Welcome welcome 2021. We all had so many hopes for you to give back a little of what we had missed in 2020. So much change, and so much anxiety over all the things that were out of our control. I forgot all about the racial tension of 2020, gosh. and the election. It was madness and chaos not even worth discussing.
So for the last sermon of 2020, and our last with our families' only Pastor of our adult lives and our children's lives, Pastor Jeff preached on Isaiah 60:1,
"Arise, Shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines over you."
This prophetic verse about how Jesus, who is our light, will come and shine his light over Jerusalem in the last day when he will make all things right, nearly made my heart burst. I went right out and bought these cups for the whole church staff. and for Matt&I. I had bought one for my dear friend Ann Cowap as a Christmas gift, and I felt like the Lord gave it to me. His reminder that I too can rise & shine, because my light has come to me, even today, he shines over me; his glory shines over me, ME. I am his beloved, and he is mine. My soul clung to this word, and it makes me so thankful to be reminded of it. Praise you Lord for how you speak to each of us, and how you shine over each of us, too. Amen.
To celebrate the new year, we took a hike down in Palatka at Ravines Park. They have these amazing bridges, which are fun to walk through and beautiful. We found a wild growing orange tree and tried some, but it was really gross. I remember how much fun it was to have Hermione with us, and how easy it is to enjoy a simple hike/walk through the woods. and to be refreshed by it.
The boys all really loved this blanket that Aunt Christina sent for Christmas. This is David all wrapped up in it.
My funny crew in their Clemson t-shirts and their Ohio State hats. I honestly don't remember the game, but I looked up the score and #2 Ohio State beat my #3 Clemson tigers. We enjoyed watching the game no matter who won, because we do honestly have a soft spot in our hearts for Ohio State. Congrats Buckeyes!
One of the most exciting days in January was Matt's new truck!! It got delivered just a couple of days past the new year, and the boys were beyond excited. Matt may look subdued, but he was so happy too!
I love this truck so much. Not only because it's something Matt has wanted for years, but because it is safer and more reliable than his old car. He has always been so selfless in what vehicle he drives. He puts me and the kids first in our comfort and safety, and he has made due with less than ideal situations because they made sense financially. But thank you Lord for giving him the perfect truck to buy! We can all ride in it and enjoy it, and it can carry everything he needs for work. He is comfortable and safe, and I am grateful.
We went to the Mission BBQ after church and they let the boys get in their big military truck-thing. Of course they were pumped! and I had to take a picture.
We don't deserve this sweet snuggle puppy.
Calvin worked hard and made his own Yoda ornament! I was so proud; he decided to make his eyes 'sleeping' because it was easier. It is the most precious thing. He even put his name on the back.
And then one day David learned to ride his bike without training wheels. He never really used them, but went from the balance bike to the regular one. He was a little tall for this tiny bike, so he moved pretty quickly past it to the next size up. Incredible how athletic this little boy is.
As always, his big brother James making sure he was doing well and staying safe. And cheering him on, bless that wonderful bond Lord.
Cold January days call for puppy and kitty snuggles.
Calvin got one late Christmas gift from Mimi&Grandpa: his skateboard! He was tickled pink.
A typical school day, but one of their last ones. Their official first day back in the classroom was after Martin Luther weekend. Gosh I miss this view, but they were so happy to see their friends. And, in person instruction with your teacher in elementary is essential.
Our fantastic kiddo James turned 11!! I blew up all the balloons I had in the house and stayed up waayy too late to decorate so it would feel festive while he was home. I put his little cinnamon roll on a cupcake stand and put the candles in, but they did melt a little. oops! So I decided to buy the silver candle stick holders and solve this problem forever.
All the boys made James birthday cards, and they had a really good time playing together throughout the day.
Matt & I wanted to give him something kind of different, so we bought tickets to the dinosaur drive through experience, and he was super excited to go see some robotic 'full sized' dinosaurs. Of course he had books on his list, so he got those too. :-)
James has made a tradition of requesting a five guys cheese burger for his birthday dinner. And having an oreo ice cream cake. Nothing beats it.
Matt gave him a crown and his light up cup from the beast's castle. I love his silly side.
James got this Jurassic lego set from Grammy&Papa, and clearly he was super excited about it. I love watching him set up his build on his table in his room, and set to work.
This is another late Christmas gift- Matt's slippers came from my mom&dad.
For his birthday, James had an iFly party! He asked his friend from school William and our neighbor Zac to come with him & his brothers to do this indoor sky diving. They had a great time, and Mimi & Grandpa came too. Mimi made cookies this time for covid reasons, and they turned out so beautiful!
James had an absolute blast. Hayden and Calvin had fun too, and David didn't love it. So James got an extra turn from David. But it was really cool to watch! One day I'll do it too.
Mimi making everything look perfect.
Happy happy birthday James! We love you so very much.
Since David learned to ride, we were able to have family bike rides this trip. Momma didn't want to ride the trails on my cruiser, but I loved riding my bike up to the beach so I could beach comb by myself.
The boys had pocket knives on this trip, so they made some spears from palm fronds. They loved carving it as much as possible, and I loved that no one suffered any injuries.
My favorite picture from the weekend: "call us the raccoon bandits!"
We got home, enjoyed birthday cookies, and Hermione loved her Christmas gift from Chip: a deer antler.
I think I can see Hermione under that pile of kids!
It was time for the Jurassic experience! Matt took the roof off of our Jeep and we froze all the way to the stadium. But, it was worth it for the view we had.
It was cold, and a bit blah, but the boys had a great time.
I think we must have been at the smoothie shop after the dentist, but I found the Lorax hugging a tree.
My sweet friend Camryn & I trying out the new location of Southern Grounds.
Last adventure of the month, we took the boys to Nasa's Kennedy Space Center! We hadn't ever taken them before, and I had never been. I think Matt went as a young child with his school, but as Floridians, we decided it was time we go. What a great experience! I shopped target to find us all the Nasa stuff, and we had a great time together seeing all the space ships and rockets. They had tons of interactive things for the boys to do and play with. I would highly recommend it. Astronauts are cool.
Thank you Lord for our new year. Thank you for new opportunities in going back to school. Thank you for all the time we got to spend together at home doing virtual school. I am so grateful for the time we had at home that made me feel safe and gave me deeper connections to my sons. Thank you for their lovely teachers and school that worked so hard to get through this strange time in their education. Thank you for how you carried the boys through, gave them better tech skills from necessity and learning online, and instilled new study skills as they had to manage so much on their own. Thank you for how I got to teach them some skills, and sit with them one on one. Thank you for the time we got to read together: Narnia and Tolkien and JK Rowling. Thank you for how we have bonded together. This family you have given me humbles me and inspires me and gives me such purpose. Lord, help me keep following you through all the situation where I don't have control. Help Matt and the boys to all learn to trust you Lord in all circumstances. Hallelujah, Amen.