Well BUSY and fabulous… as always! 3 birthday boys, Chinese New Year AND Valentine’s Day. Not to mention it is also Nana’s birthday month. I think February has ALWAYS kept us hopping. We tend to not do a huge celebration for Valentine’s Day but we do send out quite a few Valentines. Chinese New Year is always a bit of a big deal. We clean the house, wear new shirts (usually self decorated) and eat special foods. Although we will ALWAYS miss our friends back home who made Chinese New Year so special.

We celebrated Emanuel turning 10. Double digits it is!!!

And made our very own igloo.

It was Emanuel’s turn for a workbook completion.

The boys were very grateful for their lovely birthday gifts from all sorts of loving friends and family.

With treats for the girls. Thanks Gammie!

After all, the twins are now 12!!! Where has the time gone? Next year — TEENAGERS.

We had fun with the Schwartz family.

Swam our hearts out.

And in the world of crochet – a heart scarf I gifted to a sweet friend as a pick me up.

Hung out with the Novaks (gotta celebrate with our friends on those birthdays).

Had the guys over for game night.

Raced cars with the scouts… Not only Emanuel this year! 

I got in sewing time of course – I made a jellyfish mobile for the girls’ room and for a friend back home – a hat that has a likeness to a hat on a certain Sci Fi series. 

So a happy belated Valentine’s Day… etc… to everyone! 

BEFORE 2017… Go figure! And wow does that sound EVEN WORSE when I say it out loud! Anyway, after December comes January and more winter fun. The end of Karyn’s holiday visit. The continuing of homeschooling and the start of our Chinese New Year unit, because if there is one thing you can count on in OUR curriculum it is that we will somehow cover Chinese New Year. (this year it was a bigger focus on the country CHINA itself even! You can read and find resources for that HERE)

But enough with the generalities… time to get with the specifics. We had our monthly trip to the Home Depot for the craft, of course.

Snow… sort of… the boys complained that this was a disappointing winter with its lack of huge snowfall. Amazing how the whole arctic cold of last winter has been long forgotten.

We had the cousins up from Florida for a bit of a holiday visit. 

And said “see you soon” to Aunty Karyn – if you ask Trinity we should be her very first and most important destination for any and all holidays (and I cannot say I don’t disagree).

Gavin finished a workbook…

And we had all sorts of crafty moments.

PLUS Ken helped us create our large map of China. Nothing is more fun than working together on something we will then showcase in our schoolroom.

We even managed a visit to Aunty Shandai and Uncle Ravyn’s to pet the kitties – well Echo, Ken and I did.

And had the Schwartz family over to play.

OH and swim lessons… cannot forget our amazing instructors at the YMCA. The twins are in swim crew!

January kept us hopping and was full of visitors and fun. I love this reflecting back and reminding myself of how much joy there is in a passing month!

Happy Mother’s Day to the mother, step mothers, grandma’s god-mommies, great grandmas…. to all the women who are instrumental teachers in our children’s lives. I don’t think I can ever truly show the appreciation I have for ALL the people who are significant in our lives here and abroad. I could not ask for a better network for loving, true and vital women to show my sons and daughters the possibilities there are in life, the potential for love and the joy that can be felt in relationship with women (and men) of all walks of life. But I am going to try… 

We had a wedding the day before so Ken’s planning time was cut down to little or no (he does like to do his Saturday before prep for Mother’s Day) but between him and the kids they managed a terrific day. We started off at church where the kids sang in the choir and I was given a flower. Then over to Caribou for a fancy coffee for mom…

Zander and Ken made me lunch – a Kale salad kit I picked up at Sam’s club… yum! And then came the centerpiece of the day… KEN took them to the park and I got a NAP! An uninterrupted, silent house nap! BLISS

Our evening was spent at the YMCA where I wore my swim cap and enjoyed some quality time with Echo and her friend from down the road Sophie. After swimming I had a wonderful chat with her parents. 

With photos and quiet time, just me and my personal crochet project and another flower gifted from the YMCA I had a day to remember.

My family means the world to me, I have been privileged to have found a man who truly understands me, children who love so honestly… I may not be where I expected to be but I am definitely where I NEED to be. I wish the same joy to you… that we can all be surrounded by love and affection, truth and acceptance… Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

Gavin

Zander