A Day Off Together

Snow days have been few and very far between this year! So, we were very glad (and in need) for an extra day off on President's day. We had a gift card to Red Robin so we splurged on the onion ring tower. And then we went to the Lego Batman movie (it was just ok, not as good as the original Lego movie).

My funny Valentines

 

I worked on Monday, the 13th and then instead of having to cook dinner, Kevin suggested that we eat out for Valentine's Day early. I loved enjoying that meal with my loves. And, I was glad that I worked Monday, which made me feel better saying no when they asked if I could work Tuesday! So, I was free to enjoy the kids' school parties. Kellen's room-Mom made these cute robots for the class party treat. Really fun!

Jenna's class had a fun party with special TCA cookies. 

One of her classmate's Dad is a sponsor of a science club and has access to this 3D printer. As a special treat during their party, the class received a fun demonstration of the printer. It was fascinating!

During the presentation, the printer was printing these heart key chains and then each student received one. Really cool!

And of course, a silly picture is a must!

Horses

This boy LOVES horses. Mima made this costume for him - so fun! 

Saturday, February 11th, while Jenna was still at her sleep over with Madilyn for her birthday, Kellen and I enjoyed some one-on-one time. I had heard of a new donut place called Horseshoe Donuts and knew that this boy needed to try it out.

They make horse shaped donuts! 

This is the one that Kellen picked out. 

There were two stuffed horses on the floor that you could sit on as well as two rocking horses and several horse pictures on the wall. We had a fun time!

This boy

I just can't get enough of this toothless grin! And it's exciting that things are starting to come together for him in the world of phonograms and writing. The other day we were practicing and he was curving up the ends of his "a" and "u." He said, "I love writing d'nealian. But, I can only write d'nealian at home, not at school." Ha! It took me a minute to recall what in the world d'nealian was, but then I remembered and was a little amazed at his vocabulary! Today, he wanted to write a story while we waited for Jenna. He wanted me to dictate each letter to him, but I told him he could sound out the words, write them himself, and I could help if he got stuck. He said (very cutely), "You always want to challenge me!" He got started and was thrilled that he really could figure it out on his own! It was fun to hear the light bulbs as he would make the sound and then say, "Oh I know . . . !" I only helped a little.

Tonight, we were playing a card game with a real deck of cards and he was learning about the shapes and the Jack, Queen, King, & Ace. The diamonds and hearts he got right off the bat of course and I had told him about the spades, but we hadn't talked about the clubs yet. Then, he got one and said, "Look, I've got a Jack of Broccoli!"

This girl

This girl sure is growing up to be a beautiful young lady! And, she sure does love her Daddy! They enjoyed another Daddy/Daughter Ball on Saturday, February 4th.

We are so grateful for this event provided each year by Papa and Mima's church! And it's free!

Such a special time for these girl cousins and their Daddies.

A Life Well Lived

Also, on January 29th, my Uncle Robert (my Dad's only sibling) died at age 75, after about 10 months battling pancreatic cancer. A visitation was set for Tuesday evening and funeral Wednesday, February 1st. I was scheduled to work on Tuesday, but I was able to find a very sweet lady to work for me. And I was able to get a flight to DFW where Matt picked me up and we made the drive to Danville together. I was really glad that everything worked out so well for me to be able to be there.

So, Tuesday morning, January 31st, I left the house at 5:45 am to drive to Denver for my 8:58 am flight. Matt picked me up at noon and we were off to Danville. We saw this beautiful sunset (cameras never do justice) as we got nearer to town. We arrived with a little over an hour left in the visitation. So many people came to show love and support including two friends who had driven from Wichita.

Wednesday, the church had a lunch for the family before the funeral. This is Uncle Robert's legacy - my Aunt Dorothy, my 4 cousins, their 9 children, and (5 grandchildren not pictured).

There were many great pictures displayed as well as these hats and his boots.

The service was very nice, especially the picture slide show that my cousin Sarah put together.

It was a beautiful day and his resting place is beautiful.

After the graveside service on Wednesday, we started back to Ft. Worth (around 4pm), but we made a stop at our grandparents' (now my cousin's) house before we left town. So many good memories here.

 The old barn is still standing

Dad took these pictures the next day. (In the background is the road up to my Aunt and Uncle's house and farm - lots of great memories there, too.) The stone says "God Blessed Us With A Wonderful Life." Indeed. His was a life well lived. He will be missed.

Matt and I arrived in Ft. Worth around 10:30pm and then we visited with Leslie and her Mom for awhile. I saw Lincoln for just a little bit when he woke up crying. Then, we were up again to leave at 4:00 am for my 6:00 am flight home. I was surprised to find iced over car windows at the airport and snow lightly falling. And traffic due to the weather! So, my plan to get into town for my Bible study didn't work out, but I made it home safely. And even squeezed in a nap before picking up Kellen from school.

 These trees at the kids' school are so pretty when it's a frosty day. I just had to get a few pictures.

So thankful to have been able to make the trip, thankful for the road trip with Matt, and thankful for time with our family.