Christmas 2025

Well, it was an unusual Christmas in the Donoghue house thanks to the flu virus... still a special season and some wonderful quality time with our kiddos.

Merry Christmas!

Part of the girls' Christmas gift was a weekend trip to New York to see one of their favorite bands, The Beths, and to explore the city in early December.  Katie and Andy were super generous to host Jamie and the girls for the weekend, and they had an amazing time!  I think this was the first trip where they really got the idea of wanderlust and how exciting travel can be!

Had to visit the famous Christmas tree

Unfortunately there was  huge computer failure at DTW, so they were delayed over and over again on the way there, just barely making it to New York in time to see the concert.  But they both loved the show, and even got to meet the lead singer afterward!  There was a ton of walking around for them, and I was so glad to hear that the girls kept up just fine.  Evie tracked over 20,000 steps each day!

So relieved to finally be leaving Detroit!

Hanging with Katie before the show

Got a good spot and could see everything!

Hydrate or dydrate

Meeting Elizabeth Stokes!

Who you gonna call?

Sight-seeing

In her happy place at a book store

Playing with Henry and Lewis

Best dad

Subway savvy

Evie's happy place - anywhere with
ice cream and whipped cream

Obviously had to visit the Lego store

Per tradition, we went to Frankenmuth right before Christmas and stayed at the Bavarian Inn.  Wow - the new water park is so cool, something for everyone!  Even Jamie and I enjoyed a lot of the activities.  The family raft slide, wave pool and indoor/outdoor hot tub were our faves.  Unfortunately Maggie was starting to feel pretty sick when we got there, and spent most of the time in the room (found out later she had Flu-B).  We spent two nights this year, which made it a lot easier to do "all the things" and not feel pressured or rushed.

A huge waste of energy, but an outdoor hot tub in the middle
of winter was pretty darn cool

So relaxing

Happy on the lazy river

Putt Putting around

Ben did pretty well this year!

Ropes course was a bunch of fun!

I had to stay with Ben because he's a shorty - the
kid doesn't slow down up there!

Walking across the bridge to dinner

Somehow this picture was on my phone - 
Evie captured something magical here!

We all got home on Christmas Eve feeling kind of tired and crummy, Maggie was miserable.  We took her to urgent care and got the flu diagnosis... and then Jamie, Evie and Ben all starting coming down with symptoms.  I was mostly fine throughout thanks to the flu shot, but it was a pretty tiring few days keeping up with so many sick people!  Christmas morning was still special, but a little subdued.  We didn't do breakfast with my parents like usual, and didn't go to the Donoghues either.  It was sad, but also left time for a lot of Christmas cuddles and much-needed naps.

Top of the stairs annual photo

This Christmas was sick!

Books and coffee are the way to Maggie's heart

Loving her new Gilmore Girls PJs from Grammer!

Sickness does not slow this guy down, physically
or vocally

Pretty much the view in our house for several days

Our homemade ornaments this year:
Jamie - felt poked replica of my bear Shoelaces (first gift he ever got me)
Holly - replica empty toilet paper holder because only I have the
rare, magical power to replace the roll

Even Maple was feeling lazy

Time to continue disinfecting...

Maggie turns 13!

We have an official teenager in the house!  

13 and super mature

Maggie continues to be a bright, hard-working kid with a huge love of music and her besties.  She takes after Jamie and is a total night-owl.  While she has occasional teenager moodiness, she's still a genuinely sweet person who loves to keep the peace.  She's busy with guitar, viola, archery, robotics, soccer and drama club, still an avid Swifty, and continues working on her fantasy universe of characters and stories.  My favorite times with Maggie are watching Gilmore Girls together, and car rides anywhere with just the two of us - best time to catch up on the "hot goss".  She's doing great in school, and her teachers have nothing but good things to say about her.  Maybe not her favorite subject, but she's a rockstar in math!  She hates public speaking and being the center of attention - and gets super annoyed with us when we try to push her out of her shell (too bad, it's my job).

She got Starbucks breakfast as requested on her birthday, then we did dinner and cake with the grandparents! 

Getting embarrassed by the Red Robin staff

My cousin Patty had a left-handed bow, and generously
gave it to Maggie so she can start shooting with her own bow!

December is always such a busy time, so we didn't end up having her friend-party until a couple weeks later.  We held it at her archery place, which was a new fun thing for most of her friends, then had a sleepover with her girlfriends afterward.

Archers unite

More birthday singing

Ben was a good sport even though he's too young to shoot

Pizza

Nice form

Breakfast of champions!

Grateful for a giant couch

Fall 2025

This Halloween we had an astronaut, a bag of Cheetos and pirate-fairy cos-play!

Halloween 2025

The kids all did their own pumpkins this year, with very little help from Jamie and me.  This was the first year that Ben truly carved his own pumpkin all by himself, and I was pretty proud of his perseverance!

Guts and Glory

So focused

Maggie's grossed out face

Dance break - Maggie teaching me the Ophelia dance

One of Evie's besties came along for trick-or-treating

Grammer and Pops came by to pass out candy so
Jamie and I could walk around with the kids

Maggie went out with her pals

We went to an "outer space" themed party, so I was a
Shooting Star (who shot whiskey from a squirt gun) and
Jamie was a classic Jedi

Maggie joined the Robotics Team at her school and she's learning so much!  Turns out to be a really high-commitment activity, with 12-hour competition days... but she's been a trooper through it all.

Making some adjustments

It helps to have a bestie on her team

One event was near AA, so Jamie and Maggie 
 stopped by U of M on the way home at her request 

I'm not trying to brainwash her,
but she's totally drinking the Kool-Aid!

Some others:

Soccer besties

Sus

Ben at his fun run... the mouth never stops running

Evie's team at their tournament

Celebrating Aunt Jane's birthday!

Donoghue cousins

Go Blue!

Cutie with the viola

Celebrated my birthday at Clawson Steakhouse -
I love that place!

Singing me a self-written piece (perhaps we need
to get this kid some lessons)

Maggie and the muppet

Special birthday outing in Ann Arbor with my guy

Shooting hoops at Grammer's on Thanksgiving

Celebrating Sarah's 10th birthday!

Had to capture the girls almost-hugging

Evie singing on stage at her concert - she also played
the ukulele and the xylophone!

Went to see the Detroit tree after a Piston's game
to start getting into the Christmas spirit