Holiday Cheer 2021 {6} - Holiday Card

The year is not complete without our annual holiday card. This one was one of my favorites we've done! I love how colorful it is. Happy 2022 as we celebrate the end of 2021!

Holiday Cheer 2021 {5} - Winter Break Activities

The boys had two weeks off from school, so we were all ready for back to school. Now, just a few days after they returned, we have our first No School day due to the cold. Ugh. It'd be really nice if they could at least play out in the snow but oh well. This will be a fun way to look back at some of the fun we had over break!

Looking ahead - I'm so excited for all of the activities this winter and spring. We signed the boys up for basketball which will take place every Saturday for two months starting this weekend. After that, they will start two sessions of private swimming lessons at the Rec Center in NL in March & April. And in April, they will start ten weeks of baseball!

I have a feeling this spring will fly by so fast but let's hope winter does too. I was NOT in the mood to shovel the snow the first time it snowed here in North Liberty. Besides, it was only an inch or two of snow, right? I 100% regret that decision because it also rained that day so it's all just stuck to the ground and I most certainly biffed it when I went to pull the bins back in after trash/recycling pick up. I'm glad it was dark out so that no one heard me say, "well flying F&*!" as I lay on the ground. Thankfully it didn't hurt too bad. It's has been below freezing ever since so now we have a nice huge build up of snow as well as street slug at the base of our driveway. Awesome. 

As for the tree someone left on our driveway....I have so many questions. Ultimately, I called the trash pick-up people to let them know and they alerted the driver of our address. It was gone by 11 a.m. but that was after I dragged it out of the way so I could leave :) 

So. Many. Questions.

Okay, enough of that  - here are a few things we did between December 18, 2021 - January 2, 2022.

Saturday, December 18 - Adventures with Teddy

Sunday, December 19 - Family Christmas

We gathered with family in Strawberry Point. The kiddos had a lot of fun playing with each other and the adults got to laugh through a fun game too. My parents had very recently added an addition to the back of their house so it gave us the opportunity to spread out a little bit more. We also tried to have the cousins decorate sugar cookies but the store bought option did not work out so well. The highlight for me was the beef jerky we got from my dad. IT'S SO GOOD!

Wednesday, December 22 - 2nd covid shots for the boys!

Wednesday, December 22 - Holiday Lights at the Lake!

Friday, December 24 - Neighborhood Holiday Lights
We also watched Encanto on Disney+ on Christmas Eve - such a cute movie!

Saturday, December 25 - Our Christmas
We started our morning with french toast and bacon and then some exercises
for the boys. We did that last year and it made the morning go so much more smoothly.
Click on the link to check out some of the gifts the boys got too!

Sunday, December 26 - Heartlanders Hockey Game

Thursday, December 30 - Sing 2 with the boys!
It was SUCH a cute movie and I may have cried a tiny bit :)

Overall, it was a pretty good break - we played LOTS of Uno, played outside in the snow, and even attempted to have Teddy go down the neighbor's slide. Hasn't happened yet but we'll try to show proof once it does!

2021 in review

 January 

- one month with Teddy!

- working from home

- decided to take boys out of daycare = saved a shit ton of money!

- navigating virtual school

- joe & kamala!

- started working on photobooks again :)

February

- return to in-person school!!!!

- surviving exposure quarantine

- the boys discovered minecraft

- organization station

- viral tiktok feta pasta

- still working from home

March 

- jack turns 6!

- school pictures

- michael connelly

- completed our 2017 photobooks!

- rosalle margarent wood art

- my first covid shot!!

- celebrated our 10th anniversary at home

- making the most amazing omelet

April

- April Fool's dinner

- easter baskets

- reading Simple Path to Wealth

- started 75 hard (didn't finish but know I can if I decide to do again)

- 2nd covid shots

 

May

- breakfast in bed for mother's day

- celebrated 10 year reunion at home, 8 months late. wish it was held in person

- lawn progress

- north liberty activities

- planted tomatoes

- DECORAH TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!

- more michael connelly

 

June

- Teddy's 1st haircut

- Owen in tennis lessons

- cousin time in strawberry point - 

- visiting Leta's grave site for the first time since her funeral

- Wold strawberries

- Kalona parade & eating a delicious pizza

- more cousin time celebrating great grandma's funeral (bowling and texas road house too!)

- boys back in daycare for the summer

 

July

- tomato babies coming in hot

- Coralville parade

- splashpads

- festive fourth of July food 

- watermelon

- Iowa city farmer's market and food trucks! OMG

- boys' first Kernal's game

- Jack in tennis

- homemade fish tacos

- daytrip to Bagley WI for camping!

- swimming pool w/ Gspice

- xmas in july

- tie dye

August 

- Des Moines trip with the kids

- tiki tacos in IC

- back to work in person 

- hybrid schedules

- 3/4 of us get covid after daycare exposure

- very mild cases of covid

- back to school night to drop off supplies and visit with teachers

- taking Jack to the fireworks to kick off the end of summer

- 1st day of school!

- fence install

- taste of IC on my own

September

- camping in Bagley

- food truck fight in Muscatine

- semi-private swimming lessons

- second camping trip to Bagley with cousins

- celebrating halloween early at the camp site; festive halloween food, trick or treat, haunted house

October

- watched Bridget in Matilda

- most epic solo Decorah trip - seeing an old friend/colleague who I thought I'd never see again, visiting my best friend, running into Bridget and the kids, eating a lovely meal with an expectant friend/colleague

- watching epic Iowa football game in strawberry point

- officially taking boys out of daycare :(

- BASP

- seeing Cassie again at the Iowa Football game 

- the most unintentionally expensive date night we've ever had. Oops.

- seeing Waitress with Bridget and my mom, dinner at Biaggis

- seeing the Robbins at Pinter's!

- going to Pinter's a second time to be there with Bridget and Cassie

- conference

- new professional of the year award

- trick or treating in NL

November

-I voted

- enjoying a day off from school with the boys - pizza ranch 

- NEIA high school musical tour and a delicious salmon from Old Rossville Store with Bridget and my mom

- Owen in voice lessons

- Owen turns 8

- potato leek soup

- parent trip to Minneapolis

- boys' first covid shot!

- 2nd annual HyVee thanksgiving meal - totally worth it

- my covid booster shot

December

- santa visits

- holiday lights

- Hawkeye basketball game

- Marquee Pizzeria

- holiday market in Coralville

- garage organization

- family Christmas in Strawberry Point

- boys' second covid shot

- Heartlanders hockey game

- finally convincing Gspice to keep temp down :)

- Sing 2 = perfect movie

Holiday Cheer 2021 {4} - Neighborhood Holiday Lights

We ventured out on the very foggy evening of Christmas Eve to look at lights around Johnson County. How could we resist after this gorgeous sunset? 

Gspice was not about it because of the fog but I'm glad I forced us to go (albeit very carefully of course). It wasn't the best trip ever when the boys decide to fight in the car for most of the trip but will I remember that down the road as much as the pictures? Not likely so I still consider this a win. After they opened and put on their new rainbow pjs, we took off!

Stop #1: Iowa City’s “Christmas Light Street” at Rita Lyn Court

This was my favorite stop of the night. It was fun to walk up and down the street and I was surprised that nearly all of the houses were decorated. We don't currently put lights up on our house but I may have a few ideas after seeing all of the houses on Rita Lyn Court!

Stop #2: Largest display in Tiffin! Railroad St

This was a quick stop for us as it was completely covered in fog.

Stop #3: New Santa House at Red Barn Dr (North Liberty)

There were a lot of people at this one so we didn't get out here either. We did our best at a drive by photo but not sure it was the best :) We came here in 2019 and walked around so totally okay with it!

Stop #4: The Gingerbread House at Troon Court (North Liberty)

This show stopper is one of the favorites in the area for good reason. It's a really fun display and they hand out candy canes (I'm assuming on warm enough nights). The boys were pretty much done by this point (as were we with their fighting!) so it made for a good last stop.