January 2023

Happy New Year! I can't believe we're already over half-way through January.

We went tubing on MLK, Jr. Day & had the best time! This was a "first"for all of us, and whew!!! Those tubes really fly down the hill!

Another first for Brady & me--I enrolled Brady in a homeschool P.E. class this semester, and they offer a weekly Friday fun activity outdoors. The first Friday was a hike at North Fork, which is less than 10 minutes from our house. We loved it & then took Derek & the girls back to North Fork the very next day to explore more! 

I have followed the 1000 Hours Outside movement for the past few years as it beautifully aligns with the Marvelously Made philosophy; however, I never felt compelled to participate in the 1000 Hours Outside challenge as we typically spent copious amounts of time outdoors as a result of our family lifestyle, the Texas climate, and the design of our school. Fast forward to winter in Alaska when it's almost always cold & dark, and we have found ourselves indoors more than we'd like. So we are taking the challenge this year, and it is definitely helping us be more intentional in getting out even when we don't always want to. ;)

{Christmas thank you notes}

{we added a chess clock to our chess games at home, and it has been a fun new challenge!}

{I was looking at cards in Target & Brady brought this one over to me. "Who is this? Elvis or something?"}

{playing Tenzi}

{sledding at our city park}

{attempting to dig a snow tunnel}

Other notable events from the first few weeks of the new year....
--Derek took a trip to Japan for work. The travel time & time difference was a doozy, but it was such a cool experience for him.

--Our beloved Dawgs won the National Championship for the second year in a row!!

--Shelby joined a new-to-us flag football league. We initially enrolled her in the 10-12 year old division, but that age group was overloaded with players. They were asking for 12 year olds who were willing to bump up to the 13-15 year old division, which didn't have enough players. Shelby volunteered to move up & had an unforgettable first practice with her new team. Upon arrival, we discovered that the gym was mistakenly double-booked. The coaches held a quick impromptu informational meeting and said kids were welcome to throw around in the parking lot afterward. At the meeting's conclusion, I was headed straight for the car because Shelby was only dressed in shorts & short sleeves. Well, she grabbed a Columbia fleece jacket from a teammate & proceeded to practice for 45 MINUTES on a snow-packed parking lot in 18 degree weather/felt like 11 degrees. It was the most Alaskan thing I've ever seen, but Shelby had the best time & I think it really built comraderie amongst the team.