Cheers to the first Sweet Six Sunday in 2017!!! I hope all of you had a great holiday week and I hope that 2017 is off to a great start for you!
One. I pumped gas for the first time this week in Poland! Andy is a refill-at-a-half-tank type guy. I am more like a how-far-can-I-push-it type gal. This usually results in Andy filling my car up at some point during the week (or more like a month since I don't drive that much) and I have just never had to do it. I was a bit nervous, not even sure if my car used diesel, so I texted Andy a bunch of questions, and even took a pic of the gas pump. Ha! Bless the man at the gas station as he pumped the gas for me (which is common, not just because he saw me snapping pics), and I headed into the gas station to pay. I can honestly say I haven't been in a gas station in over a year, unless I had to pee. Overall it was quite the experience and I will most likely go back to that same gas station with that sweet man next time, or just have Andy refill it. :)
Two. The start of our year always starts off on a high note with Andy's birthday on January 3. This year unfortunately, the old man was sick in bed and did not eat a thing all day, so we declared January 4 as a do over for his birthday! Even though he didn't feel amazing that day either, he was up for celebrating! We started off with presents as home - Beckett made him a bunch of fake money and he also received Legos and an hour and a half massage. :) We then headed out to one of our favorite restaurants, Pomidoro, and ended the night with some singing, cake and ice cream! Happy 37th Birthday, Andy!!!
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| Beckett made him A LOT of fake money :) |
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| Comparing belly size - because that is appropriate at dinner! |
Three. We finally have enough snow to let the kids go sledding again! Even though it was SUPER cold outside, Beckett asked to use their new sleds and so out we went! I was shocked by how long they were able to be out in the cold - they have to have some super power that keeps their little bodies warm, right!?!
Four. Thursday night, Kristy hosted a White Elephant Gift Party at her house! It was great to catch up with friends who were gone for the holiday break and also to meet some new friends! The best part about the night was that instead of playing the dice game to get a gift, Kristy had created questions that each person read out loud and then they were able to steal from those that raised their hand. For example, one question was, "Who has ever skinny dipped?" All those that had, would raise their hand and the person, reading the question, could pick a gift from those that raised their hand. Other questions were meant for only one person, for example, "Who has been married the longest?" It was a great way to get to know each other and the questions were a great conversation/story starter.
I walked away with this beauty from my good friend, Tiffany!
Five. We have been working with the kids on better behavior and improved listening over the last couple of weeks. We implemented this pom pom jar with both Beckett and Reese, after receiving the suggestion from a good friend, Megan, and it has been AMAZING!!! Here is how it works - we can either catch the kids doing something nice, and grant them a ball, or start a task with a ball reward - "if you put your boots on the first time I ask, you can get a ball." Quickly after starting, Beckett began doing exceptionally nice things and requested a ball - smart little cookie! Unfortunately for them, they cannot ask for balls. Once they fill up their jar, they can pick out a present for $30 at the store. The idea is to help them fill it quickly in the beginning to show them that they truly do get a reward, and then taper it off and have it take longer to fill their jar. Beckett was the first to fill his jar, so we were off to Tesco on Saturday to pick out his gift. He chose a large car carrier! Woohoo - more toys to fill up the house! ;)
Six. We ended the week at the Blackburn residence, with about 30 other friends, for salad and pizza! The big kids kept an eye on the littles and the adults were given some time to chat and catch up! SO fun! We have been extremely fortunate to find such great friends here!
Cheers to an amazing 2017 and many more fun weeks to come!
