{iPhone Rewind} :: February

The essence of Aiden: Blippi shirt, princess gloves, dinosaur book

The slippers that Grandma and Papa got him for Christmas finally arrived! This kiddo was so patient in waiting for these, and he was SO excited to receive them. In his own words, "THESE ARE MY BEST SLIPPERS!"

We love it when Mr. Jesse comes to visit!

Getting a fresh coat of nail polish

Getting the mail is his newest obsession :)

Time out is the worst.

We have had a relatively warm winter so far. It randomly snowed overnight last week {about an inch}, but was completely melted by lunch. But then we got a cold snap, so we are back in the winter game.

Daddy helps build the best forts for movie-watching :)

Eli's turn to move into a booster seat {he has been waiting for this day!}

Whispering their plans for my birthday...they're so cute.

Cheesecake by the fire...a perfect end to a good birthday :)

Math is so much better when you get to draw fun pictures :)

This cutie is starting to wander off to play on his own...I'll find him all by himself in another room, usually playing some epic battle.

Poor little guy ended up with a tummy bug and was just so pitiful. 

He's such a particular little cleaner...works hard to get every crumb. Love him!

I don't usually do these on Instagram, but I thought this was fun because we are officially homeschoolers and have our preferences!

We had so much fun decorating cookies with Miss Siu!

Maddie lost another tooth!

We have had some flowers peak through the garden at our house! Unfortunately, they didn't last because it froze again, but it will be fun to see what all pops up from sweet Becky's garden.

Making banana bread!

The kids, particularly Eli, have shown an interest lately in helping me in the kitchen.

Caught him snoozing with his Pooh Bear and his LEGO sword ;)

Pretzels with Daddy!

Zooming with Granny and Grumpz is always fun!

His daily outfit these days ;)

Valentine's Day 2023

The day before Valentine's Day, Mike came home with beautiful flowers and a chocolate pie. The man knows the way to my heart ;)

For Valentine's Day, we had a fun breakfast to start our day. We have been counting down, so the kids have been so excited to celebrate this day for love! It is such a commercial holiday, but we try to redeem it by celebrating the things we love about each other, and especially highlighting how much God loves us.

It's also just a fun excuse for me to make them match for cute photos and for us to give the kids a few fun gifts haha. Despite their protests, we still did school on Valentine's Day, but I tried to make it festive. We also felt the love from the grandparents with fun Valentine mail.

I sure do love these cuties...happy Valentine's Day!

High Five for Friday!

{one} We are starting to feel a little more settled in the house each week. Our contractor finished up all of the remodel work this week, so that is officially complete! It will still take a bit more time to get all the boxes unpacked and all the things in their place...but we're getting there. We are loving the house and the neighborhood, and we are still in awe of how the Lord provided. This house is a blessing, for sure, so we are already starting to pray through how we may use it to bless those who walk through our doors.

{two} I had my wisdom teeth out at the beginning of January, and I guess I just thought it would be quick and easy. But I guess there is a reason that most people get them out in their 20s, rather when they are an old, tired mom of 3 haha. It has been a rough road of recovery; so much so, that I feel like I basically lost all of the month of January. Thankfully I was able to manage most of the pain with just Tylenol, but I ended up with a dry socket on one side and an infection {that required reopening the incision} on the other side. The first round of antibiotics that they gave me after the surgery {a precaution because of my immune issues} ripped up my stomach. And when I got the infection, I had to go on a stronger antibiotic {also not kind to my stomach}. It has been one thing after another, and I am still working through healing. So much for quick and easy!

{three} Despite the rocky start to the year, we did finally start back to school. It was a bit rough, since we had taken off so much time over the holidays and for the move, and then we missed a few days once we started because of Mommy's tooth struggles. So it hasn't been a beautiful, fresh start to the new school semester haha. But we're getting the hang of it, and I was quickly reminded of some of the reasons we homeschool. The flexibility, the freedom, and knowing that if we miss a day, it's not the end of the world, because we can easily catch up the next day. While they may not love every minute of it, and there is plenty of complaining all around...my kids are troopers and are doing really well overall this year. I'm really proud of the progress they have made, and I am thankful that we have the opportunity to homeschool.

{four} In the midst of unpacking, starting back to school, and dealing with tooth drama...Aiden has decided to start, um, exploring more. His curiosity is getting the better of him, and it often results in huge messes and destruction. Almost on the daily, during rest time, he will pull out everything from his closet and spread it out in his room. Sometimes he will rip things up so there is a huge mess to vacuum up. Sometimes he'll sneak out of his room and become "curious" in the bathroom. I have walked in to toothpaste smeared across the counter and sink. Or him "accidentally" attempting to flush things down the toilet. For the most part, his antics seem curiosity {and impulse} driven, rather than actual naughtiness. He's fairly willing to clean up his messes. But this Mama is at a loss on how to keep him busy and occupied enough to stop all these antics. Eli and Maddie had a "get into everything" stage when they were toddlers...but Aiden is in a whole other category on his own.

{five} February is going to be a busy month for us! We have put off quite a few things due to the move {and subsequently the chaos that was January}, so our calendar is already packed. But we are in full swing of school and ministry, and we have some fun things planned over the course of February. Here's hoping my teeth and overall health cooperate :)