The Kassel Family Project Life 365

I am so proud of this kid. Eagle Scout projects take a lot of work, but they are not usually quite this large. Laura did not back down when presented with the opportunity to lead the building of an ambulance trainer for the University of Missouri’s EMS Education though. She just stepped up and got to work. Today, everything came together, and it looks like a real ambulance instead of just piles of wood! There is still a little bit of work to do, but the hard building is largely done. With just one more short workday, her Eagle project will be complete!

Thanks to everyone who has supported Laura on her Eagle journey this far. This all would not have been possible without help from some really great people. A big thank you to both the Scout leaders and Scouts from Troops 523 and 706, Pigg Construction Company, and Boone County Lumber for your donations of time and construction materials.

To Laura – I know that you have six merit badges to complete in order to meet all the Eagle requirements. I also know that it is your Senior year, and time is hard to come by. Just keep telling yourself that you got this. When you decided to join BSA and become a founding member of Troop 523, I asked you if you really, really wanted to do that. You looked at me and said, “I’m going to be an Eagle Scout, Mom. So, yes.” Well, you are almost there. The end is in sight.

Hmm… I am not sure what to think about this. Jim usually likes to lay near you, but not on you. Is he becoming a lap cat after all?

I have no words. My baby is behind the wheel for his first driving lesson. How did John get this old?!? I blinked, dammit. It does not seem possible…

We have teenagers, and both of them were still up before 7 am. I told Laura that she could not wake Andy up until 7, so she and John hung out until then. I have been told by many parents that teenagers sleep in on Christmas, but that does not seem to be the case with ours… In any event, we started our day with presents. Laura got a lot of books, but she loved her Axolotl Warmie the most!

John got a lot of hot chocolate, but he loves his new gaming chair the most. Andy made him put it together, though Andy kept a watchful eye over him…

Our fur baby enjoyed digging through the boxes and hiding in the discarded wrapping paper.

We spent the rest of the day eating great food, relaxing, and just enjoying the day. Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Eve was the same, but different this year. We still went to Glenn’s Cafe for dinner, but John did not go with us. He was invited to his girlfriend’s house for Christmas dinner as her family leaves tomorrow for a cruise. Instead, we got to spend some time alone with Laura.

The food was great as always, but we did not have the best dining experience due to another family that was there. We might try somewhere else next year.

We ended the evening at home. It was another new experience for me as I stuffed our Christmas stockings while Laura was sitting with us.

Merry Christmas Eve!

We drove around Columbia this evening looking at the different Christmas lights. Of course, the Magic Tree is always a favorite stop.

We followed a Google Map that Andy found on Facebook. There were lots of different houses with lots of lights! We ended our evening at a place that we had never seen before – Awesome Inflatables. I am not sure that “awesome” is the right word, but there were definitely a lot of inflatables between the two front yards. We saw many different Santas, Minions, and Harry Potter and Star Wars characters along with other random inflatables.

It was definitely a place that you have to visit once…

Check another tradition off the Kassel Family list!