Time for a look back at another fun and busy year in the Markel household!

January is always a rather quiet month, which is not unwelcome after the busyness of the holiday season. We began 2025 with our first family feast of the year, with a German twist. We enjoyed quite a bit of snow. Ladybug won first place in the high school category of our city’s winter art contest! And she began rollerblading (while dodging the stubborn patches of ice that insisted on sticking around).

February is historically my least-favorite month of the year, mainly because it’s just so boring. There were some bright spots, though, including Once Upon a Valentine in St. Charles, MO. We had more snow…and so did Bowling Green, KY, where we got to see what winter looks like on The Hill when we visited Bunny at college. We watched the Big Bear Eagle Cam with great interest, and also got to observe as our library hatched some chicks. And we had a flat tire, which was just a very February thing to have happen.

I’m always happy to see March arrive, because it’s a much more exciting month! I got to debut my Rare Dirndl custom dirndl just in time for Mary Blair March. Chickadee had her final baby teeth pulled. We fell in love with the eaglets on the Big Bear Eagle Cam. Bunny came home for spring break and we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day. Turkey turned 22. And just a few days later, Chickadee finally became a teenager! We celebrated the St. Louis Cardinals home opener, which was probably the high point of an otherwise disappointing season. Moose was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, thanks to his excellent grades his first year of college.

April was a fun month. Ryan and I took Chickadee to see the Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon The Super Live at The Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis as a late birthday gift. We celebrated Easter. Ladybug, Chickadee, and I went to the St. Louis Zoo for the lantern festival. And back at the zoo during the day, we finally got to see Jet, the zoo’s baby elephant! Bunny presented a 20+ page paper she wrote about Benedict Arnold at the History Undergrad Research Conference at Western Kentucky University and won the top award.

May (or “Big Feelings May” as I like to call it) was A LOT. Moose performed in his spring band concert the same night that Bunny was showered with awards at the WKU history department awards night. We had fun with annual our Star Wars Days celebrations, and then things really got busy. Bunny graduated from Western Kentucky University with a Bachelor’s Degree in history and as Scholar of the Potter College of Arts and Letters. While we were in Bowling Green, Ladybug turned 18 (although we waited to celebrate until we were back home). She also graduated from high school, and my K-12 homeschool, which was very emotional. The two of us went horseback riding as one last homeschool activity. We went on our annual trip to Chicagoland for the 10th anniversary of Combo Breaker, where we all worked hard, put in a lot of hours at the event, but also had some fun along the way.

We began June with “fledge watch” as we waited to see when Sunny and Gizmo, our favorite young eagles, would fly for the first time (6/2 and 6/7 respectively, if you’re curious). Our “Pokémon Summer” kicked off. Moose got to attend the Shriner’s Parade as a spectator instead of as a member of the marching band. I celebrated my birthday. As a birthday treat, we spent the day on a “Hit the Bricks” tour in St. Charles, MO. We also celebrated “Stitch Day.”

July was a pretty quiet month, probably because it was too hot to do much of anything. We did get to spend a fun day at Grant’s Farm. Bunny turned 21! And Chickadee and I went on a very interesting and moving summer school field trip to the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

In August, Bunny and I went on the other “Hit the Bricks” tour in St. Charles, MO. We wrapped up our “Pokémon Summer” which was a lot of fun. Ladybug started college! And Chickadee started 8th grade as the only student in my homeschool. Bunny decided against grad school, and instead started working. Turkey began his senior year of college, with plans for dual enrollment as a grad student in the second semester. And Moose started his second year of college. Chickadee and I went on a fun field trip to Busch Stadium. And we had a fun time at Greek Fest at the end of the month.

September means the beginning of Oktoberfest season! But first, Chickadee and I went on a fun field trip to the Central Library and Union Station in St. Louis. Our first Oktoberfest of the season was at Grant’s Farm. Our second Oktoberfest was closer to home on the town square in Belleville. We attended my favorite Oktoberfest in St. Charles, MO. We celebrated Michaelmas, which is one of my favorite church feast days.

Of course in October there were more Oktoberfests, in Soulard and at the St. Louis Zoo. Chickadee and I went on a library crawl, which was fun and unique. We visited the pumpkin patch. We had fun celebrating the 10th anniversary of Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles, MO.

Things really kicked into high gear in November. Chickadee broke her ankle on the seventh anniversary of when I broke mine…that might be the weirdest thing that happened all year! Moose celebrated his 20th birthday. We got to see the Northern Lights again. Chickadee and I attended the Thanks-for-Giving parade in downtown St. Louis for the first time. We baked a lot of pies. We had a nice Thanksgiving. Advent began, and with it, a new Lego project.

And that brings us to December. We kicked off the Christmas season in earnest by going to the Boar’s Head Festival. We celebrated Nikolaustag…and went to Christmas on the Hill on the same day. Moose’s concert band performed a lovely concert that ended with a Christmas favorite, “Sleigh Ride.” Our Christmas School focused on Christmas in Italy, in advance of the 2026 Winter Olympics. We celebrated Santa Lucia Day by going to Christmas Traditions in St. Charles, MO, (if you’re keeping track, that’s a record six visits to historic St. Charles this year!), where we got to visit with Santa Lucia herself. A few days later we attended Garden Glow at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The Fab Five completed Lego Rivendell and we celebrated Christmas!

This was another big year, and next year is looking pretty monumental, too, as Turkey will be graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics and Chickadee will be starting high school…I’m sure there will be other notable events and fun surprises along the way, and I can’t see what to see 2026 holds for us!

Time for a look back at another fun, busy year!

January seemed even quieter than it usually does. We honestly didn’t do a whole lot, but we did enjoy one winter weather event, and a foggy trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden. I started a new monthly photo project there, but…spoiler ahead…I only made it partway through the year before we got so busy, I simply forgot to keep up with it!

February was surprisingly exciting. We went ice skating for a school field trip. The Orchid Show at the Missouri Botanical Garden was a welcome bright spot in the middle of the winter. We attended the premier “Once Upon a Valentine” event in St. Charles, MO. My hosting segment on SiriusXM’s Disney Hits channel aired! We took our annual Bobunk celebration on the road when we visited Bunny at college.

March was a total whirlwind. We celebrated MAR10 Day, Chicago Day, and STL Day in quick succession. Bunny came home for spring break. We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, Turkey’s 21st birthday, and Chickadee’s 12th birthday, also in quick succession. We attended the Animals Aglow lantern festival at the St. Louis Zoo. Starbuck’s introduced the most perfect drink. The month ended with a very early Holy Week and Easter.

After the business of March, April was a bit more laid-back, but not by much. The Cardinals had their home opener, and I’m pretty sure that was the high point of the season. We celebrated First Contact Day, and then M*A*S*H Day (a holiday of my creation). Even though we weren’t in the path of full totality, we enjoyed the Great North American Eclipse. Moose was inducted into National Honor Society. I celebrated 60 years of “It’s a Small World.”

Where do I even start with May? It was a busy month full of milestones, especially for Moose, who had his final high school band concert. Bunny came home from college for the summer just in time to celebrate Star Wars Days. Ladybug turned 17. We finished another year of homeschool. Moose graduated from high school! Yes, I cried. We drove through a dust storm the likes of which I’ve never seen on the way to Combo Breaker. The Fab Five and I spent a day in downtown Chicago together for the first time in a long time. Bunny and I toured the amazing Downton Abbey Exhibition. Chickadee and I visited the Umbrella Sky Project. On the way home from Combo Breaker, we visited the Pullman National Historic Park.

In June we celebrated Donald Duck’s 90th birthday! We also celebrated my 45th birthday, which I guess makes me half his age! Our bunny friend, Harold, visited most evenings. We took a summer vacation to Minneapolis, with stops at the future birthplace of James T. Kirk in Riverside, IA, and the Surf Ballroom along the way. We really enjoyed the Mall of America and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. We toured the beautiful Cathedral of St. Paul.

We tried to cram as much fun into July as possible. Ryan finally got to travel to Tokyo. It was a work trip, but he was able to stay a little longer and see some things he wanted to see…he can’t wait to go back! We visited Bahama Buck’s for the first time to try their Sonic Sno…I wish it wasn’t so far away! We celebrated Oktoberfest a few months early. Bunny turned 20! Dole Whip Day featured another Dole Whip-inspired recipe. The date might not have been right, but we had our own Captain Picard Day celebration. The Paris 2024 Olympics began.

August is always a month of change, but first, we continued to enjoy the Olympics, and I even finally mastered the Croquembouche! We were sad to say goodbye to Bunny when she left for her senior year of college. Turkey began his junior year of college at a new school. Moose started college! Ladybug began her senior of high school while Chickadee started junior high. We went back to Greek Fest in St. Louis for the first time in five years.

We settled into a routine in September. I grew pumpkins in the backyard! “Sandwich Week” was a huge hit. We visited Bunny at college…and went to Buc-ee’s for the first time. After months of waiting, a new bookstore opened in downtown Belleville! I started the custom dirndl process with Rare Dirndl. We went to Oktoberfest in St. Charles.

October was strangely busy. I received the sketches for my custom dirndl and made my choice. Following the success of “Sandwich Week,” we enjoyed “Breakfast-for-Dinner Week.” We were super excited to see the Northern Lights, not just with our cameras, but also the naked eye! And then we got a glimpse of a comet, too! We really enjoyed trying out recipes from The Wizard of Oz: The Official Cookbook. We wrapped up month-long celebration of Oktoberfest. Legends and Lanterns in St. Charles is always a favorite event. We visited Laumeier Sculpture Park so Ladybug could work on her photography. We had a Sonic & Shadow celebration the same day Ladybug took the ACT…and scored very well!

In November we took our annual walk around Creve Coeur Lake. Moose turned 19! We took a very muddy hike around Cahokia Mounds. I baked a few more cheesecakes. I got to try on my custom dirndl for the first time! We baked a lot of pies. Bunny made a whirlwind trip home for Thanksgiving.

And that brings us to December, the best month of the year! I am always happy to welcome Advent. We celebrated Bunny’s return home for Christmas break and Nikolaustag on the same day. Christmas School was a bit more laid-back than usual, but still fun. Garden Glow and the holiday flower and train show at the Missouri Botanical Garden are always highlights for us. Speaking of highlights, we were ecstatic to attend the 50th anniversary of Christmas Traditions in St. Charles, MO. And of course we enjoyed our traditional Markel Family Christmas.

2025 is shaping up to be an exciting and emotional year, too…I can’t wait to see what surprises are in store for us! Happy New Year!