January

In January we settled back into our normal activities and schedule. 

After a busy (and wonderful!) holiday season, we were happy to be back home.

 

Lilly was excited to go back to school and to see all her friends in Pre-K. So was Henry! He wishes he could go with her everyday! 

We do get to visit her class once a week when I volunteer at the school, and he just thinks he's part of the group.

It does get cold in Austin, but we usually have some unseasonably warm days throughout the winter, and we always soak up the sun when we can. 

I've started working about 20 hours a week, and I love it! But I also love spending my days with these two. Henry is adorable, and talking up a storm. It was like he went from not speaking much at all, to speaking in full sentences overnight! It still surprises me when he speaks. 
Tonight I caught him out of bed playing instead of sleeping; he ran, hopped in bed, and giggling uncontrollably chortled, "Darn it!" I swear he makes it impossible for anyone to be mad at him ever.

Lilly is so grown up, too, and I love seeing her independence and confidence developing. It's like all her shyness is falling away, and she is able to make friends wherever we go. She loves learning about animals, and knows all kinds of crazy facts, but she especially loves cheetahs, so of course that's the habitat she chose to make for her school science fair. She's also obsessed with Star Wars right now.

  

Once a year the library brings their ball python out for the kids to touch, and these kids both loved it! Since we all have allergies to the furry haired critters, I think snake ownership might be in our future . . . but probably not for a few more years.

Probably the biggest event of the month was that I became a 30 year old. Weird. And exciting! I feel like I went through all the stages of grieving over the end of my 20s, but now I'm embracing it. I think in a lot of ways this next decade will be the best one yet.

I spoiled myself with a massage and yummy food, and Drew brought me flowers and made the cutest carrot cake ever. The kids were extra good, and if they even started to whine or misbehave, all I had to say was, "It's my birthday!" and they would quickly stop or comply. (I wish that worked everyday!) 

The whole day just went fantastically, or dare I say, perfectly. It was my version of perfect, anyway. I had thought about planning a party or big event for such a "milestone" birthday, but in the end it just wasn't what I wanted.

I guess one of the great parts about getting older is having a clearer idea of what makes you happy, and the confidence to own it. :)

Speaking of things that make me happy . . .   

❤❤❤