We had a wonderful Christmas Eve/ Christmas. I love going to church on Christmas. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday. And of course, I love the musical numbers. This year I sang a duet, Silent Night, with Lauren Bown-Hann.
At home we ended up getting all our presents opened before church (the girls were up at 4am… so it wasn’t hard to do). This year we took each kid to purchase their sibling gifts and then out to dinner and it went so well that I think we will do it again. They received ample presents from grandparents, and Santa brought them each a gift. Travis and I only got them ONE gift this year! We surprised them with a trip to Hawaii! We leave in February. After church we had the missionaries and Bro. Havner came over to join us for dinner and celebrations before we called it a night.
For New Years this year we decided to host a party, but also decided to get ALLLLL the holiday decorations packed back up… which also meant overhauling my storesge room. To say I was busy that week was an understatement. But it was worth it. The house looked amazing. The storage room is practically packed for moving. And the party was lots of fun! And that’s how we rang in the New Year!
January has been a nice combination of busy and laid back, as well as cold but warm… for January in the Midwest.
We’ve began soccer skills camps for both the boys out at NIACC; we carpool with Jay Lingbeek and they love it. Aaron had travel ball practice once a week, which is just enough for him to enjoy seeing everyone without being annoyed with too many practices. The girls are in a dance class together that they love (more on that in a moment) Maddix, Aaron, and I have mutual/activity days each week and Travis has daddy/daughter time. Piano lessons have started back up once a week. We have a family movie night once a week. Travis and I enjoy a date night while the boys babysit; they do a really good job. It usually involves Maddix making macaroni, a movie, Minecraft, the boys putting the girls to bed, and then them playing video games together. We aren’t gone that whole time, but we come home and continue our date while they like to have that routine together. On Friday nights the boys push their beds together and have a “sleepover.” This typically involves a pile of stuffed puppies, flashlights, and books. Sundays we almost always have pancakes or German Hard rolls for lunch (ugh so good), we typically have s meeting or two between Travis being E.Q. President, Maddix being Deacon’s President, and my calling as YW’s President, but honestly I love meetings and I could spend all day at church; it’s my happy place.
Big events:
- We enjoyed Christmas break with morning of Uno in my bed, Harry Potter reading, and endless playing of new toys!
- The sledding hill with the Hammonds and the Lingbeeks. Oh and Tammy!
- Travis took the boys snowboarding in Minnesota and they had a GREAT time!
-Avery and Aaron both had bday parties for classmates. Meanwhile, Travis had a date with Maddix and Addie and I had a bowling date… where I only bowled around a 90, with bumpers! Ha ha my Grandmother would be ashamed!
- Maddix had been getting to spend some Saturdays hanging out with his friend, Fred, while Aaron has been getting to spend time with his buddy, Kaleb.
- we had a “Pre-Hawaii” dinner to get the kids excited for Hawaii!
- We attended a wedding for Travis’s nurse, Tracy’s daughter out in Algona and it was such a fun time. The girls LOVED dancing, and their brother’s watched them like hawks, unwilling to let anything happen to them!
- Travis had his work “belated” Christmas Party.
- The girls had their New Years dance performance out at NIACC. They were so excited to get in their costumes, have some make up on, and get their hair sprayed. I picked the boys up early from school even so they could be there… however, when we got there we found out I read the date wrong and it had been the day before! Tears welled up in their eyes, but before they could spill over Maddix whipped out a pocket of money and said, “follow me.” He then proceeded to let them choose a vending machine treat. Each boy gave them a piggyback to the car, and then we had root beer floats and they all watched a movie together; those boys saved the day.
- I cut and colored my hair! It’s so different from anything I’ve ever done. I even got bangs!! Today I was told by one of my YW that I looked like a 90’s tv character! 😂 apparently the 90’s were so long ago that they’re back in!!
-I sang a trio in church today and it went so well. I’m so grateful. Everyone was so kind. And Travis told me I really have a beautiful voice, to go along with my beautiful hair; what a keeper!
- Travis and I are tracking calories and working out a ton right now to prep for Hawaii!
- Ive finished reading Northanger Abby, Sanditon, and Always and Forever so far this month; that’s a lot for me. And I had Book club for January and the next book we will be reading is Murder on the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie.
- Maddix is currently zipping through the Tom Clancy books! He’s amazing.
