Yep, I've been MIA for a while. I just have been suffering from the blues, or something, and haven't felt motivated to blog. Well, I've decided to get back at it, so here I am!
January 9th was Pippa's 2nd birthday. Other than a few birthday greetings and some extra rubs and cuddles, the day didn't contain much of a celebration (in fact, it was my first day back to work after the winter break and therefore Pippa's first day by herself after having us home over the break). But, Pippa did get a big ol' 12 inch bully stick, one of her favorite treats. She was a happy pup for hours.
My first Friday after winter break was crazy sock day at my school. The top photo was of some of the crazy socks worn by the kids in my class, and the bottom was my friend, Josi, a behaviorist from an SDC class, and me, wearing jeans, crazy socks, and our low top Chucks (Converse low tops).
Ashlynn had a busy Saturday that week. She attended a Girl Scout Cookie Kick-off event with some of her troop. Ashlynn and I ended up hanging out with her friend, Daphne, and Daphne's mom.
After the Girl Scout event, Ashlynn had her first soccer game for a short graduation series that she gets to participate in. Since she finished U8 and will be moving to U10, which has some changes, like a bigger ball, bigger field, and new rules, like off-sides, our region does a short season to help the girls bridge between the two divisions. After her game, we picked up ice cream from McDonald's.
While we were busy closer to home, Eric and Carter were in San Pedro checking out the USS Iowa battleship for his best buddy, Jakie's 5th birthday.
Eric took a selfie! Well done!
There were two group shots:
It looked like a lot of fun! Ashlynn and I were very sorry to miss out.
Fortunately, our boys picked us up in the evening and we met the Mountain family and Katie's parents at one of our favorite restaurants, Saladang, for dinner.
The little boys had fun playing with their Battleship Iowa models after dinner.
Over Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend we spent the weekend in Arrowhead to celebrate Eric's Aunt Laurie's birthday with Eric's family.
The fun thing about being away from home is getting to eat things, like cookies, before breakfast.
A tradition while in Arrowhead is to put out peanuts for the scrub jays and squirrels.
Watching the squirrels.
Over time, the squirrels became more brave and came closer to the glass doors.
Aren't they cute?
We ate brunch at the Belgian Waffle restaurant in the village.
Our view on the way:
Oh my gosh, there are so many hungry ducks that hang out for a free meal.
The kids with Auntie Laurie
Roaring back at a dino
Check out our waffles!
Brian and Anna
This year, we stayed at the
same cabin we stayed at in 2009. We have a photo of baby Carter sitting on this very pool table, so I had him re-enact it.
Little Carter
The pool table was a source of fun throughout the weekend. The kids made up their own game (without using the pool cues, so they wouldn't scratch up the table).
The adults had a little "tournament".
The place also had a foosball table.
During the school week, the kids both earned awards at a first semester awards ceremony. Both kids were recognized for their attendance and Ashlynn got an additional award for Accelerated Reader.
I've tried to get out for a walk on my days off. Sometimes I come across deer, which totally makes my day.
Ashlynn is in her first year of being a Brownie and sold cookies for the first time. It was a big move to go out and ask people if they wanted to buy some cookies from her. Every time a customer said yes, she'd giggle, give them a shy smile and say, "Wow! Thanks!"
At the end of the month, we attended a nice memorial service for a very close family friend, Stu Dunn. Eric and his dad were both speakers. It was meant to be a celebration of life, rather than a sad memorial, so people wore Hawaiian shirts and they had the In-n-Out truck serve dinner. Dessert was fun, with chocolate fountains. Our kids were delighted (and messy).
There were also lots of ordinary moments this month. Here's homework time:
At the end of the month, we had the kids join us for a tradition from our early years of marriage. We got take out and ate it while watching the President's State of the Union Address. Exciting, huh?
Well, that's our January. We hope yours was good too!
