365.5: Look What I Found!

Yuck! I knew we weren't out of milk, but the kids said that we were.
"Did you look in the laundry room fridge?" I asked, "I thought for sure I put one in there." 
"No," they insisted, "there is no milk in there."
Of course, we should have double-checked, but I just ran to the grocery and bought another gallon. Tonight I moved a case of pop and found this crusty treasure unopened and quite spoiled. I think the sink almost got sick when we poured it out. Lesson learned! Don't trust hungry teenagers when they tell you they can't find milk!

365.4: The End

It's officially over. I have my Mimio slides ready for tomorrow's classes. I have lesson plans posted on Chalkable. I've got my tests and quizzes planned for the month of January. Lunches are packed. Schedules are checked. Gym bags are ready. The house is quiet. The kids are in bed. Tomorrow is mere hours away. The alarm will sound at 6:00 a.m. and our first school day of 2016 will begin. This is the official end of Christmas break. I have to be honest; we're more than a little excited to get back into school! Our kiddos...not so much!

365.3: Baby Boy

Who doesn't love babies? This little guy was born to good friends of ours and is boy number four in the family! His facial expressions for the session were wonderful! This little guy is going to be a heartbreaker...welcome to the world, T! We're glad you're here! 

"Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons born in one’s youth." Psalm 127:4 (HCSB)

365.2

365.2: The Party's (Not) Over
I had a great Christmas break. I got to spend a lot of quality time with Michelle and the kids. My parents came and stayed with us. We relaxed and watched the sunset on the beach several nights. We worked on projects around the house. We spent time learning things about each other that we didn't know. But...all good things must come to an end. It's back to the books on Monday (Michelle and I are so excited to get back into our classrooms!). To celebrate the end of break, Katelynn baked us a delicious chocolate cake with pink vanilla frosting and sprinkles! What a sweetheart! Christmas break may stop, but the fun really never ends when you get to do what you love every day with the people you love!

365.1

365.1: Happy New Year!
We spent the day at Universal Studios Orlando. This Christmas tree caught my attention in Seuss Landing. Its curves and odd shape reminded me of the last couple of years of our lives. Not exactly what we expected--but definitely a thing of beauty! God is definitely in the curves!

365.4: Mixed Emotions

It's our seventeenth anniversary and the last day of Christmas Vacation. Talk about mixed emotions! We made biscuits and gravy for breakfast, opened the windows to let in a breeze, and began writing lesson plans for school next week. T was playing chess by himself in the living room, and he reminded me of a movie I saw a long time ago. After a quick check on commonsensemedia.org, we decided that Searching for Bobby Fischer would be a great one to watch.
What a great movie! The boy that played Josh Waitzkin really tugs on the heartstrings. The movie is based on a true story and has a strong message about family, priorities, and the importance of doing right under pressure. If T didn't love chess before seeing the movie, he certainly does now! If you're looking for a good movie for family night, this might be it! Click here for a full review from a great site.

365.3: UPS Christmas After-Party

Have you been reading all the ruckus about the late deliveries from UPS and FedEx this season? Some people have been pretty upset by it all. We had two packages come quite late from UPS. One was full of Christmas presents that were for family that had been visiting for the holiday. Those will need to be mailed on since family has already gone home. The one that arrived today was for us and was full of presents from my parents. It was like a little Christmas after-party. The girls got some fun clothes and accessories. T got a devotional book and a cool string puzzle book. I got a little lens for my iPhone camera (more to come from that in a later post). M got a new phone case and some socks. It was all great fun!

But then...

There was a tin at the bottom of the box. I knew what it was before I even opened it. Puppy chow. Not kibble for young canines, but the chocolate-peanut-butter-powdered-sugar-covered breakfast cereal that has played an integral part of my family's Christmas tradition for decades.

How many times do I have to reboot this New Year's diet thing?

You may say there's no such thing as Santa, but the powdered sugar in my goatee may give you pause.