One step WAY closer to current. Time to glance back at how we started this year. Now over midway through the memories are actually a little faint, so this will be a fun reflection back for myself as well!!

Let’s see less to share in January… Snow! Yup, honest to goodness white fluffy stuff. Which became white structures.

We made a trip to the Science Museum (with out large family the pass is awesome!).

There was a hands on cardboard exhibit.

Amazing beaded dresses display too.

Karate, of course!

Equally of course – the YMCA for workouts, swimming and all that jazz.

CHINCHILLA!!! Cuz you must embrace the fluff! Or at least look at my copious amounts of pictures of our Fluffy Overlord.

More crochet… and crafts

We did homeschool stuff, like look at snowflakes on black card stock and get to work on our Chinese New Year learning.

Ken and I saw interesting things.

I wish I had gotten a better picture of the sign. It said Floods, earthquakes and hurricanes.

And we even went out for ice cream.

Acolyting continued.

And sermon notes

And life was, apparently good. Well according to the images I saw off my camera roll. If nothing else, the memories that these images popped up were great which to me is the most important part. And that was January!

Sick napping Trinity

A new experience for our Christmas season. Renee suggested that we join them in checking out the Anoka Lights. They are held at the Anoka county fairground (which we HAVE been to, of course). So the Friday it opened we headed out in our winter gear to check it out. 

There were snacks and live music to experience, a hay ride and Santa who we didn’t stand in line for. We were there for the lights. 

Though we did snag some snacks.

They were lovely, though I think the train set you could view from a window was Echo’s favourite. 

It was worth the drive. And afterward we headed back to our house for some company and a light dinner. A wonderful end to the week!

Hot chocolate!

Well Well Well… December… Christmas, New Years, hilariously enough writing this at the end of Karyn’s visit when she ALSO visited here in December last year. TIMELY…. And then I got even further behind when summer kicked my bum… so NOW I will get December up and hang my head in shame.

Of course there are the basic first to think of memories… Christmas, including Christmas pageant at the church…

Trinity as Mary

Gavin the shepherd

Echo the sheep

My 2 Kings

New Years (at home and quiet with Karyn)… Visiting Santa… fun in the snow… homeschooling, of course… but beyond that I really did have to go to the images. Funny how some months you are like YAH I remember that, and others I really do need visual cues to trigger memories.

At Santa

Skype calls with family…

We did not have nearly as much snow as the year previous to the kids’ great disgust. But every time there was any sort of snowfall they were out there mucking around in it. Thank goodness Echo is finally able to maneuver ALONE and UNASSISTED out there.

Now let’s see… we had a SECOND Santa visit at our local YMCA. We love it there (even more so after this summer where we basically spent most of our weekday mornings there). It was great fun to take a pictures as a family this time.

We also went with the Schwartz family down the road to a neigbourhood that enters (and it seems WINS) the Christmas decoration competition every year. This year there was one house where you could walk around back in the their yard and get close up to the display you could only see from the road otherwise. 

We had Christmas with the Schwartz family of course (yearly tradition!).

Not the best picture but it was great fun.

Trinity and I made a Trinity doll for Aunty Karyn to take home, she matched from the top of her head to the tip of her shoes. Not bad? My pattern was an amalgamation of Princess patterns by Kristen’s Kords.

We made pirogi with Nana and Baba. 

Went out for Indian food while Karyn was here.

Shopped at Mall of America (because we girls are gluttons for punishment).

Open presents…

Ate giant Reese peanut butter cups.

We snuck in some learning too… a few workbook completions and reading and the larger unit I linked to the resources for above.

And of course take a surplus of pictures! Enjoy my flash WAAAAAYY back!