2020 - The Year that was Different Part #1

 Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! (simply because I haven't posted since October😉)

Yes, you read the title correctly. Its part 1 of at least 3 parts. This first post is excerpts from our family Christmas letter. If you have received the letter, you probably won't learn anything new! 

Don't count on it, but I'm hoping to post part 2 either tomorrow or Tuesday.

Greetings Friends!

This year has definitely held a large number of different events and happenings. As I thought back over the last 12 months, I realized that our family did a lot of different things - considering how 2020 went!

I hope you enjoy a glimpse into our life,

~Kaylene, for the Weaver Family

January

~ The older children once again participated in Bible Quizzing. During the year they memorized and quizzed on nearly 300 verses from Matthew. Judy coached the Jr. High team.

~ Trenton celebrated his 13^th birthday. This makes for 3 teenagers in our family!

~We had numerous shop events throughout the winter months which kept us pretty busy. Keith took the 3 oldest boys to Indianapolis for a big trade show. Some of them came back with more candy than new product information, but all seemed to enjoy the trip.

February

~ Keith intensified his search for a motor-home. He has always had a fascination with big vehicles and as the children got bigger it would be easier to take trips. Keith was excited to find one locally that suited the purpose, and several weeks later it came into our possession. The boys had a lot of fun doing minor renovations including taking out a kitchen table and benches, then putting futons in their places.

March

~ Black Rock Quiz Retreat is always a highlight for the Bible Quizzers, and this year was no exception. The quizzers enjoyed the quizzing but also the other games and social interactions.

~ Kaylene’s EMT classes were abruptly cut short when COVID-19 began to make US headlines. This caused concern among her and her classmates, but they were able to do some studying virtually.

~ During the stay-at-home period, we attended drive-in church. . . in our motor-home! One of the local God’s Missionary churches has a large parking lot which they utilized to hold services.

~ Near the end of the month, Kaylene and Brian’s Labrador Retriever had a litter of 11 puppies. The puppies provided hours of entertainment for all during the stay-at-home period.

April

~ We were able to finish up the 19/20 school year. Many of the scholars were glad for summer break!

~ After several weeks of studying after her class ended, Kaylene was happy when she successfully passed her National EMT test and earned her certification.

May

~ 0ur ‘farmette’ grew rapidly. Jaden got several rabbits to raise over the summer. He was excited when one of his bunnies had babies. Trenton purchased 5 chickens. He collected the eggs which he then sold to his mother. Keith made several raised beds; in which Judy and Martina planted a variety of vegetables. Another trip to market yielded a pig, which we subsequently butchered the next day.

~ Devin celebrated his 3^rd birthday on May 21^st. He enjoys his responsibilities as a big brother to Anthony.

~ We spent Memorial Day weekend with the Weavers at the cabin. Horseback riding, shooting claybirds, and campfire conversations were a few of the weekend highlights.

June

~ Keith took another trip to the livestock auction and came home with 3 little pigs! A pig-pen had previously been erected, and the little porkers grew quickly.

~ Several days were spent with the Allgyers at another cabin. The younger children spent hours playing in the play house and holding airplane contests. Some of the others enjoyed kayaking on the Juanita River, and every evening was ended with a campfire.

~ Kaylene, with Keith’s assistance, purchased her first car. Many memories were made as he taught her how to drive a manual transmission.

July

~ As a family, we took the motor-home on an eventful trip to South Dakota. Several stops were made to visit family and friends along the way. We saw Mount Rushmore; enjoyed an afternoon at Rush Mountain (an amusement park); drove through Custer State Park and enjoyed the wildlife; visited the Ingalls’ De Smet homestead; walked through the crowded Wall Drug; rode the Wisconsin Dells Duck Boats; and had lots of excitement (and frustration!) finding parts and fixing the motor-home along the way.

~ The shop started to get really busy again. It kept 5 full-time staff (Keith, Judy, Kaylene and our 2 other employees) and 2 part-time staff (Brian and Trenton) busy all summer until October.

~ Grandma Allgyer spent several days helping Martina sew and knot a comforter blanket.

August

~ Archery sales, repairs, and customer interaction continued to fill long days.

~ We also started school in August. This year Brian is trying to finish up his high school education, Trenton started 8^th grade and is tackling pre-algebra. Martina started 6^th grade and her favorite scholastic activity is music. Jaden started 4^th grade; he is good at math. Along with her other schooling, Elissa started piano lessons and is thoroughly enjoying them. Carrie is enjoying 1^st grade and learning how to read.

September

~ We enjoyed a lot of campfires with friends.

~ The 2021 quiz practices started. This year Brian, Trenton and Martina are quizzing while Kaylene will be coaching the Sr. High team.

~ Trenton also started working for one of the market stands this fall. Every Tuesday he helps unload a variety of produce and set up the stand.

~ Kaylene and Brian went along with the rest of the youth group to Fair Play Boys Camp for their 2020 missions trip.

October

~ Archery season found Keith and the older children frequently occupying the treestands. Kaylene was happy to harvest a doe on the opening evening and Keith also got a doe a few weeks later.

~ Our “little baby” is not so little anymore! Anthony started walking about a month before his birthday. He can often be found following his older siblings around the house, and trying to participate in all their activities.

~ October is also a big birthday month for our family! Jaden celebrated his 10^th birthday, Carrie turned 6, and Brian was happy to get his drivers permit on his 16^th birthday.

November

~ Elissa celebrated her 8^th birthday. Anthony turned 1 a few weeks later.

~ Martina was excited to not only shoot 1, but 2 deer in one evening! Judy got a doe a few weeks prior, while Brian waited until the last week of the season to fill his buck and doe tags.

~ Remember those 3 “little” pigs? They grew pretty fast on hog food and slop…… and, decided their pen would no-longer contain them. After escaping a few times and the wild pig chases that ensued, they were soon butchered.

December

~ We are looking forward to various family gatherings that will be held in the next few weeks.

~ Martina is excitedly looking forward to her 12^th birthday, and Kaylene will celebrate her 18^th birthday a few days later.