January

 Caleb, unfortunately had to work for the New Year holiday.  We missed him so so much.  The kids and I spent our evening working on a clue escape room type game that we thoroughly enjoyed (thanks pat!).

And we of course celebrated Caleb's birthday.  We went to his favorite steak and sushi spot.

And twinner came in clutch with a late night Crumbl delivery

I'm also now married to the handsomest 36 year old I ever met.

15 years in and he still brings me home treats :)

And the end of the month we had the dreaded vet appointment.

He hated his life.

He hated it so much he proceeded to rip out his stitches and we got another dreaded vet appointment.

December

 Just a tad behind in posting.  We have had quite the doozy of the past 3 months.

We switched to a smaller tree this year because we were unsure how our small gremlin would react.  He ended up making it a non issue, but we all kind of liked the smaller one better.

Casen is in a digital designs class this year.  He got to make a Christmas mug and some wrapping paper and he did so awesome with the design.

We had our annual White Christmas night.  Now we get to enjoy it with the kids.

Christmas Eve stocking opening.

Christmas morning

We got to enjoy guests this year and I forgot to get a picture of the entire table, but we tried out short ribs for the first time this year.  I think it is going to be our new tradition.

November

Caleb and I got a sweet night out celebrating the Marine's birthday and Veteran's Day this November.  Caleb enjoys this time more than his own birthday so we always try to make the most of it.  Our favorite restaurant didn't disappoint!

Thanksgiving fell on a work day this year, so we celebrated a few days early.  Arya was such a huge help in the kitchen.  It's been a sweet change for us adjusting to holidays with older kids.

And then on the actually holiday we snuck out around midnight to see if we could find this handsome guy.  Success!  We only got to stay a few minutes because he was so busy, but it was fun to grab some hot cocoa and see him for a bit.

He really loves ice.  Thankfully we don't have to deal with a mess because he somehow knows how to turn it from the water button to the ice button.

September/October

 Our September was pretty empty.  The kids were well into school and we all got covid and have sorta been sick on and off ever since.

When October hit we, of course, started the Halloween festivities because it's the season we thrive in.

We made cut out cookies with a spooky theme this year for the first time and really enjoyed it.

And on the actual big day I wanted to make sure the kids had all the good candy in case trick or treating was a bust, so we set up some goodie baskets.

And then Caleb was the best and brought home the themed donuts on his way home from work in the morning.

We had a really fun few nights watching Sweeney Todd with the kids, evenings out taste testing the local food trucks with fun music, and soaking up the fall weather that finally hit us.

And then this little dude kind of took up most of our two months.  He's made so many big, cool steps living with us.  We've gone from needing a trainer to be able to sit on the living room furniture and not being allowed to pet him to him coming up onto our laps and asking to be pet and following commands with ease.

Our trainer told us when you take in a rescue dog, most times they need to learn to be loved and it couldn't be more true for our time with Bowzer.

Arya has done so well with her training with him.

July/August

 July started with Caleb and the kids heading North to visit family.  Bowzer, unfortunately, has extreme anxiety and reactiveness so traveling with him or leaving him places hasn't been much of an option for us so far.  We're working through it with patience, but this time I had to stay home to take care of the little monster.

The kids always have a blast and I was very thankful to receive pictures while they were away.  

When they came home we, of course, had to have some Bruster's trips

On August 14 Caleb and I celebrated 14 years married.  We had the best time at our favorite fancy date night.

And the next week was the kids first week back to school. 

When we took the kids for their back to school checkups she said Casen has officially grown 5 inches since this time last year so it's a bit crazy how much they've changed since last.  Casen is in his last year of middle school and Arya her last year of elementary.

Now we are officially back into the school year schedule of things and ready for cooler weather!