Ahhhh, 2021! It might have been a love/hate relationship, but in my true optimistic nature, LOVE WINS!!! Today, Tomorrow and Forever!!!
There is a strange thing that happens when you are the 3rd kid and you are growing up during the middle of a crazy, crazy time...you don't get out quite as much as your big brother and sister did. Well, we started changing that up and first on the list was a fun mommy and LJ date at Bothell Gymnastics.
She didn't have any fun at all.
She now asks for "Special Wednesday" which means Chick-fil-A and the Gym...and I'm a sucker for my little lady so she is now part of the Chick-fil-A and Gym of the month club! Not to be shadowed, Rich is the coffee date with wifey of the month club, Griffin is the taco date of the month club with mommy and Millie is the pedicure with mommy of the month club! I mean, GO BIG or GO HOME. Time is my love language and I'm going to soak up all the time with my people when I have the chance.
One of the best parts of my Wednesday and Fridays...errand time with this lady! She is the ultimate trooper and always happy to be mommy's helper!
Look at that...Friday night out on the town with this handsome guy!!! You guessed it; we had a DATE NIGHT! So funny how I used to take this as a GIVEN...but now it's all about finding a sitter, finding a restaurant and making the time. Something we will definitely do more of in 2022...we are actually trying to plan a little Sedona Mom and Dad's weekend and it seems like the stars may align for us!
Saturday morning and these 3 got a little surprise from Archer the Elf.
Back are the birthday parties with friends...and I'm all for this. Jonah's 9th birthday was a hit and the boys even shared a sweet time at the fire reciting Matthew 2! Well done gentlemen!
When your little sis gets to tag along to your friend's birthday!
Highly recommend the Laser party birthday...these kids had a blast!
All dressed up and ready for Santa...happy that we had a cute picture before since my kids are not, I repeat, NOT Santa people.
Look at that...the Meyer family out for a meal in public! If you only knew how crazy this is! I'm not about to document the crazy of the world (aka county) we live in right now, but if you know, you know.
It's beginning to LOOK a lot like Christmas...and as I've said before, THIS year, was probably my favorite. It just keeps getting better. This year, we really focused on putting the Christ in Christmas and it made it so much more meaningful. The kids and I dove into the book of Matthew and read about the life of Jesus each night for the 24 nights leading up to Christmas.
And then, there was another Monday that Rich went out to the Lake...I think. Or maybe this was from the contractor. I mean, I don't really know. I do know that the trip that takes us 5.5 hours with all the troops only took Rich a little over 4 hours without ALL of us.
So while Rich was way...we had a fun time at our house and hung out with friends.
And these 2 tried to wait up for Daddy to get home, but couldn't hang.
Might be cold, but it was finally dry. This little lady loves her purple car and wants to take it for a spin every chance she has.
My little cookie makers.
Griffin got to attend a fun Christmas celebration at church! He doesn't have any fun!
Halleluiah. We were able to have the Christmas Program this year and what an amazing time it was!
Ahhhh, this picture makes my mama heart melt. How am I so lucky?!?
A special shout out to Griffin who helped co-write the 3rd grade song...the Sheep of BAAthlahem.
These 3...how blessed to be their mama.
Griffin's fantastic music teacher! She inspired him and allowed him to shine. What a huge win for his confidence and faith.
Special guests for the Christmas program.
Millie even got to cuddle Miss Riley <3
Ahhhhh, the magic of the season through these 3!
A very special giving season...we were able to adopt children through school that are similar in age and interests as our kids. It is amazing to see the giving nature of our children choosing gifts for others.
A photo opportunity at their class Ginger bread houses.
And then it was time to hit the Living Nativity. Seeing my children recite bible verses and know the story of Jesus more than I do fuels my faith. God is doing some amazing things through these kids and their parents.
It's December and we were packed with celebrations...this time, I had a special guest at my work Christmas brunch. She played until she passed out.
That's a wrap for school in 2021...so we celebrated the start of Christmas vacation!
Up first, Millie's 1st Annual Waffles and Cocoa brunch. She is the ultimate hostess, and I was so happy to help her with this!
My little lady is growing up!!!
Grammy brought special Rudolf gingerbread cookies to decorate too!
Next up...Snow Day with the Bells!
This was our first time ALL the kids loved the snow!
Even Chukar played for a bit!!!
Hot Dogs and Fun!
I mean, everyone loves a good timer picture!
I can't say it was ALL smiles the whole time, but it was definitely a fun-filled day.
The boys and the girls! So thankful to get to do life with these 2 for all these years!!!
Cheers to fun in the SNOW and getting out of town.
Hot Dogs, Hot Cocoa Bombs and lots of trips down the hill!
Time to celebrate PAPA...with all the troops. First Monday of Christmas break and these 3 took over Grammy and Papa's!
I warned you she was growing up. She now gets to go to the "Big Girl" salon with mommy!
Next up...Arena Sports Camp for the Bigs.
They had fun. They were pooped.
Win, win!
A fun little surprise from Kennewick Grandma!
Getting our Christmas on...Festive nails and toes for the girls.
I mean, I can't take this guy anywhere AND I think that is why I love him SOOO much.
The countdown to Christmas was on and we headed up to the Lights at Warm Beach. A fun tradition started in 2020 and one I think Rich and I enjoy as much as these 3.
A stop off for dinner on the way.
Pretty sure the highlight is the laps of love during this season of life!
The night ended with a special treat!
And then it was Christmas Eve and time to head to church to worship! We went with excitement for the day ahead and left with a little more than the spirit of the season :)
Special visitors that the kids (and I) were so thankful joined us at church!
It was our kids first time in the BIG church and they were excited to see how it all happened. I think they love kids church so much that they are happy this is only a once a year thing. hahah!
Time to Christmas Eve it up at Grammy and Papa's with the Jobs clan!
Ahhh, my heart bursts!
These are my people, and I am so thankful that God blessed me with this man and these amazing kids! I probably get caught in the weeds more often than not, but when I look at a month at a glance, my heart explodes as this little family and the growth we had this year!
Ahhhhh, this man! He grew with me more this year than I could have ever dreamed! We are focusing on putting so much into this life and am thankful that God is leading us to dream and grow together!
And it's official...Waymaker Fund was approved December 2021. More on this soon at waymakerfund.com! Giving families the option to choose a Christian education for their children. From personal experience, this opportunity changed everything for our family, and we pray to help many families for years to come.
My cousin RJ and his wife Krista's kids and mine! So fun to celebrate together.
My cuddliest bug.
Ahhh, the elf headed back to the NorthPole but not before leaving the kids a sweet gift!
Pure MAGIC!
Christmas morning is an amazing time to sit back and soak in the opportunity that our kids get to be kids...where they forget that outside our walls the world is changing. May they always feel safe and loved AND experience the magic of faith, hope and love.
Santa brought some sweet scooters for this crazy group!
And the fun didn't stop there, we spent some time with their cousins. Then celebrations continued with a trip to GG and Aunt Roxy's!
A lap of love...shared with all! Someone wasn't quite feeling it.
There is something known as TOO much fun.
And more celebrations at Grammy and Papa's.
Special little Rudolf lego <3 and a very special nativity!
And then it snowed...and Christmas was complete!
I'm not a huge fan of the white stuff...but for these 3 I will do anything!
Well, the snow stuck around for a bit and so did we! Stuck with my favorite people allowed for some extra time out on walks and more.
Project completed...the Lego area was revived and restored so they could actually play there again.
TOP NINE from 2021!!! This family is more than I could have dreamed and this top 9 shows so much of this year!
The kids have grown up and have personalities that are more defined each day! Rich and I have carved out time to grow. My heart explodes with my tribe and 2 dreams came alive this year...our brand-new non-profit, Waymaker Fund and a little slice of heaven at the lake!
It's what you do when you have lots of time together; binge, bake and puzzle it up AND that is just what we did as we said good-bye to 2021 and hello to 2022!
And this is how we ushered out the year that brought us closer to the Lord and gave us hope for the year ahead!
We ended 2021 with our little family...crammed in the house for the umptenth day and I couldn't have dreamed of a better way to wrap up the year that was!!!
2021 definitely had some crazy times...but I will always know that God placed us in the middle of 2021 to be the light for people who no longer can see, lead by His word and continue to learn and grow in the Lord. I'm so excited to see what this next year has in store, but also know that I will savor each moment we are blessed with.
