365Project.2014 | January

Oh yes. I have a blog. A long neglected blog. Sorry, folks. We made our special announcement at the end of the year and then we disappeared for a month. Not intentional. But sleep has taken significantly high priority in my life in recent weeks and the blog ... well, not so much. (If you hadn't noticed.) ;)

I've also been on the fence about continuing a third year of my 365Project. But with it in the back of my mind, I've at least attempted to take semi-regular pictures this month. Have I been completely successful? Nope. But as I sat down to write a post today, I realized that the simplicity of a picture a day (or not, as the case may be), still appeals. So, I think we're going to continue. Enjoy. :)

1. We launched our new year with what seemed like half-a-dozen gizmos and devices surrounding my very much NOT technically challenged hubby. He got multiple devices talking and syncing and backing up properly before Grandma and Grandpa headed home. What a wonderful visit we enjoyed together! ♥

2. Bliss. Blessing. Joy. Thankful. Words really cannot express how much I have enjoyed having a beautiful, large closet in our bedroom!!! 

The whole crew has enjoyed the Nerf guns they received for Christmas ... of course, when you combine them with targets built out of K-nex, it's even better! :)

3. I spent a LONG time in the office prepping for the first five weeks of school. It was a long day, but it has been a HUGE blessing to have it all done in this month which seemed to prevail with headaches, nausea, and exhaustion. I am not trying to complain. I am beyond thankful for this little one growing in me ... but there have been some very challenging days. But you know something? It's also good to have that very real reminder of how dependent we are (or ought to be!) on God's grace for each and every day ... the hard ones, the really hard ones, and the ones that don't "seem" so hard at all.

4. Daddy and crew enjoying a Big Boy video ... did you know that they're putting one back on the rails? It's big news in these parts. :)

5. Mommy slept all afternoon.

6. School is back in session. :)

 7. It is COLD. And I am not in the least bit sorry to live in a part of the country where single-digits are highly unusual! Brrrr!

 8. Somebody has developed a decided affinity for the notepad feature of my phone. :) (And no, it's not a "smart" phone.)

 9. Lego creations continue to abound.

 10. Friday night games ... for big

and little. :)

11. Mommy and Peter enjoyed a fun lunch date at Chick-Fil-A, followed by visits to a couple different fabric stores in search of the "right" fabric for new bedroom curtains. :)

Daddy resurrected his original helicopter (a much more "sedate" model than the one he received for Christmas.) He's having fun teaching the kids how to fly it. :) (And he has been thoroughly enjoying the challenge of his new model!) :)

12. Hannah and her friend enjoying a Sunday afternoon together as well as a few minutes of practice on their piano duet. :) (Mommy slept this afternoon, too ...)

13. Real life. My kitchen sink at 11 a.m. On a rather more regular basis than I care to admit.

 14. So what are the kids so interested in watching out the window?

 Our hawk! Hunting his lunch from a tree quite close to the house. :)

 And not just one, but TWO! Matthew spotted this second one on a tree quite close to the road.

 

This particular evening Daddy had an unexpectedly late night. (As in, didn't get home till 4 a.m.) And Mommy was Tired. With a capital T. So we had a Mary Poppins and popcorn night. :) The kids thought it was great! Mommy was glad to sit. :)

15. Hannah-bug has taken on the challenge to read through her Bible this year! ♥ So thankful for the Lord's working in her heart and for her friend who took up our Pastor's challenge to do so last year and then decided to do it again this year.

16. Why yes, we like Cheerios. Especially when Mommy can get them for an average of $1.23 a box. :)

 Matthew was thrilled to have his first turn at the helicopter controls.

17. We celebrated 100 Day! A fun milestone in our 180 day school year. When I originally cropped this photo, I ended the left-side at the corner of the counter--you couldn't see Peter's feet. And then I realized that his feet ... in that position ... are a VERY real picture of life in these parts. If only Mommy could have a fraction of his energy!!!

Among other 100-ish activities, we decorated our door with 100 bows ... which had been slated for the dumpster. Then we made a feeble attempt to make "100" with our arms ... but we had fun. :)

Our day ended with an extra special treat of sharing an Italian meal (a real Italian meal!) with our friends and missionaries to Italy! What a blessed evening!

Our little chefs ...

18. It was the weekend for fellowship. Granted, the fellowship was a bit noisier on Saturday than it had been on Friday evening ... ;)

 

19. Mommy slept. All day.

20. The cold snap broke briefly for a few days of delightfully clear, warmer weather! Out came the bikes!

 21. And it just kept getting warmer! :)

23. What is my 3-year-old so excited about? :) Because, yes, he is as ecstatic as he looks.

He has successfully typed all the important words and names of his world! Another observation ... yes, he spends the better part of most mornings in his PJs. He likes wearing them and it's one less thing for Mommy to do. A win-win situation in my book. :) I do try to make sure he's "dressed" before Daddy gets home from work. ;)

24. We're enjoying memorizing Psalm 103 ... what a delight to hear even Matthew recite the first seven verses with just a few prompts!

25. My little guy is back in the picture again as my helper in sewing our curtains while his siblings helped Daddy with some repairs at church. :)

 26. Our bedroom, before ...

27. And after ... :)

Side note ... I discovered that decorating by Facebook friend committee is encouraging and fun. :) Along with giving some FANTASTIC ideas, there's a HUGE confidence boost as you prepare to buy $60+ worth of fabric when a whole pile of people have said that they think the end result will look nice. :)

28. It snowed! Well, a little anyway. And my crew had a BLAST sledding on fallen leaves sprinkled with a dusting of snow. ;)

 And Matthew, who was petrified of sledding last year, absolutely loved it this year! :)

 It was an encouragement and a blessing to me to see how well they all worked together. ♥ (No, that does NOT always happen!) :}

 

 29. The snow stuck around till the next morning ...

And our crew was ready for another go at it. Daddy was home till the sun melted the ice on the roads, though, so Mommy stayed in where it was warm. I need to buy some boots. :)

30. While one would think you could hardly top a snow day in SC, the circus most definitely did! :) Starting with the "Pachyderm Picnic" at 3:00, we made a day of it! :)

In between the elephant picnic and the circus itself, we enjoyed dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. I'm not sure that the boys noticed much difference, but Hannah definitely appreciated the step-up from Chick-Fil-A and Cook-Out. ;) Mommy and Daddy appreciated the Christmas gift from Chris' Aunt and Uncle that made our outing, along with its special meal, possible. ♥

Rather than heading home between dinner and the circus, we parked early and listened to audio CDs for about 45 minutes ... allowing us to be near the front of the line when the doors opened for the pre-show on the circus floor. Hannah and Peter both got to jump rope with the clowns! :) Peter managed just one jump (as did most of the other children), 

But Hannah had the clowns and the whole crowd counting for her as she reached ten jumps! The clown was even giving her high-fives as they jumped once they passed the fourth jump! :) Once she reached ten, they stopped so that others could have a turn, too. :) So fun!!! :)

 

Along with watching some other clown acts up-close, we had front-row views of Kelly Ann the Elephant painting her picture! :) No zoom on my camera whatsoever! I was within six feet of her! :)

We ALL loved the circus! I have vague memories of going to the circus once when I was little, but it was the first for the rest of the family--including Chris! The kids ... young and old alike! ... were mesmerized by the acrobats, the animals ... all of it. Mommy took LOTS of pictures (500!) ... I think they're going to get turned into a photo book for the kids. :)

I'll not bore you with pictures from every act, but the Globe of Steel was definitely a favorite! :) So thankful for a really special day! It was neat to see the Lord's hand in all of it ... from our seats to the timing of being at the pre-show in time for the jump-roping. Just a really, really special day.

32. On Saturday, along with dealing with some really not so fun stuff, we also had the blessing of enjoying a hike with our Missions for Kids class. The Lord blessed with a beautiful, clear, and cool by not cold day! :) (Matthew enjoyed hanging out with our friends, since the three-mile hike would have been a bit much for his legs ... or Mommy and Daddy's backs!) :)

And that was January. :)
Hopefully we can share February in somewhat smaller chunks ... :)