We were all excited about the big Packer game tonight. The boys even sported their *vintage* jerseys for the occasion (that’s a Woodson jersey and Driver jersey in case you can’t tell—gotta love hand-me-downs). It’s been a fun season of football watching—especially when they keep winning. I’ll make sure the jerseys are ready for next week!
*Side note: this photo was taken at our 4-H meeting. Chase insisted he hold this ball up for the photo. Kids are weird.
That’s right, I’ve decided to take this one under my wing and show him the secrets of my pancake process.
I really like making pancakes. I think Chris thinks I’m crazy sometimes (ok, more than sometimes) when I want to get up and immediately head to the kitchen on the weekends to undertake the process of making pancakes [from scratch]. I like the tradition of it. I like that when the kids look back, they’ll remember me making weekend batches of muffins or pancakes as a special break from the weekday breakfast monotony. They’ll think that, right? Even if they never fully realize my intentions, it warms my heart and to give this little part or myself to them. It’s ok if Chris thinks I’m crazy.
In case you’re curious…I still use this recipe from Day 94 way back in 2014. With the addition of chocolate chips, of course. :)
Does anyone else work on top of a 1000 piece puzzle? Yeah, me neither.
These Pokémon cards have been in hiding for a few months. I can’t say that I’ve missed having this mess take up our living room, but it is fun to see the interest come back around. There’s no way we could have moved past the Pokemon phase that quickly.
The little guy started piano today. Hard to believe it’s been two years since Chase started at this age. Robbe was oh so excited (I’m serious!) to get to have his own lesson. He even came home and practiced right away. Let’s hope the enthusiasm lasts!
I think we’ve bowled more in the last two weeks than in the last eight years—three times. And it’s been pretty great, actually. I wouldn’t mind if we made this a regular occurrence.
Adorable side note: the photo in the bottom-left of the collage is Chase “coaching” Robbe on where to place his second ball. Isn’t that amazing?
This was posted on a Facebook group yesterday. That’s our house on the right. And that’s our oak tree. The woman who wrote it was a daughter of the couple that built our house. Isn’t that amazing? I know nothing about trees but the giant ones that surround our house often make me stop and think about all the things they’ve seen.
There were a lot of good shots from our NYE celebration, but this one—captured by Andi (shoutout Andi!!) during one of the “minute to win it” games—is probably my favorite. So much joy in one photo. :)
We had a great time welcoming the new decade with Chris’s brothers and their families last night. We even let the boys stay up until midnight. The real midnight. I know…who have I become? It was totally worth it, though. Everyone had a total blast.
2019 was good to us. Here’s hoping for just as many fun memories and even more love and laughter in 2020.
p.s. Aren’t holiday cards the best? I love walking by all these smiling faces every day.
We’re home and we’re all exhausted. The fun-filled days in Chris’s hometown with his family made it more than worth the needed recovery, though. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again…it sure is nice when family are friends and friends are family.
*The photo collage is missing one of the six cousins. :( The poor little lady was sick and didn’t make it into any of them. We’ll remedy that on New Year’s Eve.
This photo ranks pretty high up there for favorite holiday photo of 2019. It captures my sweet seven year old perfectly.
Our family Christmases came to an end tonight. Every one of them was just the best. It’s so nice when you actually like your family, you know?
We’re feeling beyond thankful and blessed as we close the book on 2019.
These two managed to [barely] keep it together long enough to put out a very specific cookie selection as well as milk and carrots. The day they’ve been waiting for for weeks (if not months) is finally here.
What a fun afternoon activity! We went bowling with a few of my cousins (and their kids). I didn’t even make a fool of myself. That’s all I can ask for with bowling.
Christmastime is just my favorite. These people make me so very happy.
We rang bells for the Salvation Army tonight. I’ve walked by these folks a thousand times throughout my life but never did the ringing. I was worried about the boys hanging in their for a whole hour and I thought it was going to be freezing cold (we were in the foyer of a grocery store). I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It was kind of a fun way to spread some Christmas cheer and no one froze! I think I’d even sign us up again next year.
Yesterday was baking day at my house. My mom arrived in the morning and we baked until the boys got home from school (and helped with the last batch). Man, what a lovely way to spend the day, you know? I feel very lucky to have the ability to do it, that’s for sure.
Here’s a list of what we made. Some of them aren’t the exact recipes, but you get the idea.
Swedish Butter Cookies: almond-y and extra delicious
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies: The actual recipe here is for cherry + lime cookies, but I’ve always made the cranberry + orange variety.
Marble Sugar Cookies: sorry, no recipe online for this one
Whew. No wonder I’m tired today.
Side note: Sorry yesterday’s photo didn’t come through correctly. Here’s a link to the post again in case you’re dying to see what family picture I used for the team update.
Nothing like taking a break from the busiest time of the year to contemplate the things that bring joy to our family. I hope this holiday edition of our team update brings a smile to your face.
FAVORITES: The home renovation process...it's just fascinating, the sound of snow crunching under my feet, a warm house (is it always this cold in December?), my new boots, cheesy Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, baking Christmas cookies, receiving holiday cards, basically anything Christmas-related
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Keeping up with the never-ending layer of dust that appears on every surface of the house these days.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Having my home all to myself (and not several of my favorite contractor friends surrounding me at all times)
FAVORITES: Reading with the boys, staying up to date on the boys' interests (Minecraft, Pokemon, Harry Potter, etc.), our Christmas decorations (he's partial to the lights on the tree and the giant wreath above our mantle), anything with the almond-extract flavor, chex mix ('tis the season for this delicious treat)
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Figuring out exactly what festive holiday cocktail his lovely wife would enjoy most at any given time.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Stepping onto his newly-finished heated floor at 6am for the first time.
Age: 7.5
FAVORITES: Minecraft (playing it, talking about it, reading about it), movies (he's not picky), spending time with his friends, school, reading (and reading and reading), playing board games (Life and Monopoly Junior are current favorites)
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Managing the inevitable let down of the Christmas season coming to an end. He's a sensitive soul and it seems to hit him hard every year.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Planning his video game playdate that I promised him when the weather turned cold
AGE: 5.5
FAVORITES: Being outside (sledding, specifically), playing with Chase (anything really), board games, Minecraft, playing Legos, any type of Christmas-y special treat, anything Christmas-y at all, actually, hot chocolate
BIGGEST HURDLE TO OVERCOME: Not always knowing what's coming next. This kid always wants to be one-step ahead: What's for breakfast? What are we doing after school? When do we get to play Minecraft again? You get the idea. Preparation is this guy's middle name.
DREAMS FOR THE FUTURE: Receiving all the presents. Robbe is EXCITED about the "getting" side of Christmas this year. Perhaps the "giving" side will rank a bit higher on his list next year. A mom can hope.
There’s been a decent bit of crafting going on around here but it’s hard to share anything when the crafts are ending up as gifts, you know?
I think we’re safe with this photo, though. Can you guess what I’m making? There are two of them—one for each of my favorite little guys. I’ll post a photo of the big reveal when they’re all done.
small city | BIG DAYS
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