Daily Snap Shots--January

first

Happy New Year! Luke & I started the morning off with a 5 mile "fun run"--I didn't go the whole 5 miles because we needed to be somewhere afterwards, but it was still good to get out and run. [Luke won it--surprise, surprise.] We had a great time that evening when Sarah hosted a game night for all the sisters and our spouses. We played "Spousology," which is super fun (& funny!).

Sarah & Chris took the win!

second

My sisters, Ellen and Caitlin, and their husbands, as well as a couple of other friends came over for a little Christmas gathering.  

third

After being in town since December 17th, Ellen headed back to Wyoming.  She was in town for spinal surgery and spent the first half of her stay with Sarah and the second half with our family.  

fourth

How can it be?! My sweet Stella turned 9 months old today!  She is crawling all over the place, crusing, loves to eat, has 6 teeth...and says, "mama"!

Photo not taken until January 19th...she must be the third child.

fifth
Gemma had gymnastics this morning.  Too cute! She got a balance beam and a little trampoline for Christmas, so she has been practicing at home, too.

sixth

An old friend of mine passed away last May. Today I was able to meet up with his mom for a little bit and give her some old pictures that I had.

seventh

Today, we watched one of my friend's daughters because her nanny is on maternity leave.  I just love watching Gemma play with her friends.  She is such a social and imaginative little person.  She easily makes friends everywhere we go!

eighth

Augustine had a fun time at his friend's birthday party at the trampoline park this evening.  While he was at the party, Luke and I [& Estella] took Gemma on a little date to Chick-fil-a for dinner and some play time. 

ninth

We have been house hunting in Colorado Springs, and an offer we put on a house has been accepted! It is so crazy that we are buying another house, but I trust that being in Colorado year round and Luke continuing his soccer career is God's plan for us right now. Moving to CO Springs part time is another exciting part of our journey!

tenth

Our soon-to-be house has two bedrooms upstairs, the master bedroom on the main level, and a fourth bedroom in the basement.  We could give all the kids their own rooms, but in an effort to keep them all sleeping upstairs, we are thinking of having Augustine and Gemma share a room.  We are going to be using my old bunk bed from when I was a little girl for their room.  I think they will like it...but if they stop sleeping well, Augustine is moving to the basement! Thoughts on siblings sharing a room are welcome (I don't think I had my own room until I was 16, so...).

eleventh
Augustine is starting kindergarten in the fall, and we have not yet decided what that will look like.  Ideally, I will home school him [it has always been a strong consideration for us, and it makes a lot of sense given that Luke has to be in CO Springs from February-September], but I want to make sure I am able to give him the one-on-one time that he deserves before I totally commit.  If we go the public school route, we are really pulling for him to get into the Fort Collins Montessori School.  I just think the mentality of the teachers there is attractive, and he would be surrounded by kiddos whose parents value the Montessori approach. Homeschooling curriculum recommendations for kindergarten?? 

twelfth
Today we had a play date at a friend's house. I actually met this mom years ago through FOCUS, but we have become great friends in recent years through my Mom's Group at church.  It is a blessing to have fellowship and friendship with other Mom's who share my faith.

thirteenth
Tomorrow evening I am going to a clothing swap at my sister's house. If you have never participated in one, you should definitely consider it!  Basically, everyone brings clothing items/shoes/jewelry/purses that they no longer want and you go shopping for "new-to-you" items.  It is a great way to recycle clothing, and I always walk away with a few items that I love!!

fourteenth
Gemma goes to "school" every Wednesday from 9-11am.  This morning, she got to bring a snack to class to celebrate her birthday--she chose pineapple and spicy [aka pepper jack] cheese! I brought pineapple for everyone and mozzarella cheese sticks for her friends...but she got a couple slices of pepper jack instead :)

fifteenth
Today I ordered the kids' birthday party cupcakes!  Half chocolate for my chocolate lover {Gemma} and half white for my chocolate loather {Augustine}...half Frozen and half Spiderman. The littles are excited!
   sixteenth

I have no idea what we did today?? However, I am guessing moving was on my mind.  In less than a month, we are closing on our house in CO Springs, so I spend a lot of time thinking about what we are going to pack, what furniture we will need, etc. 

seventeenth
Happy 3rd birthday, Gemma!! Today, Augustine and Gemma had a joint birthday party at a gymnastics studio.  It was a great time with some of the kiddos' favorite friends and cousins. The princess/superhero theme made for some cute pictures.  After the party, we headed to Sarah and Chris' house for dinner. Dylan and Gemma share a birthday, so the party continued with more cake and more presents!

eighteenth
Twelve years ago today, Lacy, one of my best friends in the world died.  The year after her death was probably the hardest of my life. Today her mom had me and a couple other close friends over for a tea party.  Hosting tea parties is something Lacy used to do.   

nineteenth
Monday mornings are full for us.  We drop Augustine off at school at 8:45am and head straight to Gemma's gymnastics class that starts at 9am.  Luckily for us, it always starts late :)  After gymnastics we try to get Estella down for a nap at home before we pick up Augustine at 11:45am.  

twentieth
This morning we watched one of my girlfriends kids for a couple hours while she was at work.  I find times when I watch other kids or have play dates to be some of the most relaxing times for me.  The kids just play so well together that I find myself lounging on the couch, sipping still-warm coffee and wondering what to do with myself.   

twenty-first
Today I went to an Young Living essential oils class on "Winter Wellness."  I just started using essential oils a couple months ago, and I am really liking them.  Luke uses Panaway for his plantar fasciitis more effectively than any other treatment he has tried.  We use Thieves and Purification to disinfect the air in our home during this awful flu season.  Augustine loves to diffuse Lemon at bedtime.  I add Lavender to the water when the kids take baths.  And so much more... If you want to learn more about essential oils, let me know!

twenty-second
Little miss Estella started giving kisses yesterday, and it is sosososo sweet.  Before babies can talk or express themselves, you have to wonder if they feel all the love you have for them.  But when they start giving kisses, it's a little way for them to reciprocate your love and confirm that they feel your love for them--yay!

twenty-third
Luke and I went on a date to my church Mom's Group New Year party tonight. It's nice to remember what it feels like to get ready for a date with my Love.  We had a good time visiting with friends and drinking delicious wine. 

twenty-fourth
continued from yesterday...Augustine and Estella were already asleep when we left for the party, but we asked the sitter to put Gemma to bed.  When we got home, the sitter said she was very good and went right to sleep...but we walked upstairs to find that her light was on and that she was sleeping in the bed in her room [the sitter had put her to bed in her crib where she usually sleeps]. I have a feeling that she did not, in fact, go right to sleep! She is such a character!

twenty-fifth
Luke left for Richmond today, and he won't be back until the 30th! I am not really looking forward to his time away from us :(  On the bright side, I took the kids to Beckett's first birthday party this afternoon and everyone had a blast.  It was an indoor pool party with cookies for dessert--so fun!

twenty-sixth
It is January 26th, and it was 70 degress out today! It is amazing what a little bit of warm weather can do for the soul.  We spent as much time as possible outside today.  It was great to be at the park again!

twenty-seventh
The weather was absolutely be-u-tiful again = another walk to the park! Unfortunately, Estella fell off our bed for the first [and second!] times this evening.  She is our first baby to fall off a bed period, so to have her to it twice five minutes apart was a bit traumatizing.  

twenty-eighth
My favorite part of today was resting with my sweet Gunner while Gemma and Estella napped.  The days with Luke out of town are long, and my temper is shorter than usual...but a few quiet moments cuddling with my babies puts everything back into perspective and reminds me of how blessed I am.  Another fun part of the day was surprising Augustine with smoothies from his favorite smoothie shop when we picked him up from preschool today. I did it for him on his first day of preschool, and he still asks often at pick-up, "did you bring me a smoothie?" It's always fun when the answer is, "Yes!" :) We also ordered pizza for dinner because it's not as fun to cook when Luke isn't here to enjoy it. And, did I mention our van battery died today?  Come home, Luke!   

twenty-ninth
The kids and I had a rockin' dance party today.  What can I say--we are stir crazy, we miss Luke, and sometimes you just gotta turn up the music and dance. A nice moment in our day was when my younger sister offered to cook us dinner--normally, we would just join them at their house, but with all the sickness going around their house, she said I could just swing by and pick it up to take and eat at home.  It was a nice break for me--thanks, Cait!

thirtieth
Luke got home from Richmond late tonight--yay!  My dad picked him up from the airport for me, which was super helpful.  It is so good to have him home :)

thirty-first
Our poor baby, Stella, was sick today.  She has been running a fever since yesterday afternoon. She isn't really crabby when she is sick--she just wants to be held and cuddled all.day.long, which I don't find myself complaining too much about.