The New Year

Besides learning to read and having moles cut off, what have we been up to in the new year?

1) Brynna was sad over having to miss the bowling party on New Year's Eve so we took them a few days later. Both of the girls like bowling, but Brynna really gets into it.

So much fun!

Enjoying a cheese stick. :)

2) The girls and I took Gramma out to eat for her birthday. (Alex stayed home since he didn't want to spend the day shopping.) Gramma & Pappy had gotten the girls Build A Bear gift cards for a special outing with Gramma for Christmas, so it was a perfect day to use them! The girls both picked out pink unicorns. Braylee named hers Lindsey and dressed her in a purple dress. Brynna named hers Cupcake and dressed her in a pink dress. No surprises on their wardrobe choices. ;) I found Braylee a new coat too. She had gotten grease (I have no clue how) on her old one. 3) They played out in the snow.
4) The youth at church sponsored a Parents' Night Out. We went out to eat with a group of friends and then went back to Jenn & Brad's house for desserts and games. We are so blessed with wonderful friends!
5) Abby and her kids went with us to see the new Chipmunks movie. They loved it!

6) Braylee went to the dentist to have a chipped tooth repaired. Alex and I tried to prepare Braylee for the procedure because we know she is an anxious child. I held her hand and I think she did amazingly well considering she had two shots and a piece of plastic over her mouth while they worked. I had already promised her she could use some of her Christmas money to buy a FurReal baby afterward. She has wanted one for months. She knew she wanted a panda, so I was thankful they still had one. She is very attached to it already.

7) We made flowers out of tissue paper.
8) The girls and I went shopping Saturday to use our gymbucks. Brynna modeled her new swimsuit.
9) We made a countdown chart for our trip to Florida. The girls eagerly put on a new sticker each morning.

10) Lots of things have been going on at the new house...paint on the walls, trim and flooring being installed, lights up, etc. This time next week, all of the tile should be done and cabinets installed. Then it will be time for countertops, sinks, toilets, final coat of paint, etc. Not too much longer until we can move in! Just a few sneak peaks for you...

Standing in their pink room.

Brynna Annabelle fell in love with this fan. Since it literally had her name on it, we had to get it! It's already hanging in their room.

I have a feeling Braylee would have been reading months ago if I would have realized how interested she was. She continues to read new books every day. She's not very fast because she sounds out a lot of words as she goes. On Tuesday, I bought a Beginning Reader workbook at Wal-Mart. The first page was about the word "all." I asked her if she could use it in a sentence. She said, "All have sinned." It just about melted my heart. These are the moments when I'm feeling led to homeschool. I love to watch her learn new things, and it's wonderful to have opportunities to talk to her about her walk with Jesus while she's learning. I can't imagine giving up my job though, so thankfully we have a fabulous public school here.