Some January Happenings...

The first month of 2022 is already in the review mirror (and I keep thinking that we just completed 2020?)  Lots of fun things to set the stage for the year.  I did a quick photo dump to document the month.

First, the kids went back to school in masks.  But, they went back to school in person during yet another surge (Omicron), something I no longer take for granted.  

Normal January happenings, like organizing, took place.  I had a lot of "help", ha. 

Maybe we're just tired of eating at home, but we seem to be out a lot more for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Some of these are 1:1s times, that are goofy and sweet and I love them.

 

100 days of schools have passed!  All the schools celebrated, some with activities (Wesley) and some by dressing as a 100 year old person (IGA).  Maryn made the cutest old lady, and JB - who is already a grumpy old man - refused to dress up.

The Georgia Bulldogs had a National Championship win, and while we're not necessarily Dawg fans we got into the excitement.

We had some very cold and dreary days this month, which meant trying new things. We took the kids to Urban Air and had a BLAST.  James and I got to participate, too, and didn't complain about ziplining and jumping.  :)

One rainy day the kids got into the pantry and came up with inventions. (Or, maybe I should say "prototypes" for inventions).  They had so much fun, and we just ignored the mess. I got videos of them talking through their prototypes that I'll save for the graduation party.

Burrrrrrr, a cold - but FUN - January. Looking forward the other 11 months to come in the year!  So many activities on the calendar!

Happy 10th Birthday, Sweet Enda!

Our sweet Enda turned 10 years old - a full decade of our wild and crazy OG redhead!  We still worry about her as she struggles with Addison disease and more and more fatty tumors pop up on her body, but she still loves to cuddle and stalk squirrels and run around the farm.  As long as we can maintain this, we will!

Enda is a bit more crabby in her old age, and gets particularly spiteful if she doesn't get to go with us.  She's able to open the trash cabinet (despite the child lock!!!!) and sometimes we come home to quite the disaster.  She also can nose her way into the pantry and help herself to snacks.  But what are you going to do...

Love you, sweet girl!  Cheers to another year of life!

Lots of Texas Excursions

There is very little downtime when we make a trip to Texas to visit family, because the Kerrs are go-go-go and everything feels very special and exciting to our kids.  We go to the zoo each and every trip, but it's still something we all look forward to (kids and adults alike). This trip we added on a safari to boot, and the kids may demand this new excursion each trip, too (they loved it).  So here are a few more memories - and pics - from our Christmas/New Year's Texas trip:

First up, the Mayborn Museum on Baylor Campus, one of our favs.  They had a massive train exhibit which Gran Gran loves, and then Wesley loves a train, too (although he was a bit disappointed he couldn't play with them).  Wes had a great imagination and is into pretend play right now, so we spent a great amount of time with him in the children's area.  

The weather this trip was unseasonably warm, but it made for a fun little walk through the historic village.  They had it all decorated for Christmas. 

We got some good attempts at family shots.  Fortunately they had a great one with Grammy and Gran Gran (Wes was over it by the time we got to our picture, ha).

The Cameron Park Zoo never disappoints.  Gran Gran took a ton of pics and printed them out for the kids to take home. These poor kiddos, growing up digital, they think a printed picture is something super special.  Mama never remembers to print anything... :) 

Looking at my pictures I got zero animal pics -  but we did take a lot of pictures with statues and then lots of selfies. 

And then we added on a new excursion this trip:  to the Buena Vista Wildlife Safari.  They have hundreds of acres of beautiful Texas, filled with exotic animals.  These animals love the (approved) treats from visitors, and had no hesitation sticking their heads in the car. 

Funny story, my dad decided he wanted something from the back (a lens, I think?) and got out of the car to retrieve it. Which is exactly what they tell you NOT to do, on every sign throughout!  Suddenly all the bison started coming back up the road towards him, causing me to have a slight panic attack.  I didn't want my dad to make it to 80 years old, only to be taken out by a herd of bison!!

The camels, Lucy and Ethel, were quite the characters and very, very friendly. We had a lot of laughs with those two ladies.

After we drove the enormous circle around the park, enjoying some very scenic overlooks, we came back to the petting zoo at the front. The kids got to give their remaining treats and pet some fluffy creatures.

Sooooo much fun in Texas!  These kids just think it's the most fun, magical place. And, you know what, Mama does, too. :)