Jan 31, 2023

January Happenings

  Bunco!

Finnick in his favorite spot in the house.

Sisters.

First puzzle of the year.  Bonus points if you can spot the three pieces that Anna had to handcraft to fill in where the missing pieces were.


Avatar: The Way of Water with Josh and Noah.  Was good to be back in a theater.  It's been awhile!

Pajama Day at school. Fun fact - even her backpack is zebra striped.

Another Bledsoe hike with bible study friends, Ava and Jada.

We jokingly and affectionately refer to Ava as Noah's "special friend." They do a lot of texting and talking on the phone and exchanging of gifts. ;)

We got away for MLK weekend to Cumberland Mountain State Park for a cabin and camping.  We passed another Buccee's on the way and took advantage of the gawking you can do there.  We also drove around Tennessee Tech University, which we sort of see in our kiddos' futures.  Anna's, anyway.  She really likes the idea of TTU and the location.  Noah really got into it too once he laid eyes on the college scene in real time, which made my day.  Before now, he has been in an anti-college mood.

Josh and Anna slept in the tent both nights in below freezing temps.  Hard core!

Noah, Lasa, and I enjoyed cabin life and amenities.  That fireplace was the heart of our weekend.

Lasa had a fever all weekend.  Noah played video games and did a lego set.  We enjoyed a couple board games and did some exploring around the park too.  So low key.

 End of an era - the tent and one air mattress got trashed on the way out of town.  Mattress had a hole and the tent was really really on its last leg anyway.  We have had that bad boy since Anna was a TODDLER.


About those "outside" cats .... 

Then, the week after Lasa got sick, she developed pink eye from that same virus and had to miss two days of school. 
 
I have enjoyed Lasa's surprise googly eyes around the house this month.

Another puzzle I knocked out.

And - hooray! - Lasa was awarded the title of Student of the Month for Perseverance.  Her "Try Before you Cry" mantra that he teacher has gifted her has really hit its mark.  It has been a lot of effort on both their parts this year.  Lasa really struggles with a bit of stage fright when it comes to assessments and such at school and continues to work hard to overcome it and believe in herself and remember how not hard the last assignment was that she got so worked up over. 
 
Cow eye dissection at Legacy!  I was so bummed Noah missed this day of school; he was home with fever himself.

Confession:  I bought a cat condo.  What in the world?  Who are we anymore??
 
 
Pudding cook on the first of a couple snow/ice days off school.
 
Josh and Anna came to the aid of some dear friends whose bunny, Rooster, developed the very same abscess situation our Valley suffered from a little over a year ago. Thankfully, the "surgery" to lance and drain it was a success.  Mostly.  The wound closed up so quickly, Emmie and crew couldn't continue the iodine flushes and it got reinfected.  But then it ruptured on its own within the week and now they are back at the flushes every day. Rooting for Rooster!

And we had some more sweet contact with Angelique.  Just so thankful for this.  So good for Lasa!

 
Also, a snake encounter at an in-house field trip.  Lasa chickened out of the big python option and went with this baby version.  ;)