Braden has become more and more of an adult over the past few months.

In December, Brian set up a checking account for Braden and got him a debit card. On his birthday in February, he got his driver’s license and Brian’s mom’s car, which she no longer drove.

Braden immediately began driving to school, which was nice since we didn’t have to pick him up from practice or after basketball games. That same week, we had Braden drive Carson to school since Carson had his skis with him for ski club that evening.

A couple of weeks later, while we were at Carson’s basketball tournament, Braden ordered dinner using Brian’s GrubHub account (with permission).

With the car and debit card, Braden has been going to places like Kwik Trip and Culver’s for snacks, and he even went to a nearby golf course to play a round by himself.

Plus, he can stay at friends’ houses late (he and some of his buddies like playing poker) without having to get a ride from a friend or leave early if we pick him up.

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Braden started his freshman year this year. He was a backup tight end and linebacker for the very large freshman football team. He seemed to be making strides each game, to the point he was doing really well during a game in mid-September when an opposing player fell on his leg.

Braden ended up having an ankle sprain and had to wear a protective boot and use crutches for several weeks. Unfortunately, his ankle didn’t heal in time to return during the season.

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We thought Braden has pretty good teeth, but his back molars are slightly out of alignment, and consequently, he had to get braces. The first few days were tough in terms of eating, but he’s adjusted really well. Braden can eat almost everything except things like gummy bears.

To our annoyance, some of Braden’s braces have detached, twice, requiring visits to the orthodontist to fix them. We hope not to have any more issues in the next year-and-a-half.

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We traveled to Paradise Island, part of Nassau, Bahamas, to watch the Badgers basketball team compete in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament over Thanksgiving week. It was the first trip out of the country for the boys.

The Atlantis Hotel was sold out, so we ended up staying across the street. Fortunately, this hotel had a partnership with the Atlantis, so we were allowed to use all the amenities (mainly the huge outdoor waterpark).

We had a wonderful time. The basketball games were fun to watch, especially as we sat with other big fans, and we enjoyed going to the beach, hanging out at the swim-up pool bar at our hotel, going to the waterpark numerous times and doing some shopping in Nassau. Other than a few rainy hours, the weather was perfect.

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Braden’s dentist has noted that he has been slow to lose his baby teeth. Now, in the past month, he has lost four. One he accidentally swallowed during dinner, one he lost in the park during football practice and two he pulled at home.

According to Braden, he has at least one baby tooth left. Also, the tooth fairy has been negligent in putting money under Braden’s pillow.

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Over the past year, Braden has been obsessively parting his bangs (to the left). When Braden was younger, Brian would part his hair, but Braden would inevitably move it straight down his forehead. These days, you can see him part his hair everywhere–while waiting at the bus stop, during football games, while on his phone, etc.

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Speaking of the phone, we got Braden a smartphone for Christmas (it’s Brian’s old phone). Like his mom, Braden is continuously on it, texting friends (many of whom are a year older and have had their phones for longer), playing games and watching TikToks videos.

We also like that Braden carries it around so that he can contact us in an emergency. Sometimes he has to ride his bike to football practice while we are at Carson’s Little League games, so he texts us when he has arrived at the park and when he gets home.

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Recently, we received a text message from the parent of one of Carson’s classmates who was wondering how their son ended up with $26.75 from Carson.

Before we get to the answer, here’s some context to the story. Both boys like watching Mr. Beast on YouTube. The main premise of his videos is that he gives away money to others.

When we asked Carson about the $26.75, he hesitated at first to tell us the story. However, we eventually learned that he wrote a bunch of names on a piece of paper at home, and then he drew a name for who would get this money. (We’re still not sure how Carson came up with the amount of $26.75.)

Soon thereafter on the school bus, he presented the prize to his classmate (not really a friend), who was quite surprised, especially as Carson didn’t give much explanation.

We then told the parent that this act of giving was inspired by YouTube. Carson felt a little embarrassed, and while we applauded him for his kind heart, we encouraged him not to do this again.

Mostly, we were somewhat shocked Carson would do such a thing, as he always seems fairly reserved.

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Although the cancellation of pretty much everything the past six months has been disappointing, we did make the best of the situation. Most of these activities took place from March through May:

• Poker: Brian had already taught the kids Blackjack and a little poker, but now we taught them Five-Card Draw, Seven-Card Stud, Anaconda and Texas Hold ‘Em. We have a poker table in the kids’ playroom, and it was enjoyable to see the kids’ poker skills (they honestly played really well).
• Rock Band for Wii: The whole family got to be in a band. Brian’s rule about playing the drums is that you have to be topless. Carson primarily played the drums, and it was cute to see him without his shirt on. Brian and Braden also played drums but mostly switched between bass and guitar while Kristin primarily sang. We had so much fun that we bought two more versions of the game.
• Pictionary: After watching the Geico commercial with the sloth playing Pictionary, we decided to play the game on our giant whiteboard. Both the kids had some creative drawings, and they both made fun of Kristin for her not-so-good drawings.
• Movies: We had the boys watch tons of classics: Coneheads, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Adventures in Babysitting, Vacation, Uncle Buck, Spaceballs, Splash, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Airplane and Revenge of the Nerds
• American Gladiators: We’ve been watching some reruns of American Gladiators. Brian rearranged the furniture in the living room and placed various Nerf guns throughout to recreate the game Assault. Kristin was the only contestant to hit the target.

Everything Needs Fixing

While we were on lock-down, we had a bunch of things that needed repair. For one, we had to repair our chimney. The previous year, we had it cleaned, and the service person noticed some cracks and realized the chimney was not up to code.

While following the instructions to make spicy cheese bread, which required “steaming” the bread in the oven, Brian short-circuited the oven. Since the oven is connected to the microwave (all-in-one device), that shortcircuited, too. A repairman came and said we had already gotten the useful life out of the appliance. After about two weeks, Home Depot delivered the new oven/microwave, which was immensely heavy. We had to disconnect the wires of the previous appliance, then connect the wires of the new appliance, which is easier said than done. Luckily, we got it to function.

The chain of one of the garage doors snapped the bolt to which it was attached. But, that was a blessing in disguise. The repairman installed new rails, and the garage door opens and closes much more smoothly now. Plus, he repaired the shortcircuited lights.

Weekly Menu

In the first few months of the lockdown, Brian prepared a weekly menu of lunch and dinner items, primarily to reduce the need to go out to eat or grocery shop. We did order for delivery and carryout about twice per week.

Haircuts

In late May, when things began to reopen, Brian and the boys got haircuts in Necedah, a few miles north of our cabin. Most places in the area had two-week waitlists to get in (Dane County was still shut down at the time). Our haircuts were okay–it just felt good to get a hair cut again after 2+ months.

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In April, before the Nakoma all-sports sign-up, we (Kristin) allowed Braden to quit the swim team. It was not something he enjoyed, but Kristin really wanted him to stay on.

Kristin didn’t let Carson quit, so he’s still on the Orangeheads team. However, all swim meets and the All-City meet were canceled, so he just goes to practice every day, with the occasional intrasquad meet.

Meanwhile, both kids signed up for Little League. After buying all new equipment (bat, helmet, shoes, glove and cup) for Carson and some new gear for Braden, the league announced in mid-June that it, too, would forgo games and have practices only. Carson quit, but Braden stayed on because he wanted to get better. (Unfortunately, Braden regretted that decision, because his teammates were much better, he told us.)

As an aside, in the spring, Brian spent quite a bit of time practicing baseball with the boys, primarily serving as their catcher while they took turns pitching. After a couple of months, Braden said he no longer wanted to pitch, even though he was pretty good (likely a confidence issue).

Regarding tennis, Fitchburg canceled all rec sports, so we had to send Braden to Verona for tennis lessons. For basketball, Brian signed the kids up for Pau Gasol’s virtual basketball academy, though they only participated in a few of the drills.

Camp Invention, which Braden attended a couple of years ago at Edgewood College, went virtual this year. It sent Carson a box with all the planned activities. On the other hand, Braden’s football and basketball camps were both canceled.

The one bright side to all of the cancellations is that our typically jam-packed weekends in the summer are now spent at our cabin.

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We are so appreciative how well Braden and Carson get along with each other. As previously mentioned, they share the same bedroom together, and they really like playing with each other. In addition to the constant wrestling that boys of their age typically do, Braden and Carson often will play Fortnite together (Braden on the Switch, Carson on the Xbox One) rather than play against friends or strangers.

Carson is typically rougher on Braden, but these days, Braden is exerting his strength more frequently. It’s fun watching them play together in the playroom (e.g. Legos), at our cabin (e.g. in the lake) and even on their tablets (e.g. Roblox or Minecraft).

During the spring semester, when schools went virtual, Braden even helped Carson with his school work (after we asked him to).

Still, the boys do hang out with their respective friends, too, and we haven’t noticed any jealousy or sadness when one is out and the other is in. We also like that they know each other’s friends.

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We decided to take the kids to Las Vegas for spring break last month. We were a little nervous bringing two kids, but we ended up having a great time. We did everything we normally would do in Las Vegas except eating at fancy restaurants and going to nightclubs (though we barely do that anymore).

We used our timeshare points to stay at a resort near Harrah’s Sunday-Thursday. The resort had multiple outdoor pools and a free shuttle to various areas, plus we had a two-bedroom condo.

Our activities included the Eiffel Tower, the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, Top Golf (twice, because the kids loved it so much), Mystere (kid-friendly cirque du soleil) and the Fremont experience (although we were too early for the light show).

Here are some photos.

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We don’t remember when it started, but Carson now sleeps in Braden’s room every night. He sleeps on a blanket on the floor next to Braden’s bed, and he’s got another blanket to cover him. He’s using Braden’s super-thick pillow.

We think they got used to sleeping in the same room through their bunk bed at our cabin. Braden doesn’t mind at all. Now and then, he’ll sleep on the floor in Carson’s room.

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