This was our last year with a kiddo in elementary school. That means it was the last year we had to make a valentine box (at the very last minute because they changed their mind and do want to bring one) to take to school to collect all your valentines. Emilee made her own box out of a clothes box and other items she found in the wrapping paper drawer.
It was a low key day. Ryan was actually out of town for work so he took me on a Valentine’s date later that week. We got a few treats for breakfast for the kids valentine gift. I also told them they could all request as many hugs and kisses and they wanted all day long (lets be honest, they can do that everyday) but they didn’t take me up on it as much as I wanted.
The Chief’s were in the Super Bowl AGAIN this year! They have made it twice in a row before but never won it twice in a row. There were some very excited people in our family to watch the Super Bowl.
The day of the game Allison had a gymnastic meet. She was first thing in the morning but they had meets that went all day…into Super Bowl time. Ryan was just flabbergasted that anyone would schedule something on Super Bowl day that would conflict with the game. I told him they scheduled these meets months if not a year or more in advance. He maintained that everyone knows the day of the Super Bowl and they scheduled it to be stinkers. I suggested not everyone is into football as him and might not plan their life around it. I don’t think I convinced him that some people don’t know when the Super Bowl is let alone not watch it. He said, “Its basically a national holiday.”
Anyway, we cheered Allison on at her meet and she did great. Here is a video of her floor routine.
The day before Allison and Leah made lots of yummy treats for the Super Bowl. After her meet we went home and got the food and everything ready. Grandma and Grandpa and Ross and Lauren’s family came over to watch. We all made some food and had some good eating options. There was a list of who was bringing what and Matthew added a few of his own contributions to it. I thought is was funny so I took a picture.
It was a great game and spoiler alert- The CHIEFS WON! BACK TO BACK SUPER BOWL WINS! It was very exciting. I took a video of the last play right before they won in overtime. There was lots of cheering, lots of fireworks going off, and a city parade a few days later that they called off school so everyone could celebrate. They actually tried not to cancel school but they have done it in the past for other parades and the precedent had been set. They had so many teachers/staff calling in for subs they ended up just having to cancel school all together. We didn’t go to the parade but we enjoyed the day off!
So, buying a house is pretty expensive. We new this. It is still a bit overwhelming sometimes though. Everything in our lives right now is expensive. So we have been trying to stick to a budget and watch our finances pretty close. Ryan and I both like to go on vacations. It is something we both look forward too and having a trip planned is a big motivational carrot for us. Vacations are expensive too. So we decided that for the next little bit while we are getting everything settled and taken care of with the new house and other life expenses since we need to put a pin in bigger trips that we want to go on someday we are going to do mini trips. Then we still have something to look forward to without breaking the bank.
The first one we took was in February. We took a long weekend and went to see my sister Sherri and Kenny in their new house in Dallas Texas. The bonus was my Grandma June was flying in to see her too, on the way to spend a month with my mom in Florida. Double bonus- my mom came to meet my grandma and stay with Sherri for a bit too. So the kids took Friday off of school and we left Thursday evening after all the kids activities were done. We drove about half way and then stayed the night at a hotel. After breakfast the next morning we finished the last few hours and were enjoying Casa De French by early afternoon.
My mom was already there so the 5 of us went to dinner that night and did an Escape Room together. It was pretty fun. Allison supervised the girls and kept a close eye on KJ for us while we were gone. Occasionally she let Matthew watch KJ. She is a pretty awesome babysitter.
The next day we went on a little drive to see Fort Worth. There were lots of long horned steer to see and shops and even a few shows to watch. Emilee and Sherri road a mechanical bull, and the kids and a few adults raced to see who could finish a maze first. It was a cool place to check out. It was early February and the weather was pretty nice.
My grandma flew in about mid afternoon so my mom, Sherri and I went to the airport to pick her up and everyone else went home. My grandma was a little nervous because she has never flown anywhere by herself. We had is set up like when a kids flies alone. Someone walked her to her gate and got her on the plane and then Sherri was going to meet her at the gate in Dallas when she got off the plane so she wouldn’t be by herself. She is starting to have a little bit of dementia as well so we didn’t want her to be alone navigating an airport for the first time in her life anymore than she did. We got to the airport and my mom and I went to wait in baggage claim. Sherri went to get a gate pass to wait at the gate for her. Things went downhill from there. Sherri got a gate pass but then security wouldn’t accept it. By the time she got back to the airline and called to have them bring Grandma to us in baggage claim, Grandma was no longer there and ‘someone’ had already taken her to baggage. My mom and I were in baggage claim though and Grandma was no where to be seen. The airport just lost her! We got to see a little bit of the Sherri fire that is always exciting to witness. It used to be free and often out of control when she was younger. Now as an adult she has harnessed the rage and controls it quite well. If she chooses to use it, it is something to witness. She let them know how she felt about them loosing her sweet 85 year old grandma with dementia in a GIANT airport. Meanwhile, we kept calling her cell phone and she finally answered and told us she was watching the traffic drive by. Someone had put her in a wheelchair, gotten her luggage (without going to baggage claim somehow?!?!?) and wheeled her outside to the curb and deposited her on a bench by the pickup lanes. It was a little stressful but we were very glad to find her, she was very glad we found her, and we all went back to Sherri’s. We spent the night visiting and made tacos for dinner and watched a movie together.
We had to leave the next morning to get back for work and school. My mom and grandma stayed with Sherri for another week then went back to Florida. It was a fast but fun get away.
I like traveling with our kids. For the most part we chat a little, read, nap, do our own thing but we like eating together. So it is fun to decide on a place to eat and then visit together while we eat and travel. It is wonderful to have a third driver now too. Matthew drove almost half the way there and it is awesome.
It was a successful mini-cation!
Allison is happier then she looks. 🙂Escape Room- we won!Aubry and EmiFour Generations in this picture!
If I looked back at my other posts from January I would bet that they say something to the effect that it is kind of a boring month but I love it because after the holidays I need a month of boring.
This year was not different. Relative to our usual schedule of kids activities and normal life events going on it was pretty slow. I loved it, and I needed it! There will still be some rearranging but I was able to go through each room and at least get the initial unpacking and organization done so everything is pretty functional. I did a little more decorating. Found some rugs, got a few things like and end table, bookcase and barstools. I hung up most of the pictures. I want to do another picture wall in the basement but I don’t have a solid plan in my head yet so I just keep thinking about it for now.
An usual change for me though was I got into plants. I like plants but as far as having live plants in my house I have never been interested because the few times I have been given a plant it doesn’t last to long. My sweet mom would give me starter plants after I got married and then they would die. She eventually gave up. I have just not had the desire or energy (I know it doesn’t take a ton but it requires some attention) to take care of them. Maybe now that my kids are older and a little more self sufficient I have enough band width to add some plants. So I did! I love them. They make me happy and don’t feel like a burden at all. The first one I got was a bit of an impulse buy from a store that doesn’t really have plants they just had a few randomly. I say that because so far it is the one that is struggling and I would normally think it was because I don’t really care to figure out why, but that is not the case. I think there was something in the soil or it wasn’t that healthy when I got it. I am still hopeful that it will turn around and make it but time will tell. After I got the first one I went and got a few more. Ryan took one to work and the rest I put around the house. I want to get more but I am making myself wait and not go crazy. The kids think I am a little silly but I like them. They don’t talk back or sass me either! Here are my plants I got. I repotted them and gave them all new soil and food and a nice sunny spot (or not sunny if they prefer) to grow. Three of the four are thriving and growing for sure. Crossing my fingers for the fourth but I am already way ahead of my past track record.
We had a few guests in January! Our first visitor was Sherrie. The girls stayed in Arkansas for a few days with her after New Years so she brought them back up and stayed the night with us.
A few weeks later Ryan’s best friend Mike Johnson came for a weekend. Those two are quite a pair. They love to get as much sports watching, eating, and talking in as they can whenever they get together.
It had been a bit to long since we had gotten out our Terry Family Growin’ Board and measured everyone. We got it out of storage when we moved so we measured the kids in January. Everyone had done some significant growing, Matthew hit a milestone he has been waiting on for a long time. He is the tallest in the family. He officially passed his dad in height. He is still growing so he is hoping to increase that lead by another inch or two.
Allison had two gymnastic meets in January. One at the beginning and one towards the end. The first one she had a few mess ups and wanted to just forget it. She still had some good moments but we can focus on the second one. Here are some pictures. I wish I had a parent photographer that takes amazing pictures for everyone on the team like I had for Matthew’s baseball but so far it is just my limited skills that are available. I tried to get some good action ones because we had pretty good seats at this meet.
