Project 365, Week 4

January 20

The kids enjoyed a day off from school for Martin Luther King Day and took advantage by having sleepovers. Baby D watched Nathanael's hockey game with much interest and enthusiasm. :)

January 21
Aiden started a skills clinic that is just once a week.

January 22
I think often about how much of life in ordinary and mundane. There is so much beauty to me in daily faithfulness... of doing things over and over again, largely unseen.

January 23
I wasn't feeling great in the morning but went to work. By 10:30, I was laying on the office floor, waiting for my previously scheduled meeting at noon. As soon as that was done I went home and stayed in my bed or on the couch for the next several days with a fever and all that comes with it.

January 24
My sweet little buddy was content to stay close, reading or doing screens. We all have low-grade fear when I get sick. At one point Aiden tentatively asked me when I'd be going to the hospital. :(

January 25
It was inconvenient timing to be so sick because we'd committed to doing respite for two little girls for the weekend and I'd committed to responsibilities in all four weekend services at church...I felt so bad having to call out of everything.

January 26
My fever broke sometime in the night and I woke up able to be upright. I sprayed and washed and laundered and thanked God I was alive.

January's 10 on 10

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month (Friday). {Document a snapshot 

of your life; find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}

Sometimes when we go out to the bus stop he is full of words, sometimes he doesn't say a thing. Always he has a book tucked under his arm...its how he copes on the bus with all the nonsense that surrounds him.

Tough to jazz up a day of work. I'm thankful for it though.

Work, at office #2, training new staff for the new season.

Aiden and I stopped at the library. The lady at the front desk said, Are you aware there are fines on your account?  When we walked away Aiden said, They must be SO happy that we moved to town! Indeed! The library will be able to build that addition they want with the late fees we contribute. ;)

We stopped back at the office to do a couple things and check in on my favorite receptionist. She's learning the ropes of the family business. :)

I dropped Amanda at youth group a couple hours early so she could rehearse with the worship team.

Back later to bring Avery and attend a quarterly parent meeting that the youth pastors hold in an effort to keep communication with the parents open. They let us know what's planned for the upcoming months and ask for ways they can better serve our kids. We are blessed with SUCH great leaders!

Alayna and Aiden were studying Bible quiz questions for the meet the following day.

We had such a pretty puzzle going, but it was sneakily difficult. Shaun took it as a personal challenge and was the main one who preserved through it.

Project 365, Week 3

There was a nice pace to the week, trying to fit some things in while there is still time. 

January 13

The game wasn't even close...Aiden beat me by a mile.

January 14
Every two years we have to get re-licensed by the state. Somehow we've been doing foster care for eight years now. We're not sure what it will look like going forward, given that our kids are in a much different time of life than they were when we started. All we know for sure is that we want to be doing exactly what God wants us to be doing. For now though, we've been approved for another two years. Between the Department of Children and Families and the Securities and Exchange Commission (which governs financial advisors), the government know ALL about us.

January 15
My birthday! I used to bemoan growing older, now its a joyous celebration. I'm thankful to be alive and I love being in my 40s! Shaun took me to lunch and the kids worked together to make me dinner and in between I sat on the couch and read with no guilt. It was a lovely day!

January 16

The Outback Steakhouse near us is closing later this month. Its been a special place for my family and my sister's family for many years so we decided to dine one last time together there. My nephew and I share a birthday and this year he turned 21! 

January 17
A rare treat of dinner and a movie with girlfriends. Little Women was simply divine...I loved every second of it! Its also such a treat that our spur-of-the-moment events have been working out recently.

January 18
Aiden's best friend and cousin was playing hockey near us so he and I stopped to cheer him on.

The community center was holding an open house and it was free admission to their facility. Naturally, we had to go swimming!

January 19
It snowed over night so we took some friends to the big hill at UCONN. Since they live in Oklahoma they haven't had much experience with sledding...we managed to have fun without breaking any bones. :)

Project 365, Week 2

We are without many activities this winter, so we've enjoyed a slightly slower pace this first part of January, post-holidays. Its nice to be able to tuck in for the evening.

January 6

My only picture from the day was a screenshot of Amanda talking with a friend in the Czech Republic.

January 7
This is a glimpse of what it looks like when Aiden is studying for Bible quiz. We recently got new furniture and a consideration we had while looking is if it would hold up under spilled sippy cups and Aiden studying. :)

Tough night visiting at the hospital. My simple prayer was to beg God for mercy.

January 8
A little dusting surprise to start the day. It was beautiful with the sun coming up!

January 9
We had a chore standoff for a couple days. It about made me crazy to have the dishes undone, but no one every called parenting easy.

January 10
Sweet boy.

January 11
We had a Bible Quiz meet...we've got a nice group of teen helpers who have been faithful to serve. This was Amanda's first time and it was a growing experience for her to have to deal with people she's not used to.

Avery slept at her friends house and they checked in to show off that they were working on homework...on a Saturday (always a good idea to share that kind of information with your mom ;)

Crossword puzzle collaboration.

January 12
Somehow Bible Quiz practice turned into the Limbo.

The day was so warm and beautiful out, Aiden and I walked the neighborhood. We stopped at a new construction that's going up behind our house. Aiden was crazy impressed that I was able to discern the layout of the house with only the studs up. If only he knew how many months of my life have been spent in rooms with bare studs.