December 2021: Christmas at Gigi's

It's time to start the Christmas posts! We met at Gigi's new apartment for lunch a couple days before Christmas, and it ended up being one of those random sunny and 60 degree December days so we also got to run around outside and take pictures. 

Thomas and Jena and Jo were in town for Christmas, and it brought back all the memories of how difficult it is to visit family with a baby when everyone only sees each other a couple times a year (I'm looking at you, Baby Catherine). We have such a short time to visit with Jo so we all want to hold her and snuggle her and talk to her and play with her and get to know her, but she doesn't know us at all and as a normal, attached baby is mostly threatened by our being around, at least at first. She warmed up to the kids slowly though.

We were *just* able to squeeze in a few group pictures before she reached the end of her tolerance for being help by someone-not-Mom-and-Dad.

Gigi with all the Steve Rennier Grandkids!

Yikes. I know all the cliches about kids growing up quickly etc but every once in a while a certain moment or picture just hits harder. Look at all those big kids!

Catherine didn't like her not-smiling face, so here are a couple more.

Hi Baby Jo! At some point soon, we're going to have to stop calling her "baby" Jo.

How long do you think we can keep finding matching dresses for them?

I can't remember exactly what is happening here. There was a game that involved a long throw or flip of a water bottle, and I think were racing to it after it landed? That would explain Uncle Tommy holding Gussie back. Or maybe they were just trying to do the bottle flip game but with super high and long flips. Either way, they had fun.

Thank you for hosting Christmas, Gigi!

December 2021: The Christmas Card Photo Shoot

We weren't able to get all of Grandma's grandkids together for a Christmas Card Photo Shoot this year, but Jo had adorable photos taken out in California that had a bit of a Western theme, so Grandma duplicated that for the Missouri grandkids. Catherine informed me that she would not be wearing denim and she would not be wearing a cowboy hat, but she found an outfit that fit in with the theme. Edie was in photo shoot heaven, and in general the kids all cooperated.

Blogger is being super weird about the order (or lack thereof) in which it is loading photos and it takes forever to rearrange them so this are kind of in reverse order with some mixed up. We got the group pictures done first then Edie and Agnes just kept coming up with pose after pose that had to be photographed, and Michael liked his cowboy hat so he joined in some as well.

I think watching Agnes try to figure out how to pose with her foot up on the fence was my favorite part of the whole day.

Remember when Olivia was a lot younger and a bit of a stinker about posed photos? No more!

Gussie thought he was the funniest thing to ever walk in cowboy boots because when I told him to put his hand in his pocket he left his pinkie sticking out. Yes, I probably could have photoshopped it. No, I didn't bother.

December 2021: Rockwood Thunder Volleyball Club

Catherine was ready to switch teams for volleyball this year, after taking some private lessons in early summer and realizing she could learn a lot more of what she wanted to learn with a different coach. She decided on two clubs she wanted to try out for, but she made it on a team with Rockwood which was her first tryout and her first choice so didn't even try out for the second club. Highschool club tryouts are way back in July, then once you're placed on a team nothing happens for the next few months because everyone is playing the regular highschool season from August - October and highschool athletics rules say you're not allowed to play with anyone outside your highschool team and coach throughout the season. However Catherine didn't play the highschool season (there are a couple good homeschool highschool volleyball teams in the are but they both practice 30-45 minutes away and have a somewhat intense travel schedule so Catherine has to pick either homeschool highschool team or club, and she prefers club). Since she wasn't playing highschool she is allowed to practice whenever she wants, and her new coach was available and willing to meet with her a couple times a week when we could get into the Epiphany gym, so Catherine was feeling ready and excited when club practices actually started in November. The first tournaments aren't usually until January, but they had one 2-day local tournament in December this year. Catherine is playing Middle Hitter, which means she does a lot of jumping and blocking along with hitting. You can see why: in addition to just being tall, she jumps really high and really fast. I promise there are a LOT more pictures coming with the rest of the tournaments in January - April.

New coach, new team, new skills - it will be a great volleyball season!