Monthly Family Recap: January 2020.
Our first family recap of the new year!
Family Fun
We kicked off 2020 by having the camping stuff set up in the backyard for the kids.
They didn’t spend the night (I talked about our NYE celebration in this post!) but they LOVED having their “camp out” the entire next day.
They got along SO WELL and played SO nicely! It was wonderful!
Katie comes over every year on Jan 1st so we can celebrate our little Christmas with her.
I love kicking off the new year with our favorite friend! It’s a fun tradition!
Over Christmas break we also took the big kids to go see Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker.
I had randomly found an adult Rey costume after Halloween last year and knew Britt and Tess would LOVE matching with me.
We stopped by Walgreens on the way to get candy for the movie and a couple of teenagers stopped me to say I was #momgoals in my costume 😉
Pretty sure Kye was mortified!
We all loved the movie – it was Tess’s first Star Wars movie in theaters and it didn’t disappoint 🙂
I am really big about spending quality time with the kids during the holiday breaks but this year we were focused on Spear potty training and I had some guilt about not getting as much Mommy Time with the kids as I usually do over breaks.
Zach is SO supportive of understanding how much this time means to me and encouraged me to take the big kids out for some FUN!
We went to eat at Olive Garden and had a great time together.
I also was able to have some me-time over the break to hang out with a could of friends which I really enjoy doing and don’t do often enough!
Katie and I saw a couple of movies and Tiffany and I went shopping Target!
We had Colt and Payton over for a day over the break which was super fun – I love that all of my kids have a bff cousin 🙂
Mrs. Charlotte celebrated her birthday and we all went to dinner to celebrate!
Spear and Cam are OBSESSED with Big Papa and refused to leave his side the entire meal. SO cute!
And Tessie loved her “salad” 😉
I was SO excited for Zach this month!
A couple guys from our church invited him on a ski trip and it was SO great for him to go and enjoy that time.
Yall know how much I value time with friends and I’ve always wanted that for Zach too.
Friendships are important and he had SUCH a great time in Colorado with Zach and Wade!
While he was away it was an opportunity for the kids and I to get back to our Wednesday night Zaxby’s dinners.
It’s something we did pretty regularly before Spear was born and it’s just taken us awhile to be able to get where I am comfortable going and doing with four kids.
Four kids is def a big adjustment haha
We re-vamped our chores for the new year and I’m really proud of how well the kids are doing with more responsibility!
Here’s what the kids were all up to this month:
Kye
Kye started basketball season and it’s amazing to see his growth this year in this sport.
We just want our kids to have things they love, enjoy and are passionate about.
Britt’s gymnastics find was an INSTANT passion but Kye is taking longer to find his “thing.”
He is really loving basketball and showing drive and initiative when it comes to practicing and improving his skills which makes both Zach and I so proud.
He’s getting more comfortable, going for the ball and more aggressive too! We love watching him play!
He even got to start during a game this month and played awesomely!
The big house project focus right now is on completing Tess’s new bedroom and part of the bedroom switch will include a revamp of Kye’s room.
He wants to transition into more of a Star Wars Lego theme and for Christmas, he and Zach build a new Lego table section for his room to start bringing in that theme.
Over the Christmas break, I set aside some time to have just one on one time with each child.
Kye really loves video games so Zach and I do try to connect with him through that avenue.
Zach even moved the Nintendo Switch downstairs to the big tv to play Minecraft with Kye as it gives him a headache on the smaller tv in the playroom.
I tried to play Minecraft and yall I have NEVER felt so OLD.
I could NOT figure it out and Kye, bless him, was SO patient with me through it.
Like I couldn’t even get my guy to walk forward haha.
We called it quits and played the only game this mama really can dominate – Mario Kart 😉
I tend to think really negatively about video games and screen time but I am trying to change my thinking a bit.
Video games CAN be a bonding opportunity and we left the Nintendo Switch set up in the living room for a bit over the Christmas break and let the kids play a few games together for a while.
The kids love that time together!
Kye had his first overnight field trip this month!
He went to Jekyll Island to explore the marsh and spent the night. He was SO excited about the trip and had a great time.
It was funny hearing him recap things. He basically told me every single thing they did for the full two days (what he ate each meal, what he did during each minute hahaha).
He said too many boys were making “toot” noises and he couldn’t sleep.
His favorite part was seeing the “boot graveyard” of kids’ boots that got stuck in the mud and left there!
He got to dissect a shark and did NOT enjoy it because it was too close to breakfast. Guess he’s probably not gonna be a doctor 😉
Learning about the coronavirus at school 🙂
I am really seeing Kye more and more as a teenager and less and less as a little boy!
Britt
For our special time together over the break, Britt wanted to bake!
She wrote out the recipe on a recipe card and called her cookies “Brittlynn’s Brilliant Chocolate Chip Cookies” (which is actually just a recipe copied from the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip bag ha!
She was SO PROUD and loved baking together!
The big change for Britt this month was that she decided to get her hair cut!
She has been wanting it short and Daddy took her to get it done and cut off more than I thought he would but it looks adorable on her and she is so happy with it!
Britt is such a hands on big sister and loves spending time with her siblings.
This month she especially has loved reading to Tess and Spear and will ask if she can read the bedtime story to them 🙂
Britt had a field trip to Tallahassee this month and I was unable to go with her. I hate missing field trips but childcare just didn’t work out for Spear to have someone to keep him.
It fell right after the kids went back to school after break so Britt was happy to be with her friends anyway!
Britt is still really loving Harry Potter (doing less of the British accent though) and she and Tessie play Harry Potter regularly.
I love how into stuff Britt gets and what a shining light she is!
Tess
For my quality time with Tess over Christmas break we played Barbies.
She LOVED it. Out of the three big kids I think she enjoyed this time the most and it was as good reminder that Tess needs one on one time with me!
Often she and Britt get lumped together and I want to make a special effort to pour into just Tess too!
Tess celebrated the 101st Day of School by dressing like an adorable dalmatian!
This set I bought from Amazon years ago has come in so handy for these yearly celebrations 😉
Tess always cracks me up with her attire. She loves to dress in layers when it’s hot outside and in tank tops when it’s cold 😉
I love when I connect with brands who align so perfectly with our family values and I have LOVED working with the authors of the What Should Danny Do? series of books.
This month they sent over their newest book – What Should Darla Do? And the girls were instantly obsessed with Darla!
Tessie asked to dress up like her for school and I love that these books help reinforce what we teach our kids – that they have the power to choose good, Godly, choices!
Tess adores her siblings. Out of all four kids Tess has the best relationships with each of them.
I think they all consider her their favorite and feel like she’s the one they are closest to.
She plays beautifully with each of them and is rarely the cause of any drama!
Tess struggled a bit going back to school after Christmas break but I was super proud at how quickly she bounced back – it was a much quicker adjustment than when she first started kindergarten for sure!
Her sweet Daddy surprised her (and the others too) with a donut on their first day back 😉
Tess does not naturally love school or learning (one difference between myself and my mini me as I was always a total school nerd!) and she gets frustrated with reading.
Talking to the big kids really inspired her though as we were all talking about the Bible and Tess said she wants to learn to read so she can read her Bible too 🙂
Spear
If I had to sum up Spear’s month I’d say this was the month of potty training.
We really started focusing on it hardcore after Christmas.
And he’s done well. For the most part. He can hold it a SUPER long time which has it’s pros and cons.
Pro: he’s in underwear!
Con: there isn’t a whole lot of opportunity for him to LEARN to go in the potty. He will go in the potty if sitting on it for a while but he won’t communicate a need to go.
He doesn’t yet know how to tell he NEEDS to go!
So it’s frustrating. He’ll typically have a little accident and then go the full amount in the potty. He goes a tiny bit in the underpants and then will realize he’s going and hold it – which is still great! I just want him to get to that “ah-ha” moment of going to the toilet BEFORE that trickle comes out in his pants!
He did poop in the potty for the first time this month which was a WIN but he typically just holds it and poops while wearing his diaper at naps or night (which is FINE by us…Britt was the same way!).
While Spear himself may not communicate when he needs to go potty he DOES have ALL of his toys “go potty” all the time 😉
This month also came the moment I’ve been dreading…Spear learned how to climb out of his pack and play.
It’s a big moment for me as I’ve had this pack and play set up in our dining room for the majority of the last DECADE! And now? Now it’s DONE.
I will be switching Spear from independent playtime to room time soon!
Spear has a current favorite toy and I’m loving it because it keeps him sitting still and playing happily for a great amount of time!
I can’t recommend this sink enough – best $10 you’ll spend!
For real. Grab it and you can thank me later 😉
Spear is rear-facing in the car (team extended rear-facing right here!) so I can’t really see him while I’m driving and he drives me insane with always taking off his shoes in the car!
He thinks it’s hilarious 😉
Spear is my wild man! With potty training I’m watching him like a hawk all the time and it is pretty funny to see the things he’ll do.
He is very big on copying others.
Zach fixed a shelf in his room and soon after Spear was climbing up his chair to use his “tools” to “fix” the shelf too 🙂
He’s my first climber and it’s def stressful but the upside is he’s equally tough to his wildness so when he falls he NEVER cries. He’s just strong and doesn’t get easily injured!
Spear LOVES his speech therapist, Ms Lauren, and always runs to the door to greet her and gets upset when it’s time for her to leave too.
He is doing SO great with speech.
This month he said “Britt! Tess! Time Dinner!” (his first four word phrase)
He started using adjectives “good water” and pronouns…I asked who rides the tractor and he said “me!”
It’s so encouraging to see his growth and I’m SO thankful we started speech! He’s come SO FAR in such a short time period.
Kye has been counting DOWN for the day when Spear can start playing with him and we’re def on that verge.
Right now he will truly be able to play with Tess on her level but isn’t quite there attention span and interest wise to hang with Kye. He’s getting close though!
I love the special brother bond they share.
One of my favorite toddler milestones is when my kids start to fold their hands and say little prayers. Instead of “amen” Spear says “yay!” to end his prayers and it’s SO SWEET.
Right now Spear’s favorite Disney character is Minnie. It’s precious the way he says “ninnie”
He loves to sit and read and also to sit and color!
His favorite toys are anything in his siblings rooms that he can play with when they aren’t home 😉
He also still very much so loves to “cook” and loves to sit up at the bar.
If he wasn’t so wild I’d transition him into a booster chair over his high chair but he’s nootttt ready for that yet!
He is so smart and so independent!
He wears me out but I try to saviour the moments as I know this stage will fly by and I’ll miss it!
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Cute family!