We rang in the New Year just as tired as ever and then almost immediately it was back to school (for both mom and kids) and into our regular routine. It seemed next to impossible that we had reached the year Marty McFly had visited in his DeLorean, but just like all the New Years we had shared together, we felt excited at the prospects of unknown and exciting adventures that awaited us.
Our NYE traditional selfie just after we snuck out of the house.
We left the little girls asleep and the boys awake and "in charge." We were just a block down the street and felt so rebellious for going out to have some fun. It was short lived, however, because Maegan kept waking up so we had to go back twice and feed her and settle her back in bed. Oh well, it was a fun hour or two with friends. This is pretty much how every NYE eve has gone for the last couple of years, except for the fact that we didn't have to pay a babysitter this year.
What the others have been up to....
Maegan obviously gets the majority of the pictures around here these days because she's always with mommy and every day she is doing something new. I can't get enough of her little face, and don't even get me started on that tongue. She turned 6 months in January and hit the big 16 pounds (that's 10 pounds since birth, thankyouverymuch) and I felt pretty good about sticking with the whole nursing all-day-and-night practices those first few months. We rebelled against the "rules" and started her on some of mommy's fruit and veggie smoothies and other little food items before she turned 6 months. I figure, this is my last one so let me do whatever the heck I want when I want. Yeah, I'm that kind of mama bear.
Enjoying some banana bread with daddy
Despite the lack of pictures, we do have other children that we take great delight in. On most days. Mostly when they're sleeping, but sometimes when they're awake as well. (wahahahahaha)
Child #1
To kick off the new year, Mason competed in the school spelling bee. We have been talking about this moment for years, especially because Mommy is such a fanatic about spelling words correctly. Not being a big fan of attention from crowds of people, he was pretty nervous. I was so proud of him though. I cried each time he got up and was his biggest fan by far. He spelled the words: gray, crayon, gemstone, hayloft, university, sirloin, minuscule, flourish, and his departing word was nostalgia which he spelled correctly but said it with an "m" instead of an "n". He placed 7 out of 26 and oh how we celebrated his victory! Not bad for a first time 4th grader.
He was #26, back on the far left, sitting pensively.
Mason enjoyed basketball this season more than ever before. Aside from reading, it became his new favorite pastime and occupied all his thoughts almost 24/7. He played a lot better this year and looked forward to Thursday night's practices and Saturday games. We loved watching him throw himself into it and have a few lessons at humility along the way. This kid loves/thrives/insists on being the best at everything and as his parents we gladly welcome opportunities to see him grow and to get stretched out of his comfort zone a bit.
Child #2
Marcus also loved playing basketball this season. Last year was such a devastating experience for him and he swore he would never play again. However, once he made his mind up about playing, he gave it all he had. Size didn't matter and he shocked us all with the most amazing lay-ups which always left mommy in tears and daddy showing a year's worth of emotion in one sitting. (If you know his daddy, he's pretty much even steven all the time. To laugh out loud or to jump and shout is rare, so watching him watch his boys play ball was a weekly treat for me.)
One of Marcus' favorite past times is playing school with Makenna. I mean, for real. He does NOT mess around. School starts promptly at 4 PM, she calls him Mr. T* and has to sign the book if she doesn't do something right. He has her do math pages and reading and money exercises and telling time and more... He's a tough teacher, for sure. They also love putting on shows and spend loads of time writing songs and plays to perform for us. I can't even begin to tell you how much space is used up on my phone on a weekly basis with the videos I shoot of them doing one of their performances.
Child #3
This girl is still my little sidekick and future boss mama. She loooooooooves her little sister and takes great delight in being her caretaker while I shower or do the dishes or take one of my quizzes. Towards the end of the month we went to San Antonio to see my sister Sara while Alfer had an Air Force assignment. We left the boys with a good friend so they wouldn't miss school and took a fun two day trip.
Yes, those are shorts in January.
They wouldn't be worn for much longer because winter and flu season came at us with a vengeance in February...