life in february

This stylish granny celebrated her 100th day of school!  Even though I woke her up late, she was still excited to quickly get dressed so I could spray loads of dry shampoo in her hair for the full effect.

Still rocking her granny glasses a few days later during virtual school :)

Brooke finished the 350 piece puzzle that Nay Nay sent her (with a little help from Colby and I).  Most of her puzzles are 100 pieces, so this was quite a jump! I enjoyed the time I spent helping Brooke one-on-one, but it was also really sweet hearing the positive encouragement Brooke gave Colby whenever he connected two pieces. Then we called my mom to show her the finished puzzle and the kids started fighting.  I had to end the call abruptly and was super embarrassed by their behavior.  I guess perfect moments and memories of doing puzzles together don't last forever, haha!

We wanted to pull the boat out of the marina before the next cold front moved through and the kids were so proud of how dirty their cleaning towels were.  Like it was proof that they were working hard :) They really are the best little helpers, though. 

The weather was in the 60's and we had the most beautiful day at a new park in the La Jolla neighborhood. 

We even met up with Brooke's friends, Kate and Hope. 

Lego creations...

Another perk of virtual school (her class had to quarantine when Mrs. Blanton got Covid): you get to play with friends that come over during normal school hours :)  Brooke is the best and helped Harley change into about 7 different costumes. 

Miss Kiley throws"THE BEST" parties, according to Colby.  Just look at that delicious charcuterie board!!  Watching the kids pass out their valentines was my favorite part!

We're doing a trial run with Colby for piano lessons, so we'll see how it goes.  I don't think he's quite ready, but he's sure excited to try.  (I think he's mostly motivated by the prizes he can earn at each lesson!)

We bought a new car!!  Kevin spent hours upon hours looking at different used cars, and we finally pulled the trigger.  It's a 2018 Chevy Tahoe and although the kids are sad about losing the DVD player we had in the Armada, we're excited about a newer vehicle. 

Brooke is still loving Activity Days, and especially loved this fleece no-sew pillow they made. The activities are virtual for now, so I get to be a fly on the wall during her activity.  I was a bit more involved with this particular craft because she was using my super sharp fabric scissors. At the end of each activity, they always sing a song called, "I Will Walk With Jesus" and it touches my heart so deeply.  I want her to feel those words deep within her soul, and I love to hear their voices all sing in unison.  I sneakily tried to take a video because she was trying to match the singer's vibrato (I think that's what its called), which was funny, but also really sweet.  I love this little girl so much!

Then 2nd Grade showcase was virtual this year, but she was sure excited to show us her work on the big screen. 

Entertaining themselves during a break from virtual school...

Sunday Selfie...

I started a new tradition this year (which I totally stole from a friend) and I will definitely do it again.  Every night, Kevin or I would add a heart to their doors telling them what we love about them. It was fun to really focus on all the different things we truly love about our little ones. 

Warmed up their cleats with Brock and Marlie in preparation for soccer season!  Note to self: don't jump in with Joanna and play in sandals because you might get stepped on (by Brookie) and have a very bruised foot. But i'm pretty sure "Mom Team" won our little game, so I guess it was worth the pain, haha. 

My friend Kiley saved me the day I was getting my hair done. My hair appointment (which started at 10 AM) still wasn't done by 2 PM when Colby got out of school, so I frantically texted Kiley to see if she could pick him up when she went to get Jones.  She said it was no problem, and even took him to the park with her kids until I could meet them.  Friends are the best!! Both for moms and kids :)

My little pirate on Hat Day :)  He is definitely not lacking in character. 

We went to Frozen 2 at Midlothian High School and were BLOWN AWAY!  The show was so well done and the singing was amazing. It was extra fun since my friend's daughter played Anna.

Colby also wanted a picture with Sven the Reindeer.  He had borrowed this Prince Charming costume from Jones earlier in the week and decided to wear it since he "looked like Prince Hans of the Southern Isles."

Sunday Pic with my handsome dude :)

A few more pics of our new car, but this time in the daylight :)

I'm sure this kid will be driving for real in no time!  Time seriously flies by!!

It's only been a few weeks, but we're really happy with our purchase.  Now on to March...

the big freeze

We experienced unprecedented cold weather in Texas this year!  In the 2 years we lived here before Miami and the 8 years we've been back, we've never felt temperatures like this! The drop in temperatures was shocking, but then came the snow and ice which made the roads scary and dangerous. 

But this is when things were just cold and novel...

Colby made a snowball, then wanted to get back in the car ASAP!!

Just for reference...

On Sunday before church, the snow started falling and it was SO incredibly beautiful.  We didn't know how long it would last, so we let the kids play in it even if it meant logging in to church a few minutes late. 

We didn't last long because the winds were chilling, but it was fun while it lasted. The day started at 11 degrees, but "felt like -7" according to my weather app. 

We quickly discovered that our face masks made the perfect shield for our faces, haha!  Colby looked like a blue ninja.

While I got ready for a church meeting (via Zoom), Kevin and the kids prepared the perfect spot for me, complete with an ottoman for my feet, a blanket, and my water.  Coziest spot in the house!!

The next morning we woke up to 6-8 inches of snow and a chilly 6 degrees!  With the wind chill, it felt like -13, but you better believe that my kids still wanted to go outside and play. We lasted about 25 minutes before feeling quite frozen.

Everything looked so pretty covered in snow...

Colby loved all the accumulated snow on the trampoline :)

Then it was time to go inside and warm up...

Tuesday morning was still bitterly cold, but Kevin had to drive into work again.  (He attached our snow chains Sunday night to prepare for Monday!) The kids did lots of puzzles and played games while I began washing sheets in case we needed to have house guests.  People all over North Texas were losing power and their home temperatures were quickly dropping.  I had reached out to Pam Jarrett in our ward and found out that they were without power.  She said that her and her daughters were "fine" the night before, but that she would bring her parents (Bill and Mae) over to stay the night. I've never met them, but we were happy to have them stay with us.  They are in their late 70's and Mae has some health issues, but I didn't realize how bad her Parkinson's was.  It was really sad to see her struggle, especially since I learned more about the awful nature of that disease, which my dad also has. 

Once we had our final headcount, the kids set the table and waited for our guests to arrive. My friend Ashley and her two boys were also coming since they were without power. We felt so lucky to never lose gas or power, and I think it's because we're on the same power grid as a nearby fire station. 

The kids loved having a sleepover with friends (which we have never done) and playing the next morning together.  I loved listening to them play Harry Potter and watching them cast spells over their little picnic. They kept asking when we could do this again, haha.  

That afternoon, Mae watched Brooke play the piano and gave her the sweetest compliments.  She took several naps on the couch, so I let the kids go upstairs and watch a movie while Bill read near Mae. 

They stayed with us a few days because Pam was still without power and her house was only at 35 degrees.  (I couldn't convince her to come stay as well, despite my best persuasive efforts.) 

One afternoon, I took the kids out of the house to burn some energy.  We found icicles all over the place!!

And the neighborhood pool was crazy...

The sun was shining and the kids had a blast!  I had them wear rubber gardening gloves over their knit mittens and that was a game changer.  No more soggy mittens for my little ones, haha. 

On Friday we said goodbye to Bill and Mae. They entered our home as strangers, but quickly found a place in our hearts.  My kids are in no way perfect, but watching them interact with them was incredibly precious.  I had to praise them for being so thoughtful and kind without prompting from me. I had talked to them about Mae's disease before they arrived, but I had no idea how severe she was.  But my kids just seemed to understand and treated them like special grandparents.  One evening, we were upstairs watching a movie together.  Mae got up to get something from her room, but was very unsteady as she walked.  Colby immediately jumped off the couch and went to the doorway of her room and said, "I'm just gonna stand here in case you need me."  It touched my heart so much.  And watching the way Bill cared for Mae was incredible. He was patient, kind, and always happy to serve her. His love for her was deep and I loved listening to their stories.  Bill is Pam's step-dad, which I didn't know, but he stepped in and raised her and her siblings when their abusive dad was out of the picture. Bill obviously didn't share these stories about himself, but Mae would talk about how kind he was to the kids. It was truly an honor to get to know them.

By Saturday, it was back to 75 degrees and most of the snow had melted.  Texas weather is crazy!

Our driveway was super slushy, so Brooke attempted to make a slush pile...

And that's the story of the Texas Snowmageddon!!