As a California native, mid-winter is a new term for me. February would hit in Sacramento and it would start feeling like spring. Not so much here!
But living in Washington and embracing the concept of mid-winter has actually been quite lovely once I got past adjusting to the long dark evenings. Instead of jumping in to new year's goals and counting down the days until spring, I see it as a quiet time of hibernation. There is always plenty to do around the house, kids inevitably are home sick, and the holidays are over. It is a homebodies dream! ha!
(I am typing this out in August while my anxiety rises about the busyness of fall coming. This is a good reminder that other slow days do come. The season does not dictate my pace. I get to.)
Checking out a fun little neighborhood library...and finding a cozy place to read once we got home.
I shared in my winter/holidays post that I did a deep dive in purging my closet. Here are two dresses that I bought on Amazon - one black and one red. I loved them both. I especially love the neutral pattern of the black and white one under my jean jacket. But after wearing it a few times I realized that the identical dresses were actually slightly different.
Long story short, the red one is slightly longer on top and a different fabric which ended up making it feel more flattering to me. I held on to the black one because I liked it layered and I had just bought it. When I should have just accepted that I didn't love it.
It was my reminder to only keep and wear clothes that I absolutely love. I ended up finding a skirt that was the same pattern but worked better for me. It was a good lesson in waiting for the right piece and to be able to let go of a purchase that I later changed my mind on.
BUT ALSO - how much time am I wasting buying and returning clothes when I have plenty I already love? This is the real kicker. I am not anti cheap clothes on Amazon in this season of life where I rarely have time to shop in a real store. But I also want to be more responsible with my purchases. It is a balance that I continue to work on.
She just sat there chatting away with me and playing with her doll. She sure is a fun one. I think she will make a good buddy the next two years while everyone else is at school.
Another creative creation from one of my children - a credit card and a phone. See the apple in the middle?! Too funny.
Baking samplers.
The biggest relationship gap of my children is definitely my oldest and youngest. The middle children intermingle a bit better as they are closer in age. But it sure is cute when I see the two of them together. There relationship is growing slower than the others but I am seeing them connect more as our youngest continues to get older.
Finally lost her first tooth. Then a second one in the middle of the night a week later. She looks tired but proud. The first one got lost so we had to document the second one even if we were all half asleep.
A cute lego moment spotted.
Working on our Christmas reflection in our Christmas memories scrapbook.
Another day another outfit variation.
She insisted I make her tea after she saw mine.
Winterizing a maxi dress.
This sweet girl played a pumpkin in her school play. So proud of her.
We had to go to Coldstone after to celebrate.
Got out all our February books.
Coloring and acting like such a big kid.
Me prepping for my daughter's arts and crafts birthday party. This little mock up was actually very helpful as we made room for all the crafts.
An optional cooking class zoom call with her teacher and class during mid winter break. They made fry bread which was incredibly easy and tasty. I am so grateful we have had such fabulous teachers at our neighborhood school.
Winter creations - Martin Luther King Jr. portrait, getting pumped for Artemis, and winter friends.
Leftover Costco ice cream sundae saving me while Brent is on work travel. I personally love the chocolate vanilla swirl with strawberries. :)
Decorating cookies on the bar for the first time! I eventually paint that piece of wood white as it was driving me crazy to see it in pictures!
More birthday party rearranging.
I got some pictures of all the kids and their birth posters.
Hard to believe these little humans were all in my belly at one point.
We went to Idaho for the weekend to visit some of Brent's family. Brent and I got in a quick outing without the kids to get a coffee and check out the frozen lake.
Sweet little everyday moments together. She follows me around the house and keeps me company.
Working on class Valentine's.
My sweet little mother's helper - putting on a puppet show for the littles in the bath.
I have had this water bottle for awhile now. It was a hand me down from my mom group swap. I have been wanting to try a water bottle with the hours to drink on it but was afraid it was too gimmicky to ever buy one.
Well we are on over a year together and it has been the longest I have gone with meeting my daily water goals consistently. Being able to see how much water I have plays a huge part - versus stainless steel which I was using before. And the ability to chug - it's just so much faster! I don't love that it is plastic but the trade off of drinking more water is worth it to me. I also make a protein shake with water and often a coffee or tea that gets me even more. This is 64 oz and I try to shoot for 80 or 90 oz.
So all this to say, I highly recommend. Here are similar ones.
With the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl, we were feeling the energy. It was so fun to have these Super Bowl swag shops pop up around town. We picked up some things for the kids. They were so pumped OUR team made it.
Valentine's crafting and we left up our arts and craft party decor up for a little longer.
Safe to say he loved his new hat.
An impressive portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. by this girl.
Another outfit variation with my favorite long vest.
I love this age so much!
E-bike adventures.
We love to ride on the bike trail by the river and then get off for a fast food dinner. Then we ride back home. It is a sweet and fun outing together.
Ready for the Super Bowl! Everyone was happy to get the win!
Another favorite outfit. Literally wearing sweat pants.
He is looking so grown up and like his older brother did at this age. My heart. Time please stop.
Dubai chocolate mocha with pistachio foam was a delicious treat!
Working on everyone's Valentine's Day surprises.
I had to go back and try the dubai matcha. It also was amazing.
Everyone loved their Valentine's Day surprises. I continually am reminded a small lego set (I try to get the little bag ones under $10) is such a fun and easy gift. It gives them something to make and then something to play with. And the big kids love to help the little ones because then they get to make a second set! ;)
Our annual Valentine's Day Olive Garden dinner and watching Charlie Brown.
Making Lunar New Year dragons.
Then we celebrate with $1 in their red envelopes.
I love these reusable red envelopes that we can use again each year.
I laminated some of these Chinese zodiac placemats from the Chinese restaurant for us to also reuse each year. I remember studying these things as a kid when we would go out to eat with my Chinese grandparents. While my kids won't have that same exact experience, I like that they will grow up with these familiar placemats at home.
We get our favorite Chinese take out for dinner that night as well.
For Valentine's Day I got myself a new small crossbody purse. It is a lookalike of a designer one I would love but seems too fragile for my mom lifestyle. I have been so happy with this one and that it elevates my everyday outfits.
Mid-winter break outing to the playground and lunch after picking up groceries.
We had such a nice outing but then I remember looking back at this picture seeing myself with tired and sad eyes. I had just had a rough week with an anxiety attack. I hadn't had one since I was pregnant with my youngest. So it had been awhile. The fact that years had passed since I have had one of these occurrences was something to celebrate. But it was the breaking point for me that some things needed to change. I needed to take better care of myself, set some boundaries with others, and refocus on what was important to me - being present for my family. It was a good but hard hurdle to get through and I am grateful to be on the other side again.
Watching the live feed of the Artemis II fueling and hoping for the go for launch soon.
Catching a peace lily bloom is always a pleasant surprise.
Someone's little flower collection. I try to at least get them to collect things in baskets so it's not all over the porch!
Another mid-winter break outing. This time I am rested, lighter, brighter, and maybe a little makeup. :)
I thought I'd change things up with some wide leg grey sweat pants! I really like them and they feel very adventurous outside of my normal all black. They are also thinner which allowed me to wear them well into spring without getting too hot.
More Artemis preparations.
My little stylish girl!
We went to a local lion dance demonstration for Lunar New Year. It was a smaller event so those lions were loud and got up in your face! It was very fun...but may have scared most of the children! It was also interesting to see a more traditional side of things. People really do believe in luck and I think my grandparents did too. But as an adult, it translates differently. I am thankful that we can celebrate my heritage with our children. But I am also thankful our hope is rooted in our faith and not in luck. And after experiences like these, we can have these open conversations with our children.
Same outfit as the last but looks dressier with my purse and some jewelry.
Artemis II also made the cover of my third grader's Scholastic News. This was pretty special. We kept this one for him to be able to remember.
Cutie firefighter.
Same outfit, different jacket. Deciding on my vibe for the day.
Brent was out of town and we had an after school doctor's appointment. Dessert before dinner seemed like a good idea. Just my reminder to make everyday outings a little more special.
Also we could have bought dinner for the same price as all these treats! So one or the other is usually the case and makes special treats doable with four kids.
We kept our Christmas lights on well into spring. It helps make these long winter days a little more cozy.
I found these beautiful blue melamine plates and had to get them for our kids' everyday plates. They are so pretty, look ceramic, and hand painted!
It is so easy to look back at all these sweet pictures and just have the fullest heart. I forget the hard stuff after awhile - the pancic attacks, Brent's continued work travel, and long days as a mom. So this is my reminder, and perhaps yours, that every season has it's ups and downs. To know that even if today was hard, I will still be looking back nostalgically months from now, if I choose to make the most of our everyday. There are beautiful moments everywhere. I just have to be willing to look.
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