{iPhone Rewind} :: January

Maddie made us a "New Year" sign

Enjoying chocolate covered pretzels leftover from our Community Group New Year's Eve party :)

Our friend C had a birthday party at Pinot's Palette, and we got to enjoy a morning of painting!

We had McCullough Christmas over Zoom, and all the cousins got to open presents while wearing matching sweatshirts that Aunt Lindsay made them!

Aiden got an orb for Christmas, and it has been zooming around our house {and getting stuck on the tops of bookshelves} all throughout the month.

We have started some computer adventures! Eli and Madde are learning to type, starting with the basics.

These are the days...

Granny brought some fun Bible books, and Aiden spent hours working on them :)

I had the opportunity to talk to our MOLO ministry about what it looks like to stay committed to spiritual disciplines as a busy mom. They were so gracious toward my lack of speaking skills, but I pray that I was able to share my heart and encourage the young moms in their pursuit of Jesus.

Miss Scarlett went on a mission trip to Jamaica and brought back some Jamaican money for the kids!

Waiting for fresh-baked cookies!

We got a little snow teaser early in the month

We had just finished reading about how Joseph had experienced repeated bad things in his life. Our next subject was cursive handwriting, and Aiden said that "this was the baddest thing he had experienced in his life." Haha. Tough life as a 2nd grader.

We also got a cold temp teaser...

Our church had a family game night, and the kids had a blast!

I will never get tired of this view...

Working hard :)

A little chess on a cold day

And some pretty flowers on a cold day :)

2nd Christmas + New Year's

Grandma and Papa flew into town on Christmas night, which kicked off a week of fun Christmas activities with them! To say that excitement levels were off the charts is an understatement {and the kids were pretty stoked too}  :)

We basically had a repeat Christmas morning. I made homemade cinnamon rolls, and I think I found our recipe! We opened presents from Grandma and Papa, and then spent the day playing games, making Christmas crafts, and just spending time together. We enjoyed a roast turkey dinner that evening, and it was an overall great day.

Aunt Vi crocheted ADORABLE little animals for the kids, and they absolutely loved them!

The weather was pretty cold and windy this week, so we spent a lot of time at home just hanging out, playing games, watching Christmas movies, eating yummy food, and just enjoying the week between Christmas and New Years. The kids were more than happy to share their books and toys with Grandma and Papa, as well as curl up and watch movies, have dance parties, and learn new games like Labyrinth and Carcassonne.

But we did make time {and brave the cold} for some fun outings as well. On Saturday night, we grabbed some Chick-Fil-A milkshakes before driving around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights. On Sunday, we headed to church and then lunch at one of our favorites: Uncle Julio's. That night, we had tickets to the Meadowlark Winter Walk of Lights. They transformed the botanical gardens into a beautiful light display, and it was so fun!

On Monday, we made sugar cookies with Grandma. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of that adventure, as my hands were in the dough, but we made some with sprinkles, some with icing, and I think everyone enjoyed the fruit of their labor :)

On Tuesday, we ventured out for some hamburgers at Foster's Grille, and then to Lucky Strike for a friendly round of boys vs. girls bowling! Papa came out on top with the highest score, and the kids were just excited to knock down any pins {to be honest, so was Mommy haha}. 

For New Year's Eve, we make it a game marathon day, and Aiden specifically requested a dance party because he wanted "to see Grandma and Papa boogie." We watched the celebrations in London, Dubai, and Sydney and then called it a night ;)

Today, we went to lunch at McAlister's, and we spent more time playing games and soaking up the time we had left with Grandma and Papa. We were definitely sad to see them go, but we are already planning for our next trip, and we look forward to seeing them again soon!

{iPhone Rewind} :: December

Sometimes math is hard.

Versailles masks!

I got to help with some of our Christmas decorations for church; it was fun to put the different languages represented on the wooden circles! {And yes, we caught the misspelling and fixed it haha}

We got our first snow early this year!

Some friends invited us to a Christmas band concert, and they had fun crafts, balloon art, and yummy treats!

I'm so thankful for these ladies (minus one!) These Bible study leaders faithfully serve week after week, pouring into our women, helping them to know the Word. I have learned so much from each of them, and I am so thankful for how they love the women of our church. I have missed them over this holiday break and can't wait to dive back into the Word together for our Proverbs study in January!

Science experiments are fun when they actually work! :)

When you get a large box, and the kids are entertained for days...

Homemade peppermint hot chocolate!

Sweet flowers from Mike's family, sending prayers and love from Texas on Michael's anniversary.

The kids sang in church for Christmas, and it was pretty fun, as always :)

And sometimes math is fun, when you get to play a snowball fight with Daddy!

They're cheap dates: a $1 Sam's pretzel and let them watch the changing LCD menu and they're happy as clams :)

Maddie: Aiden isn't smiling!

Aiden: Pooh is smiling. He's always smiling

Well, as long as Pooh is smiling...

Maddie got to try eggnog, and I think she is a fan...

National Twin Day!

We enjoyed a fun staff Christmas party {thank you, Parkers for hosting!} I know Mike is the one who gets to work with this lovely group, but I am so thankful for each of them, both for him, and for our church. I'm thankful for the friendships I get to enjoy from this staff {and their spouses}, and I am reminded of God's grace to us at CBC.

We took the kids to see their first official movie in a theatre! They LOVED it, and I would say it was a pretty awesome experience :)

When you find a giant Christmas tree, you have to take a photo! ;)

We made some gingerbread right before Christmas! I'm on a quest for the perfect recipe; while these were tasty, I am looking for a chewy recipe and these were crunchy. They were still fun to make!

Cutie Patootie :)

We didn't quite get to all of our prompts, but we did this fun Christmas reading advent calendar from Everyday Reading + Pippi Post, and the kids loved coloring it!