March 2021 Highlights

{IN PPROGRESS} March! Tom and I finally go our COVID vaccines! Jack and Sam had more baseball games.

Ellie started scoring at her water polo games and realizes she loves the physical/competitive aspect of the game.

Even though we'd just had a week off for the freeze, we were more than ready for Spring Break. I rented an AirBnb in Spring Branch, Texas based solely off their pet policies. We took Watson with us on his first road trip/vacation. The two older kids weren't keen on sharing a car with Watson for 3.5 hours, but he did great.

The casita we rented on a 90 acre ranch had prenty of room for the kids and dog to explore.

The following day, we went to Guadalupe River State Park.

It was so pretty and the kids had fun skipping rocks, wading in the river, and hiking the easy trails.

We stopped in Gruene on the way home to explore the cute downtown and get some ice cream.

Our family trip was Saturday thru Monday. I left Tuesday for Raleigh, NC to meet up with my sisters.

Normally I would feel guilty about leaving Tom and the kids over Spring Break, but 2020 taught me all about the importance of self-care. :) We stayed at Dianna's house in Raleigh one night and then drove the 5 hours to Charleston the next day. A road trip with my 3 sisters is exactly what you would imagine...a lot of talking, a lot of laughter, a lot of games, and a lot of photo opportunities.

The trip was a blast and I stayed right up until Sunday evening when I had to fly home and face reality once again. We finished up the month with a visit from our New Jersey family! Tom's sister, husband, and 2 of their boys came for a quick visit.

It was such a busy weekend with baseball games, water polo games, and a birthday party, but we were happy to be able to squeeze in a little bit of time with them.

February 20201 Highlights

Valentine's Day fell on a Sunday this year. I took advantage of the opportunity to do a Valentine-themed #sundaybest.

Tom bought me a baeutiful orchid plant and a sweet necklace from James Arden.

At around 3am than night/morning, our power went out due to the unprecedented cold front that hit Texas. Sam came into our room because the power outage scared him. I distracted him by showing him the snow falling outside and then the two of us fell asleep on the couch for a few hours.

The next morning was a winter wonderland! School was cancelled, we still didn't have power, but everyone was excited by the snow.

That excitement wore off when we STILL didn't have power the following night and the temp in my house was 41 degrees. We cooked our meals outside on the grill and the smoker. It felt like we were truly roughing it!

We finally got power back after 36+ hours, but school remained cancelled for the entire week dur to so many people with burst water pipes and rolling power outtages. This was definitely a memorable month!

January 2021 Highlights

We started out the year with Jack getting ordained a Deacon. His cousin Kolby was ordained a Priest first and then he turned around and ordained Jack. It was a neat opportunity for both of them.

Tom and I spent many nights in January sitting around the fire put and listening to music.

Sam was just in it for the s'mores.

We used our Christmas money from my father-in-law to replace our 19 year old washer and dryer. It was a very exciting day.

Ellie finished out her swim season. Jack and Sam started baseball.

Christmas 2020 aka Family Reunion during a Pandemic

Our Christmas break started out with a sleepover. I'm not a fan of sleepovers because they never involve sleep. However, Tom's brother asked us to watch his 2 girls overnight so we did. We took the to Rudolph's Lightshow and then did s'mores over the fire. I felt like it was a good start to the break.

My extended family also started trickling into Tom. All 7 of my siblings, their spouses, and a good portion of their kids were coming into town to celebrate Christmas with us. It was a bit tricky since, you know, pandemic, but everyone was asked to get tested and we tried to put precautions in place. With so much family in town, there was always something to do. One night my dad and brother rented out 2 movie theatres for us to have a private screening.

Christmas Eve was our traditional acting out the Nativity and my dad telling The Pack for Santa's Back story.

And, or course, Jesus's birthday cake.

Christmas morning, the kids came down in their matching jammies and opened gifts.

My parents stopped by to drop off their gifts for the kids. My dad built Sam a beautiful toy excavator out of wood.

Then we headed over to my Mother-in-Laws for a Covid-safe celebration on her back lawn. She overdid it in the present department, as usual, but it made it fun for the kids. 

The following day, my father-in-law and his wife came over to exchange gifts on our back porch. We were lucky to have such great weather for all of these outdoor celebrations.

We spent New Years Eve with family, playing games and eating way too much food.

2020 was a year full of challenges, but I will forever be thankful for the opportunity it provided to slow down and spend more time with family