2021 is underway! It turned out to not be the smoothest month for us transitioning back to “normal life.” Alicia took an extra week off work to keep the kids home from school after travels. Then after one day back to school, Lydia’s class got shut down for two weeks due to a positive COVID case. Tim and Alicia juggled watching Lydia while working full days. Fortunately we were able to call the Grandparent hotline for a few days help (thanks!). Then we celebrated Anthony’s 5th birthday! And finally finished off the month with a cold, rainy week, plus a bonus night of Anthony having throw-up sickness (quick bout of norovirus). WHEW, what a month and start to the new year.
Cordelia remains enthusiastic about learning. During the extended week at home, she did some homeschooling, which she enjoyed. She brings a lot of enthusiasm to our family, mostly good sometimes bad. For New Years she got a scooter and has been enjoying riding that around. She continues to love doing gymnastics and swimming. In AWANA Corrie is working through the extra credit material.
Anthony turned 5 this month! While he wasn’t able to have as large of a party as we would have liked to give him, he still had a great birthday. Unfortunately with the rain storm, we had to postpone his bounce house activity. Despite all that he had a very positive attitude about his birthday party and enjoyed a fun time with family. Anthony got his first progress report from school. He’s doing very well and is a great helper in his class. His teacher has been really impressed with his reading ability and says he’s overall doing great. Anthony also continues to do gymnastics, swimming, and AWANA and is doing well in all of those too.
Lydia had the most challenging month of the three kids due to so many breaks in her school routine. Despite being in and out of class, every time she went she had a fun time and a smooth drop-off. While at home she would spend most of the mornings reading books or playing nicely by herself. And then after nap time she’d go looking for trouble. She did enjoy a couple bonus days with Grandma and Grandpa and had a fun time. Lydia also received her progress report from school. Overall her teachers enjoy having her in the classroom and really appreciate her lively personality. They said she always keeps the room fun and interesting with made up stories or singing and dancing. She’s doing well with her learning development and is doing a great job with her potty training too.
Alicia transitioned back to supporting her group and main project. Things are still uncertain in regards to future assignments and work. She’s still considering transitioning into a different group and has had some tentative conversations with the other group’s manager about moving over. AWANA picked back up with club nights, preparing awards, and keeping things up-to-date. With all the bumps and changes during the month it’s been hard to have focused family time. Alicia did enjoy her week with the kids doing some homeschooling and is glad she made it a fun experience for them.
Tim’s work ramped up a lot this month, with multiple projects starting to call for his attention. He got assigned as the primary investigator for some investigative research within his department. He also has made good progress with his other projects and has developed a larger network of co-workers. He completed his second project at the table saw, a carrying tray for his parents, using some compound miter cuts. It was another great project and he learned more about how his saw operates and areas for improvement on future projects. He also got the garden ready for this year and started some planting. With all the changes to family routine his exercise consistency took a bit of a hit. Hard to get motivated to go outside when it’s 40 degrees and pouring down rain!
We’re thankful in the midst of changes that we found a good church last year that has continued to be a good fit for us. We’ve been involved with a small group study and have appreciated the time for interaction with other couples talking about the bible and life. Pray for direction for Alicia with her job situation and if she should transition to a new group. Pray for continued wisdom and rising the kids and making the most of the time we have with them. We are thankful for all our family and friends.
