January: The month that feels like one long Monday

We have hit the last few days of January and I am so glad! It is seriously one of the hardest months for me because of the dreary, cold, and snowy days.  So to be almost into February is a blessing. 

I decided to do a family update each month, focusing on the kids and also the things we did together.  I also want to show my progress on my goals for the year.

"Let's play blocks"

Brecken:  This kid is hilarious.  He has a large vocabulary and can communicate basically anything he wants (which makes life a lot easier).  As a two year old, he is throwing some lovely tantrums over the smallest things, as to be expected.  He got Duplo blocks for Christmas and is obsessed with building cars, trucks, etc.  He also loves letters and numbers.  He can identify all his letters and numbers 1-20.  Colors, shapes, Mickey Mouse, and Toy Story are basically his other favorites.  He has some crazy facial expressions and his personality is big and bold.  I love this stage with him!

Those. Eyes.

Elizabeth:  I can't believe in just a few weeks we will have a 6 month old girl! Lizzie is the sweetest, happiest baby.  She rolls all over the place and is starting to sit up a little more on her own.  She reaches and holds toys really well -- then places them instantly in her mouth.  Her naps are still kind of inconsistent, anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and she takes 2-3 a day.  For the most part she is great at night, but we still have had a few bumps along the way.  She adores Brecken, loves Baby Einstein, stares at lights, and laughs when her daddy throws her up in the air.  It is seriously killing me how fast she is growing up. 

I love their bond! 

We created a family bucket list in December and we have checked a few things off in January.  Brecken and Brandon built a little snowman on the back deck. We took the kids to the Bounce and Slide place one Friday and had so much fun.  Then we also had a semi-warm day and went for some Yogurtland frozen yogurt.  Brandon, Brecken, and I also went sledding in the backyard.  Most importantly is we spent as much time together as we could when Brandon wasn't working.  Both these babies love their Daddy!

My goals for the year were to create more projects using my Cricut (mostly to decorate our home) and to use my camera more.  All the pictures of our family above are from my camera.  I have read a lot about my particular camera and have just signed up for an online beginners class for photography.  It is a go at your own pace kind of thing, so I am sure it will take me a while. 

Below are a few (of the many) projects I created with the Cricut this month:

1.  I monogrammed my water bottle because I'm from North Carolina and if something doesn't move then you monogram it!

2.  I repurposed an old chalk board with some vinyl for Valentine's Day.

3.  I used some vinyl to create a fun wood sign to keep up during January. This particular idea came from Cricut Design Space.