Goodness. Most people say that once they get through December, they are home free....January and February are a time to relax and gear up for Spring. Well, that does not ring true for our family. January and February are some of our biggest months....it's either because we are a large family or because we just never stop, I haven't totally decided which!
However, I can tell you that we haven't stopped and we have been loving all things life and fun! We started off our new year with a day in Athens, GA watching the UGA gymnastics team soar....they really are an amazing act to see. We are a bit spoiled because Aunt Becca has a little connection that allows us to get in and watch up close and personal. Very nice and the girls were so excited to be there!
Date nights continued each week....somehow we ended up with both boys and Chapman one evening....she ate up every moment of her time with them! Maryn was introduced to Bonefish Grill and ate fish for the first time....she is in love and continues to ask when it is her date night again! I am so thankful that we have this time with each of our children....it's their night and all attention is on them which is rare when we are all together!
For Christmas, Chapman received Magna Tiles as a gift. I am really not a good toy buyer. I often find myself overthinking it all and not being able to justify spending so much money on something that they won't play with after a day or two. Well, I found my toy for life....Magna Tiles. These little things are amazing and all of my girls will sit and play for hours with them!
For a few weeks in January, Chapman claimed to be "so cold" each day.....so, she found this hat that she insisted on wearing each day and night for the entire month. Hilarious.
January was a big month for Maddox. She has waited a long time for her time to be on pointe shoes and the day finally came! She is loving every moment of ballet!
For the first time ever, we hosted a group of teenage boys for the weekend of DNOW, a disciple youth weekend. Our guys were the best! P had to dress up for a video they shot....and one guy ended up in the pool, TWICE. Did I mention it is not a heated pool?!?! So much fun tho!
One of my best friends in life came to visit us in January too....so much fun to see Sandi and her family! Sandi was a huge influence on my life....she was an encourager and the one who made me laugh so hard even when there was nothing to laugh about. She was and still is great!
Happiest of birthdays to my Dad! Dad celebrated his birthday one evening and then two days later had back surgery to relieve some horrible pain he has been living with for years. Nothing like starting your year off with a bang! Thankfully, he is recovering nicely and his doctor has given him the all clear to resume his normal activities. So thankful!
MK turned 12. Goodness, that is even hard to type....but, 12 looks so good on her! I told her the other day that I thought maybe she should just stay 12....she is SO helpful, she makes me laugh, she has the best friends, she is a fabulous student - she was chosen to speak to the upcoming 6th grade class....this girl of mine does NOT like attention to be on her so it was a challenge for her to speak BUT, she did so with grace and I am forever thankful for her teachers who encourage her and believe in her and develop her....she is THRIVING. She is a straight A student, lover of ballet and tumbling, she pushes herself to succeed and does not accept less than she knows she can achieve....she is so strong and is growing into a confident young lady. I love her to pieces and I am so thankful for her everyday!
Chinese New Year was a a lot of fun this year! We celebrated with families near and far who have adopted children from China....one very special family joined us too, the Gilliams! We love our little Noah and we are forever thankful that he is home with his family and doing SO well! They love him so much and he just brings happiness to all who encounter him. He will always hold a special place in our hearts! The girls and I went to see Shen Yun, a Chinese dance performance, with Emma and Aunt Nellie, too! I love sharing some of their heritage with them!
Little Maryn....where to begin with this one! She entered Kindergarten in the Fall not coloring in the lines at all and not really knowing A from B. She would go to school asking when she could come home and moan a bit over the whole routine of waking early and going full speed ahead all.day.long. Fast forward to January.....our girl LOVES school, begs to go to school when she has a day off, she is speaking Spanish to her sister, she is coloring SO well with lines included, she is adding and subtracting like a boss, AND, she READS.....she blew me away one evening and has continued to blow me away every night since. She is reading books to me that my other children read in First grade....and she begs to read more and more! To say she has grown by leaps and bounds this year is an understatement! She is amazing and this momma is so proud of her. Now, that said, she is still our laid-back, fly by the seat of her pants, child....she adores Chapman and loves to encourage the madness, she is always going to be that child that responds first with her big brown eyes before ever uttering whether she is guilty or not of any wrongdoing, she is the sweetest, most fun loving kid who is always up for the next adventure!
Colin and Pryce....Pryce is always on the go, whether it is school, baseball or football, Cotillion or a social get together, we see very little of him unless it is early in the morning on the way to school. He has also been working at our church to raise money for a mission trip to Haiti. And Conyers. And a fun trip to California! And Colin....he began his second semester of college. He likes it enough and has adjusted well to living away from us all.....it's a good, healthy mix of missing us and being ok without us surrounding him each day....thankful for this transition. He is also working on campus in a job that he is a bit unsure of....it involves talking on the phone a good bit and Colin is a man of few words so phone conversations aren't really his thing....but, it's a job and gives him a bit of time away from campus life.
Chapman. Oh this girl. She is a light to all of us. She has been home 18 months now. She has had one surgery, many tests on her bladder/kidney function, and does speech therapy once a week. With spina bifida, one of the biggest concerns is always continence. For C, we have wondered with reason if this would be the case for her. I am SO happy to report that she is out of the woods for now! She does ask me daily about her back....the scar must itch at times so she will scratch it and ask what is back there. Bless. I tell her she is a fighter and that is her scar. She tells everyone she is the boss....she proclaims she is precious, not adorable - very true, she runs circles around us and leaves our heads spinning, she is confused on the girl and boy things - she said to me yesterday, "Daddy is a boy, right? She a boy?" Ha. Her thumb is her best friend. She is improving in her swimming....we do the "dolphin place" and she says she will sink if I don't get in with her! She has a routine at school each morning....she goes in to speak to the director of the preschool, gets a piece of candy, places the candy in her bag, goes to class and then, when I pick her up, she eats her special candy. She asks each day to go to school with her sisters while her mommy tries desperately to keep her as the baby at home, under my wing, for as long as possible. Babies don't keep :/
In BIG news, the two littles are sleeping in their own beds, in their own room! I may have already posted about this BUT it deserves more posting. It's been almost two months and they are doing great!
January and February have been good to us! We are always thankful for our family and our day to day madness....it's a circus that I will, for sure, miss one day. Thankful for this crew and the joy they all bring to me daily!
