via Teams with Miss Peacock and part of what she reviewed were Griffin’s AIMSWeb test scores and his progress from Fall to Winter. Griffin tested really well and is showing great improvement from Fall to Winter. We’re really proud of him – especially during this year of unprecedented learning remotely via computer!

A little fun project Kevin began working on with Griffin and Reid are the Pinewood Derby cars for Griffin’s Boy Scout troop. The style has been decided (same design as last year) but Griffin hasn’t yet decided what theme he’s going to put on his car.

Griffin and Jay were outside playing in the really cold winter snow one day and they were having so much fun! Giggles upon giggles. Their imaginations are something.

Lexi and the boys made this birdfeeder and shortly after we spotted this woodpecker! They also enjoyed an afternoon of sledding one day, with snacks of course!

The boys were excited to open their Valentine’s Day bags early in the morning. And Mom and Dad sent a photo of them having a nice Valentine’s Day in Siesta Key with the Dewald’s and a sneak peak of Dad’s new hairdo!

And closing with some miscellaneous photos from the rest of the month!



This was a fun puzzle we received “anonymously” and each family in our neighborhood crossed out their name inside once they completed it. Then they delivered it anonymously to the next family. So cute – this photo was from our first annual fall campout in September 2020.

 

And here are a few videos!

 

 

Lastly, the latest at Millcreek. The walls are painted, floors going in/are in, and the carpet and office furniture is in process of being installed. Just in time for spring we’re about to wrap this project up! Since George will be leaving soon for his annual winter vacation, we had an official ribbon cutting ceremony complete with fake bubbly and treats for everyone. It was a team effort to pull this one off just in time!

In preparation for the arrival of our H2A workers, we had a form for them to complete with what food they would like. Fred sent those off to me and Griffin and I went to town at Aldi! We had one cart for each apartment along with a list of things to buy for each apartment (3 workers and 4 workers for now). It was a lot to manage in the store and bagging, but we got it done and got it delivered and the guys were so grateful! Here we go!