Winter Break

The college that David teaches at takes a very long break each Winter. This year, Dave was off from the week before Christmas until last Thursday.

I know.

In the past I've usually planned a fun trip for us, but we just hung around close to home this year, for several reasons. One being we didn't really feel like a trip was in the budget this close to Christmas, two, Dave had a minor surgery over the break that required lots of rest, and three, well, we're just homebodies =).

 

So we've spent lots of time, cuddled up under our new cozy blankets from Christmas, watching movies together...

 

It was really, really lovely.

 



Our kids just love it when we're all home together, and I notice how settled they become at home when we have days and days of it in a row.

They do things like choose to sit in the hallway and read Christmas books quietly, and are perfectly content to do this for a long while, just pleased to know we're around =)

 

 

Luke adores his Daddy, and getting to have him around so much had such a fun affect on Luke...one afternoon he even declared he wanted to cut his hair "just like Daddy's hair!"

We were shocked.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating; Luke is a super easy-going kid. Don't get me wrong, he can be incredibly passionate about many things, it's just that he rarely puts his foot down. Which is why when he was insistent that he wanted his hair long, we didn't fight it.  It's his head. The only rules were that he couldn't fuss when we had to brush it, and every once in awhile he had to let us pull it back so we could see his eyes =).

And he was thrilled.

So it seemed out of the blue when he insisted he wanted it shaved.

I was at work when he announced this and asked Dave to shave it. Dave (wisely) told him he needed to wait 24 hours, and if he still wanted it cut then, we'd do it.

Next afternoon, he was still sure.

Lo and behold...look at my baby boy!!

Not gonna lie, I didn't exactly love where his hair was at, and was thrilled when he wanted it shaved!! It was super adorable as it was growing out, but he'd reached this awkward helmet-mullet stage and it was always in his eyes and I just missed seeing his sweet little face!!!!! But I loved giving  him the freedom to make the choice about his hair, and I loved how happy his long hair made him.

But now I super love seeing his whole face again =).

 



This break is also the happiest I've ever been to have twins.

Sure, they argue and fight and don't share and hurt feelings and drive us and each other crazy need to be separated, but they are also best buds. They have a built in playmate to adventure and imagine with at all times, who is the exact same age. Pretty cool. 

(in the fort we made with the supplies Auntie Mem gave us for Christmas!)

 

 



(can you spot Luke's little face peeking out from under the kangaroo??)

We've loved ringing in 2015 with such an easy pace to our days, and we do not take for granted what a gift it is. Stephanie once wrote "We treat time as our most precious resource (because it is)..." and I completely agree.

We even spent some time on New Years Day reviewing family movies we'd taken throughout all of 2014. It was fun to see which things Abbey and Luke remembered from earlier in the year. 

I found these 2014 Year End Reviews on Pinterest. 

(sense a theme?? =) )

(oh and never fear, David already corrected my "Hans" error..."it's HAN, not HANS!" Noted.)

 



(I am in love with the way she currently makes her lower case "g" =) )

 

 

The kids and I did several cooking and baking projects over the last month, which is one of Abbey's Love Languages =).

 And if I had a dollar for every time this break that they made "Lovie Pile" (all their pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals in a big pile to then be climbed on top of) I'd have a zillion and two dollars by now...

 

I picked up several extra shifts throughout the break to make some extra money, and it is always so good for the kids and David to have all that time together, and David did tons of cooking for us, which I am a huge fan of =). I actually do enjoy cooking, but I'd been in a recipe rut and welcomed the break, and he loves the time and opportunity to be creative.

It's win-win folks.

 

 We also went on fun little outings around town together, like self-serve Frozen Yogurt...

 

 

 David was off work again today and the twins didn't have preschool (MLK day) and I don't go into work until 5pm, so we've been incredibly blessed to have another Home Day Together on a weekday. David got up with the kids and I slept until well after 10am (totally my Love Language) on a Monday! I work Saturdays and we have Church on Sundays, so I always treasure a day where we all get to just wake up slowly (well, as slowly as two preschoolers can ever wake up...) and hang out at home. Most of the time, we try to get our kids out of the house often, both to burn off energy and also to have changes of environment (fends off boredom), but I really feel it's also a discipline and a learned skill to be able to entertain yourselves at home.





(I love how he has his tongue out while concentrating. Classic Luke =) )

 

This morning they made a "bakery" for Dave and I to shop at and purchase goodies...

Loving my little family a lot today =).