January

I personally feel like January 2023 has been the longest month in history. Which makes zero sense based on our busy-ness level. Normally the busier I am, the shorter my time feels. Time flies when you are having fun, right? But not this January. I guess I should be grateful for its slow passing though. It has allowed us to do so much.

January has allowed Doug and I long days of hammering, measuring, painting and more. These days have been loud-saws, hammers, and Luke Combs. These days have been messy-paint (on the walls, the floors and on me), layers of sawdust, and the normal kid chaos. And these days have been fun. They might not sound fun, but it really has been fun to work hard together to transform our home.

Doug took a week off after Christmas, and we used it to dive into our whole upstairs remodel. This month we have painted the cabinets, moved the hinges, put up a backsplash, removed a built in desk, replaced all the lights, painted all the walls and doors, replaced the flooring...and we still have a good chunk of list to go.

 

Here is a glimpse of our before....

And here is a glimpse of the after. 

We love it. Our home feels brighter and bigger. We are also ready to be done. But that isn't happening anytime soon. We are learning that one things leads to another and that thing leads to another too. Douglas actually told me to stop looking in other rooms, but that isn't happening anytime soon either. So if you need us in the foreseeable future, you will find me with paint stained clothes and Doug with a pencil behind his ear. 

January has also allowed us a little fun. We paused the house work for a weekend in St. Louis to see Monster Jam! The boys stumbled upon old youtube videos of monster trucks a few months ago, and when we saw they were going to be in St. Louis, we knew we had the perfect Christmas present. The boys were pumped. Emery has accepted that having three brothers means lots of "boy" stuff, but she is always happy to go anywhere with this crew. 

Monster Jam really was fun. I knew nothing about it and was perhaps the most in awe of what these huge trucks can do. It was over the top and loud--perfect entertainment for three wiggly boys. 

I guess we are a Monster Jam family now.

The rest of our weekend was spent jumping on hotel beds and swimming. The big three were right at home in the water, and Theodore had no problem following their lead. Watching them just made me more excited for the summer. Also...look at those sweet little baby toes. 

Besides busy days at home and a fun little getaway, January has given us many nights of basketball, impromptu suppers with friends, a much needed girls day (never enough time with these lovely ladies above) and even a snow-less snowday. 

January has been full and fast-paced yet somehow steady and slow. 

Thankful for all we have been able to do....but bring on February!