First Month of the New Year

We are already a month into 2019, and I honestly can't tell you how we got here. It just went by so quickly! It was a month packed full of family, friends, and fun! Our new year is definitely off to a great start, as you can see from the following highlight reel of January:

We spent the first week of the month in Houston,
making special memories with our Watts family

Ruth gave an Instagram tutorial to her aunt and Mimi.

Clay was glad to get back to school. He was excited to work on his reading,
discover a new love in Ken-Ken puzzles, and teach us all a money game.

Jeff spent two weeks in Mexico in an immersion Spanish class.
The vendors wouldn't approach him because they said he looked like Secret Service!
Nevertheless, he was able to track down all kinds of fun surprises to bring home.

We celebrated Max's 11th birthday with doughnuts, cake balls, and gifts.
And we spent the day at Corky's, playing arcade games,
throwing axes, and escaping from Alcatraz.

Weston and I got to attend Ruth's CAP banquet, where, among other things,
we saw her march in with the color guard, be recognized with her CyberPatriot team,
and receive an award for "Americanism" from the American Legion. We are so proud of her!

Max got a baseball pitching machine for his birthday,
and the boys have had a big time trying it out.

We somehow managed to survive WINTER STORM 2019. 

We made out like bandits at the library used book sale.

Clay adores his big sister and couldn't resist surprising her with flowers!

Mimi and Grandpa came to visit twice during the month,
and we had so much fun hanging out with them.

We attended the Minutemen Disaster Response open house and had a great time.
We were especially impressed with the 28-bed bunk trailer.

Ruth achieved the rank of Master Sergeant and
the title of First Sergeant at the CAP promotion ceremony.
She also gave a recruiting speech to encourage cadets
to attend Airman Leadership Training in the spring,
which is an event she will attend as medical staff. 

Clay started golf lessons and is absolutely the cutest little golfer ever!

The boys got new dressers, and I acquired
some new skills by putting them together.

Ruth brought me these beautiful tulips for no reason!

Weston spent hours climbing every tall tree in the woods.

Weston spent a ton of time working on Scout stuff this month.
He attended a Merit Badge College, where he worked on three
different merit badges. He hiked a total of 65 miles to complete
his hiking badge. And, he went on the monthly campout with his troop.
He also interviewed and was accepted to be on staff for one of the summer camps,
making him one of the youngest Scouts to receive such a position.
He has already attended one training session and begun practicing his speeches.
He loves Scouting so much, and we are so proud of his hard work and dedication!

One of my book clubs got together to throw axes, and we had so much fun!

September

We did lots of fun science experiments.
Pictured here is our lava lamp and our balloon kebab.

Even though a couple of meets have been cancelled due to weather,
these two are having a great cross country season.

It has been raining almost non-stop this month,
but that hasn't kept us from having lots of fun!

I've had some pretty amazing early morning runs!

I encountered a bobcat in my alley.

Our resident bartender has put together some fun drinks. 

Weston went camping with his Scout troop in Broken Bow, OK.

The kids have played hours of Ticket to Ride.

Weston received four merit badges at the
Court of Honor ceremony for his troop.

We watched Forks Over Knives and became inspired
to experiment with a more plant-based diet.

This kid is reading more and more just for fun
(and I love the pure concentration on his face).

Many games of chess have been played. 

Many football games have been watched. 

This kid took on his first paying job.

We attended Homeschool Day at the Perot Museum

We also attended Homeschool Day at the Lego Discovery Center.

The boys worked on adding some wiring to our little barn.

I participated in two different book clubs.

Ruth got to spend a weekend at Airman Leadership School in Mineral Wells,
where she was awarded Honor Cadet for her character, enthusiasm and leadership,
 and where her flight gained the honor of Warrior Flight for 
exhibiting excellence throughout the weekend.

Jeff and the boys attended a Rangers game.

Clay worked on learning the sign language alphabet. 

Ruth earned the CAP rank of staff sergeant. 

This cutie lost his second tooth.

Ruth finally got the letter jacket she earned during track season.

Our kids became outraged when they realized that certain
books they love, including some they are currently
reading, have been banned at certain points in time.
Ironically, we discovered that our library was celebrating
Banned Books Week just after we encouraged the kids
to keep on reading the banned books. 

This enterprising kiddo volunteered to help sell
popcorn with his Cub Scout pack. 

Clay participated in the Cub Scout Raingutter Regatta and got 2nd place in his den.

Argentina's Independence Day

We spent the middle part of this gorgeous day participating in the Independence Day activities going on at a nearby plaza. It is always fun to get involved in local festivities, and doing so helps us appreciate how similar people are no matter where they come from. Later, we had a picnic and played at a small park in another, quieter plaza. It was a wonderful day, and we are so glad we got to be a part of it!

Meat upon meat
(And locro, a traditional Andean stew,
which is the main dish on this special day.)

Lots of sweet treats

Joining the crowd in the plaza

Marching Band

Dancers

Enjoying the Bubble Man

Clay was chosen from the crowd of eager kids
to put his arm through a bubble.

When National Wine Day corresponds
to Argentina's Independence Day

Picnic in the park

Big fun!

Round and round....

...And up and down

The boys found this dilapidated soccer ball and
gave it several hours of new life.

Any good Independence Day deserves a good BBQ.
These two were the fire starters.

And this one was the head chef!