FLASHBACK: JANUARY 2021

January brought us lots of snow, vacation to Arizona, and Covid exposure that left our kids at home for 2 weeks! After getting back to life being a bit more normal, heading back into lock down was HARD! This was probably the first time that my kids were actually aware of what was going on and HATED every minute of not being able to see their friends.

Our sandbox has been the number one most used thing at our house. It gets played in all four seasons and works for all of our kids.

Our kids are obsessed with water so the hot tub came in clutch when it was too dang cold to do anything else. Trigg and I hang out and watch for the most part.

We headed out to some friends' house to go sledding and fun was had by all.

Fresh snow and semi warm temperatures means they want snowmobile rides.

The girls got their own helmets and officially aren't backing down in their fair share of riding time!

All ready, Dad! Let's go!

If you have followed along for the last year, the girls' beds have been moved around a dozen times. Apart. Together. Back apart. Typically depending on who is talking too much at bedtime or won't stop touching someone drives the move. They are back together at this point and sleeping in their sleeping bags.

Due to everything still being closed, our girls were going a bit crazy being home with me all day, every day. I had grand plans of lots of story time and play zones but that just wasn't an option, so we started them in 2 mornings of preschool.

Day 1 went well and they've never turned back!

More snow and not freezing temperatures meant we could get outside and play for a bit!

Just can't get enough of this little dude and his happy demeanor.

Trigg is a trooper when it comes with going with the flow, and now that he is on the move, he is even happier! He is always up for hanging out while I workout.

Max and Mya would love to be inside all of the time and basically on top of us at all possible. Treyton would love for them to sleep with him but they are too hot and I don't trust them to smash him. Max doesn't exactly understand how big he is or personal space.

Our Chatbooks are a fan favorite and our kids could look at them every day!

We finally entered the stage in which the girls can play games with us and it is so fun to see them actually understand the game. We have competitive kids to say the least--and some sore losers unfortunately.

There is nothing more that our kids love than getting to have popcorn before bed with Gavin. They figured out this setup on their own and its so funny to me.

This 4 tunnel contraction was supposed to be a Christmas present that got forgotten but was a hit. There were lots of giggles and meetings in the middle.

A family workout had to be documented!

Love this girl LOTS but the pace in which she moves through life is at her own pace...which is often much slower than the rest of us. ;-)

Gavin and I took off the last week of the month with some friends to Arizona for a much needed getaway! Our track record for leaving our kids isn't great, but other than some Covid exposure, our kids stayed healthy and we had a glorious time!

Nothing can beat an outdoor hike with friends when it is freezing back home.

Back at some card games with a little brother that likes to mess up all of the cards.

And then our 2-week quarantine began when we came home from Arizona since our kids had been exposed. We did school stuff each day and while the kids loved it, I was so thankful that they were back in in-person class every day!

I will NEVER ever ever claim to be good at laundry but it feels good to get the mountain folded. Pro procrastination tip: turn on a movie and get to work!