February

 We started the month with Arya's birthday.  I think this year might go down as her worst birthday ever.  The morning started out well.  She got to have a really fun art themed birthday and open a few presents and then she headed to school.  Around lunch time I got a call from the school nurse saying Arya wasn't feeling well and had a fever so I went and picked her up.  She came home and went straight to sleep.  She didn't want her birthday dinner or even her birthday cake and then her fever and throwing up stuck around for three days.  We put everything on hold and told her we'd have her cake whenever she was feeling up to it again.

Fast forward almost a week and she finally was feeling herself again.  We got out her cake, she requested and icecream one this year.  Unfortunately, we kind of overlooked the fact that this one happened to be gluten free....and it was terrible.  Sooo....we felt bad and had a birthday round three with a new normal cake that was edible.

I had a nice day with all my valentines this year too

And we discovered a super fun German spot near us that we've been enjoying

January

Basically the only photo I have from the month of January. We actually had snow a couple of times this month and the kids loved it.  Thankfully, we are now back to 60's and sun and my kind of winter. 

After 2 years we finally all caught covid and that's been our month.  

Onto February :)

 

December

 December was a super fun month for us.

On the first we got our tree up

We picked out our yearly new ornament

Caleb was able to go with our family friends from California to go see the Army/Navy game at Metlife stadium.  

We got to eat lots of delicious Virginia chestnuts 

We made yummy Christmas cookies

And then we celebrated Christmas.  Caleb unfortunately had to work so we had to push our Christmas up a few days...no one in our house really minded

I got a fancy waffle maker this year so we got to have a yummy breakfast for dinner on the actual day

And then we just got to celebrate what we've realized is the holiday we thrive in.  With Caleb's midnight schedule we are all night owls and sleep in late when there's no school.  We made a bunch of fun appetizers and the kids made it until just about 4 am.

November

 November started out with us getting to attend Casen's very first orchestra concert.  It was kind of crazy to see how much they had learned in such a short amount of time. 

Then we of course celebrated the Marine's birthday and veterans day.  Caleb enjoys those days so much more than even his own birthday so we try to go all out.  I forgot to take more pictures, but we were able to get the house all decorated while he was at work and gift him with I think all of his favorite things.

And we finished out the month celebrating Thanksgiving.  Caleb unfortunately had to work so it got pushed back, but it was well worth the wait.

We cooked our turkey in the air fryer this year for the first time and we will never cook it another way.  It was hands down the best Thanksgiving dinner we've had.

And Caleb has become an expert at making the perfect pecan pie.

Now I suppose we should decorate for Christmas.

October

October was a really fun month for us.  

My parents came down for a visit.  We love having company!

I always stink at having pictures, but we got to spend mom's birthday with her this year.

We enjoyed some late night brewery food truck goodies

And the kids got wayy too much candy trick or treating.  We were a little late to the game as far as costume buying, so homemade was where it was at this year.

August

 August started out with lots of fun.  The kids were so so excited they got to spend a week with cousins.  We can't say thank you enough!

Caleb and I celebrated 12 years...for real he somehow gets better looking every year!

Thanks to grandparents, they enjoyed a Bruster's trip before school started

And on the 23rd they started their first day of school.  Casen is in middle school this year so they are in different schools and on separate busses and schedules (unfortunately, Jo's day begins almost 2 hours before Arya.)  Casen is loving getting to choose some of his own classes and getting to switch in between each one.  Arya loves her third grade teacher and, as always, loves school in general.

July

 July seems like a blur.  How are we already in the month the kids go back to school

July we got to see more family :)

We're so glad they moved back closer to us and our visits will be more frequent

I think only at uncle pat's house does bamboo cutting into cool drinkware happen