January

January this year was incredible! The weather really made this month for me. I got a "Facebook memory" from last year that said it was -32 degrees and then looked at our thermometer that said +12 degrees! It really was unusual for January, but I loved every second of the warmth. 

Leo and Boston started gymnastics and are really enjoying it. It took Boston a couple weeks to realize how fun it was and to not be scared, but he goes in just fine now and likes to wave at me as he walks by with his class. Leo made some friends and has a blast running around and getting his energy out! It was so nice that I could find different classes for them that match up at the same time. 

Boston came out with me on some lunch dates this month, including meeting up with Dad to eat. We also took Bentley and Deacon on a date night to Activate. We had gone there so many times in December, but somehow Bentley missed it every time and was sick when we went with the cousins over Christmas break. She finally got to experience it and it was a lot of fun playing all the games with them! Boston also wanted me to take a picture at the haircutting place. We always see Haley when we are there and, we didn't realize it at first, but it turns out she is a member of the church! I also finally finished our big Taylor Swift puzzle that was harder than we had thought when we started it towards the end of the break. We thought we were missing a piece for a day, until I found it when I was cleaning and finally completed it! The kids helped me when they could, but I spent way too many hours on that. It's fun to be able to keep a puzzle out and not have toddlers wrecking it!

We also tried out a new dessert place that popped up right in Legacy! We seem to be getting a lot of great places in our community. It is called Mr. Puffs, and they make the most delicious warm donuts that melt in your mouth! I was very impressed. They also serve ice cream and bubble tea. We met up with Jillayne Christensen and her kids after school one day and it was a lot of fun, except for the fact that Boston cried because he missed Blake, who stayed home sick! 

We also had some play dates and birthdays (which I will post more about), and said goodbye to our beloved Dakota! She decided to go on a mission and was called to the Canada, Winnipeg mission. She was disappointed about the location at first, but warmed up to the idea, and we all know she will be a great missionary no matter where she goes! We went to her ward to listen to her farewell talk, then over to their house for an open house. We also got in one last hang out another evening to say goodbye and tried not to be too sad. We will miss her so much, but know that she is doing the right thing and are so proud of the example she is setting! Since it was Deacon's birthday when we went over to the Loewen's, I made some cupcakes for him and we sang him happy birthday. 

On Jan.31 Bentley got braces! She has pretty straight teeth, especially on the top, but the braces are more to fix her overbite. She was kind of excited about them at first, but wasn't very happy when she realized her teeth don't bite together, which made it very hard to eat. They also hurt her for a while, so it definitely took some getting used to. I took some before and after photos, and she looks great in them.