I remember as a child telling my mom that January was my least favorite month because nothing much ever happened. In return she said… “that’s precisely why I love January so much!!!” Ha! Now that I’m a mother, I get it! The holidays are so much fun. I love Fall as it’s Evelyn’s birthday, Grant’s birthday and my own....lots to celebrate. I love Halloween with children— it’s the best- really! And of course Thanksgiving and Christmas— what could be better? But after all of the festivities, it is so very nice to welcome in the new year and enjoy a little bit of nothing going on! Now that my boys are into basketball and Evelyn is an all-star actor (haha), I actually do have lots to look forward to in the month of January. Indoor sports and end of season plays. Ah, life is good:)
And of course, you know I like to start celebrating Valentine’s Day as early as humanly possible! Loved setting out a few valentine’s decorations and working on candy sweetheart projects with the kids. One of my favorite traditions is sitting them down one on one and letting them pick out a valentine saying for their friend valentines. I love to design their cards. This year Evelyn designed her own! She insisted on an emoji themed card. And Dane found one on-line that he loved— an army guy theme. They are growing up and soon designing valentines will be a thing of the past. But I’ll enjoy it while it lasts. I like to take a bunch of pictures of the kids with hearts and smiling poses to send to Daddy on Valentines day. It’s another little tradition.
On another note, January brought us a wonderful week long visit from my parents, and a four day weekend full of friends and adventure! We’ve spent many a night roasting marshmallows and making s’mores with our new fire pit. We discovered geo-caching with two families we love spending time with- the Perrys and the Brinckleys. Can’t believe we hadn’t joined the bandwagon sooner! Geo-caching is wonderful…. a treasure hunt of sorts in which the kids rely on their phone compass and a few clues to find the hidden treasures located all over the city. We visited the Automotive Museum at Balboa park per Dane’s request. He’s really into cars these days. In fact, he asked for a race car themed birthday celebration. Never mind that he isn’t having the traditional friend birthday party— he still wants a decorated theme- ha! I’ll get to that in my spare time. So cute that he received his major birthday gift a little early in the mail and none of us could wait for his birthday to start using it!!! An electric motorcycle! It’s seriously so much fun. Even Blake and I ride it:) As I write, he is off on his birthday weekend with Grandma and Grandpa. IHOP for breakfast before heading off to Disneyland! Talk about the greatest present ever! Before they left, Grandma had hidden cute little notes and nine dollar bills (tradition) for Dane to find. Grandpa had grilled his favorite meal… mac and cheese with steak and caesar salad. The kid’s not spoiled or anything…ha!
But back to the reality of life here at home. I must say that the hardest part of my day is certainly after school hour when all children need to get homework done, but I have absolutely NO desire to force it upon them when I know they’ve been at school for 6-7 hours already and just want to go out and play! It seems so sad to force them in to come inside and sit down to math facts...it breaks my heart. But that being said, we are so busy in the afternoons that I don’t have much choice about it. Once 4:00 hits, we are off and running to golf, basketball, soccer, flag football, voice, piano, acting class. I know we bring it on ourselves, but it’s so fun to see the kids participate in activities they love. It’s wonderful to watch them learn and grow. Grant is turning into a serious basketball player. He is aggressive, coordinated, a great leader on the court. He’s used to playing with kids one to two years older than himself…. so this year is a treat for him to be the same age as his peers. The kid is really so passionate about his sports. And he’s also passionate about learning to read. Something that isn’t coming quite as easily as sports do for him. But boy, does he ever practice and love the learning process. I’m so proud of him. He never needs a reminder to read or do his homework. He is 100 percent on board with these tasks and I know one day his hard work will pay off. Yesterday, Grant asked if he could get started on his friend valentines. Everyone else finds addressing and signing valentines cards a bit of a chore…. but not Grant! He was beyond excited and he did not quit until all 28 cards were signed and addressed and whistles attached. Such a cute guy.
The kids are pros at writing goals (I mean….they are my children, so duh!) I always enjoy reviewing their ideas and reminding them of their priorities. Grant has kept on his 25 shots per day and his review of snap words. Dane had a lot of good ideas, but he’s not quite as dedicated. Evelyn set right to work. She wanted to start a youtube channel and she did indeed start a youtube channel just as she set out to do. It’s pretty great. On this channel she has challenges, Vlog footage, music Mondays, tutorials, colabs with friends. It’s really fun to watch and I’m proud of her. Almost every day, the girl comes home from school with an idea in mind for her next video. She is getting so good at editing and putting together pictures and video in creative ways. She is becoming more and more eloquent as the weeks go on…. ha! As eloquent as an 11 year old tween can be! Absolutely love her little projects and determination to get the job done. I mean, look at her planner if you don’t believe me! “Hunting” is an outdoor game she created after reading all of the Hunger Games. It’s mostly exercise, but also a great way to get all of the kids involved— she brings them into the game in various capacities. And truthfully, it is difficult for Evelyn at times because the boys have so many dang sports. She is dragged around to tournaments and all sorts of games throughout the weekend. Mostly we allow her to bring a friend (hello Reha!) or let her stay at home for part of the day. But she is great to make the most of it.
Now Anna on the other hand, she is more than thrilled to attend every single game, show, tournament, practice, class… you name it and she’s there with bells on. And she’s also got at least one best friend for life at every single event. She makes friends so easily and LOVES these friends. Nora is her favorite person, bar none. Love to see these two cute girls together every day at preschool and afterwards for extended playdates! At any given time, you’ll find Anna playing in her room or at the kitchen counter with her little dolls. She has quite the imagination and really plays for hours and hours without stop! It was such a treat this month when Grammy brought the darling dolls my sister Michelle made for her!! Anna’s new favorite toy for sure, we were so grateful. In addition to imaginative play, Anna has become quite the singer as well…. belting out Chipmunk tunes such as “You Spin me Right Round” and “All the Single Ladies”. We may have another performer on our hands!
As far as my month goes…. I’ve enjoyed a few home improvement projects. Just adding more pictures to my wall collages and decor to my mantle. I have new year goals…. goals to NOT say yes as much as I currently do. My life is truly almost always lived at a frantic pace and I want to be more present and available for my children and husband. I have a goal to limit my sugar intake after the holiday hoarding! But I can’t seem to get into a routine or consistent good habit, darn it. Good habits is a theme I want to implement this year. Heck, that’s all I teach in Ev, Dane and Grant’s classrooms and I work all week writing lesson plans to help the kids with this important principle. So I sure hope to be able to have the strength and determination to follow through for myself. A friend took this picture of Blake and I during Sunday School…. might need to start with the habit of actually listening during church- haha! Just one of many items on my list to improve upon this year. Wish me luck! And Happy New Year!
