Life in February

David remained unemployed throughout February so he spent a lot of time at the temple and I joined him when I wasn't working. What a blessing it is to have a temple nearby where we can go to receive guidance and direction and feel Heavenly Father's love and peace.

Unemployment also brings lots of time with dad which the kids love! More snuggles and cuddles!

For the past few years subbing has been something to bring in a little extra money and give me something to do that I enjoy but during this trial in our lives it made a huge difference. All I know is I'm glad I'm not always the breadwinner of the family. I do enjoy subbing, though, and love all the students I have gotten to know better.  They make me laugh, they annoy me to no end, they frustrate me, they put a smile on my face, they teach me patience and kindness and different ways to look at the world, and they inspire me to get going and earn my teaching certificate!  Oh, and they also get me donuts...

and a rose and goodies on Valentine's Day!

I still turn to reading as my favorite pastime and once again earned a mug from the library's winter reading program.

My mom and dad, who were amazingly supportive during the whole crappy unemployment thing, surprised us with a special treat - dinner at Red Robin and going to see the new Marvel movie, Black Panther. It felt so good to do something fun as a family!

We even got a little snow in February!

We always treasure time with our favorite elders! Elder Steenblik instructed us on the Plan of Salvation...

before all the shenanigans started!

Elder Coombs is Xander's hero and he is striving to "measure up" to him. I can't think of a finer young man for Xander to try to emulate.

And this is totally how taking a simple group photo in our house goes...

Good enough!

Elder Coombs borrowing Noah's robe...

and then the arm wrestling began.

Or finger wrestling, in this case.

Despite the cold weather and the trials in our life, we were able to take joy in the many blessings we continued to see in our lives.

Noah's January

Our cute little Noah isn't so little anymore! Winter months kept him indoors many afternoons after school but he was always able to keep himself busy reading, writing stories, drawing, and playing.

I forgot to include this picture way back in December so I'm throwing it in now. In early December Noah and I went out for a shake and to have a little talk about Santa. He's the only one of my kids to get teary-eyed learning the truth about his beloved Santa but he was able to survive the traumatic news and even gave me a smile by the time the shakes showed up. Clearly he's not so little anymore.

And that time Noah made the local newspaper for cub scout day camp? Well, his picture was included in their January issue recapping some of their favorite pictures and stories from 2017!

Noah LOVES when the missionaries come to visit!

And Noah's fun basketball season continues!

Noah's team is doing really well, just like Xander's, and remain undefeated as well.

Xander's January

My Xander - the king of making things, including yummy shakes...

and a copycat Starbucks Vanilla Bean Frap! The best thing about it? He's always willing to share these delectable treats!

In January we attended the National Junior Honors Society as Xander became a member. Obviously we were very proud of him!

Almost every Saturday Xander was on the court, helping his basketball team remain undefeated.

Always hustling and playing hard.

Merit badges...

and the big one - he earned his Star Rank!

Savannah's January

Savannah's winter sports kept her busy throughout January. She did winter track again this year and she enjoyed it a whole lot more because she kept her events to sprints rather than long distance. That definitely makes a difference! She had a few meets - David attended the first one and kept me posted with pictures and video...

other moms kept me updated...

and then I got to attend one as well and see my cute girl run!

Some of her track buddies - Mary, Logan, Michaela, and Ryan.

And of course there's always soccer!

Her Celtic team was once again split into two teams and Savannah's team ended up having a great season. Savannah contributed to their success by scoring a bunch of goals and playing some great defense.

Her team ended up in the championship game against the team that there is some bad blood with. Some serious trash talking and unkind words on social media were exchanged between a few girls on both teams the week leading up to the game, prompting parents and coaches to try to settle things down. So sad! Thank goodness Savannah kept herself out of that! The game itself was pretty clean though highly intense and our girls ultimately came out the victors!

Two of Savannah's best friends who also happen to be twin sisters, Michaela and Mary, had their big Sweet Sixteen party. I was invited as well so I grabbed a few pictures of Savannah with all her cute friends.

Savannah continues attending seminary and David and I are both just so proud of the positive attitude she continues to have. One of the highlights of the year is always the goodies they can "purchase" from the seminary store.