STARTING a new school year! All the kids are once again at the same school. It’s fun that they span in grades from Kindergarten to Seventh, and yet all still be together and see each other off and on throughout the day.
{M} was extra excited for her first year of full time school! She has been pretty tired though, so we are careful to make sure she gets naps in on the weekend.
CELEBRATING birthdays. Both of the girls have September birthdays. We decided on a new tradition this year by taking each child out on a date, with just with mom and dad. This one on one time has been awesome and means so much more to the kids than any presents could!
The girls also were able to choose a small gift. They went for art supplies and snacks. Nice choices!
PLAYING a lot of football. Both {D} and {L} are in leagues. This is {D}’s first year of true tackle football. His real passion though is, of course, kicking! He has already had quite a few chances to kick extra points during the games, and hopes to get in a field goal or two before the season is over.
{L} is doing flag football and is learning the basic skills of the game.
In the evening, and on the weekends, Craig is busy with all three boys – outside playing two on two games. They have so much fun!
TAKING family pictures out at the new house. With the house starting to look a lot more like home, we thought it would be special to take our Fall family photos at the site.
We absolutely can not wait to live here! I’m sure we will cherish these pictures for many years to come.
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
ENJOYING the last part of summer. It is really hard for me to believe that summer is really almost over. Only one more long weekend and school will be starting up again! This gives me all the emotions.
It has been a good summer. One that has gone much too fast. The kids are just at that perfect age where they are mostly independent, and at the same time enjoy each other’s company. They have all played together very well over the past few months.
EXPLORING a new park in the area. Our city has developed a large piece of land just outside of the city limits. It borders a lake and many rolling hills – which are used for mountain biking in the summer and sledding in the winter.
The park itself is full of structures suitable for all ages. Small slides and a mini playhouse for the toddlers, and a zipline for the pre-teens. All of our kids, ranging in age from five to twelve, had so much fun exploring! Even Craig got into the action!
GETTING anxious for the house to get weather tight. With Fall fast approaching, we have seen quite a bit of rain and increasingly colder weather. Each time it rains, we need to go to the site and sweep all the water off of the sub-floor. It makes us so sad to see our largest asset take on damage.
However, the shingles are starting to go on the roof now. And hopefully in the next week or so the windows will be put in and the entire house wrapped for protection. We continue to pray for the snow to hold off until we move in!
PREPARING for a large garage sale. Angela has been busy going through the entire house – decluttering anything we don’t plan to move with us. We have been shocked by the amount of items that we realize we can live without.
With the proceeds from the sale, we hope to buy a sectional sofa for our new family room. Something large enough that we can all snuggle together and watch a movie.
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
As part of our journey to simplify life, my husband and I have been trying very hard to be intentional about the time we spend with our family. In this post, I share how we have been implementing screen free family day as part of our transition to a more peaceful household.
At the beginning of the year, we had the idea to dedicate one day each month as intentional family time. In order to be fully present, we also decided that we would be turning off all screens for that day. This includes watching television, visiting social media channels, or checking our phones.
Now that we have successfully completed screen free family day three months in a row, I want to share with you the insights that we have noticed.
OUR FAMILY DYNAMIC
First, if you are new here, a little background on our family. We would be considered a large family by today’s standard, with five children. Our oldest son is 12, and our youngest, a daughter, is 5. All of our children are exposed to technology on a regular basis, and have been taught to use it safely.
We have been careful to teach them that technology should be used as a tool and not a crutch. They also have been told that though it can be enjoyable, it is also an easy thing to abuse and consume too much of. As such, we are careful to monitor their activity and limit their time in front of screens. By doing so, we hope to help them become responsible technology users.
WHY SCREEN FREE?
Craig and I had begun to notice that we were being more and more lenient with screen time, and found some negative side effects. Our youngest son, for example, was beginning to exhibit poor behavior and attitude. Our girls would argue about which tv show to watch together. We felt these changes were directly related to the amount of time spent in front of the screen.
Knowing that it was our job, as their parents, to do some redirecting – we had an idea. We would start a screen free family day. Our first goal for this is to have a screen free day once per month. Ultimately, it would be wonderful to have one day per week as a reset day.
INCORPORATING A SCREEN FREE FAMILY DAY
When we first brought up the idea to the kids, they were skeptical. They saw it as a punishment instead of something that could be beneficial. But once we insisted that the entire family would be involved, including us as parents, they were excited.
As a family, we sat down and wrote out ideas of things to do together. We decided that family day, though different each time, would include the following categories:
CHORE
Knowing the value of hard work, we wanted to incorporate a chore that we could all do together. We try to find a chore that will benefit us as a family. On the list are ideas such as raking leaves, chopping firewood, deep cleaning a room inside, and planting a garden.
MEAL PREPARATION
Our kids all enjoy spending time in the kitchen. I will admit though, that at times when they ask to help I turn them down. Mainly, I justify that cooking the meals will be faster and less of a hassle if I do it on my own. However, as part of screen free family day, we are opening up the kitchen and getting everyone involved. We have been rotating through the kids, asking them for meal suggestions each month.
We have seen some interesting suggestions already, such as a chili hamburger meal.
DEVOTION
As a Christian family, we find that it is very important to stay in God’s word. We try to tailor our devotion to topics we are dealing with as a family. This is a great time for us to all discuss, and maybe resolve some pressing issues. We find that even our youngest children are capable expressing their feelings and emotions in a group setting.
QUIET TIME
On screen free family day, we make it a point to reserve a bit of time for the house to be still. This is a great opportunity to take a nap, write a letter to a friend, or read a book. I have really come to look forward to quiet time and the peace it brings. It feels wonderful to allow our brains to rest from any chaos or commotion we may be facing.
FUN ACTIVITY
Of all the categories, this has been the most fun for the kids to sink their teeth into. We have quite the list of activities they want us to do together. Hiking, water fights, bowling, playing at a park, and going out for ice cream are a few examples.
WHAT DOES A SCREEN FREE FAMILY DAY LOOK LIKE?
During a recent family day, we made a screen exception so that I could film with my camera. Take a glimpse at a ‘day in the life’ of our family on a screen free family day.
THINGS WE HAVE LEARNED SO FAR
Through our first three months of implementing screen free family day, we have learned so much. We are quickly finding out what works best for us, and what we need to avoid.
KIDS ARE HAPPIER IN OUR PRESENCE
We have definitely noticed that our kids enjoy the company of their parents. Of course, we have always known that, but the fact that they have our full attention, without distractions, has been really special.
EVERYONE NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED
We think it is very important to make sure everyone is involved in all aspects of family day. Though some of the kids may moan a bit about having to take out the garbage or help with a meal, we make sure that they participate. By making sure everyone is involved, we are instilling in our children that as a family we can work through the good times, as well as the bad. The easy, as well as the difficult. We are in this together.
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE FANCY
Knowing that we can just lounge around in our PJ’s all day is just exciting for the kids as telling them we are going out for dinner. Sometimes the most simple moments are the cherished ones.
LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF SCHEDULING
Though it is good to have a general idea of how the day will play out, we are acknowledging that we also need to leave room for spontaneity. The element of ‘anything can happen’ is very exciting for kids. One of the best memories we have made so far during screen free family day was an impromptu sledding trip. The kids asked if we could go, and we had no reason to say no – so we did! It was a blast!
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR A SCREEN FREE FAMILY DAY
Check out these additional blog posts for tips on how to effectively go screen free.
I hope that this information has been helpful for you, especially if you are considering a screen free family day of your own. Pin these ideas for future reference!
We aren’t the type of people who go ‘all out’ with milestones. Sure, we celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special events – but it is never expected that we will give (or receive) any extravagant gifts or accolades. A simple acknowledgement is just fine, thank you very much.
However, it seems that Craig got a wild hair a few months ago. That wild hair put the wheels in motion on one of the best memories we have experienced during our time as a married couple. A ‘Sweet 16’ Surprise Anniversary Road Trip. He told me only this: “We will be driving for about ten and a half hours.” Not much of a clue, and I didn’t push for more. The element of surprise was part of the excitement!
After making arrangements with both sets of grandparents to care for our five young kiddos, we began our journey in our rusty 2002 Chrysler Town & Country van – on the cloudy drizzly afternoon of May 30th.
The halfway point brought us to Ames, Iowa. Craig had been there before on a work trip and he knew of a restaurant that served great food at a reasonable price. Hickory Park did not disappoint, with its awesome atmosphere and yummy barbecue.
Hickory Park Restaurant Co.
Cy the cardinal – Iowa State University’s Mascot
Finding a place to stay did prove to be a bit more of a challenge. We looked on Expedia and other hotel sites, and it seemed that there were not many rooms available. We even pulled into a unique B&B establishment, set in an old fraternity house – on the campus of Iowa State University. It too, was full.
Eventually, we were able to secure a room at Loya’s Little House Bed and Breakfast. Though we were initially a bit skeptical, as the location of the B&B was a ways outside of the city, we fell in love with the peace and quiet of the setting. The hosts were very friendly and personable, and the breakfast was second to none! We are considering bringing the entire family some day!
The interior of Loya’s B&B is peaceful and clean
and filled with fun art – all by local artists!
The property features a well manicured country setting with over 5 miles of private trails
From Ames, we headed South on the Interstate. I still had no idea where the end of the road would be – but that didn’t stop me from trying to guess. It turns out that I am a terrible guesser though, and I had no clue at all until we were literally pulling up to the town.
And that little town? It was Marion, KS – population 2,300.
Never heard of it? Neither had I! In fact, neither had Craig before he planned the trip. All sorts of questions were rolling through my head as we made our way through the brick paved streets. “What are we going to do here for two days?”, “I don’t see a single restaurant!”, and… probably the most important… “Where in the world are we going to SLEEP? Surely there is no hotel in this little town!”
And then we pulled up to it. The most stunning little hotel I have ever seen – with a beautiful stone facade and wrought iron veranda. The sign at the top read ‘Elgin Hotel: 1886’ and I was intrigued. Stepping inside was like being transported into the past. The elaborate lobby was beautifully decorated with red velvet chaises and crystal chandeliers. The intricate wood staircase in the corner of the room was inviting us to explore.
The hotel owner was friendly and welcomed us right away, giving us a brief tour and showing us to our room. Craig and I were both impressed that such an old building was in such great shape. And even though it was over 90 degrees and very humid outside, the interior of the hotel was a very comfortable temperature.
My hopes about this venture were improving, yet I still didn’t believe we would travel such a long distance to stay in a historic hotel.
And that is when Craig pulled out the ace in his sleeve – revealing that we would be attending a concert featuring my absolute favorite band, UNSPOKEN. Not only that, but we would be allowed to meet the band! My excitement then went through the roof!
this group is so full of energy
amazing acoustic performance!
Chatting with the band members was amazing. Everyone was so personable and welcoming. And the concert – despite the miserable, muggy weather the concert was incredible! They are one of those groups whose live performances sound just as good, if not better, than the recorded versions! The lead singer even gave us a shout out regarding our anniversary – which prompted a round of applause from the audience. We like to joke that we are now famous in Marion, KS.
Speaking of the town, we were very impressed with it as well! Despite it’s small size, there was plenty going on. It was easy to see that the citizens have pride in the place they call home. Everyone was very welcoming and kind to us. One of my favorite aspects of the town was the amount of incredible old buildings it has – many of which were constructed of stone. The courthouse is a real stunner. Isn’t she gorgeous?
The courthouse is an impressive stone structure constructed in 1906
This clock tower tolls on the hour
I had to laugh at this little stone detail
The library is situated in an old train depot. We went inside and were happy to see that they had photos on display of how the old building was configured and information posted about the history of the depot itself. We thought it was a clever reuse of a building whose original purpose was no longer necessary.
Train depot turned library
unique exposed structure
And of course, as a lover of all things house related, I convinced Craig to walk with me – street after street – to document the residential architecture. There were plenty of quaint bungalows!
The town also had antique stores and an architectural salvage yard. You KNOW that I had to check this place out! I ended up finding some turned table legs that I hope to incorporate into our future farmhouse table.
When it was time to say goodbye to Marion, we were both a little sad honestly. So many fun memories were made there.
We really hope to bring our entire family back again some day.
The drive home found us in Sioux City, IA and a couple other smaller towns along the way – once again checking out some interesting old houses. These are some of my favorites:
What a refreshing trip! It was fun to take a bit of a break from our everyday routines to explore. We now feel ready to tackle summer!
If you’d like to see the interior of the Elgin Hotel, or hear a bit of the UNSPOKEN concert, you can watch THIS VIDEO on our family YouTube channel.
FINISHING SCHOOL. It is hard to believe that the end of the school year has already arrived! All five kids have worked very hard in their studies and are ready to move onto the next grade level. The end of school year activities – school softball games, class field trips, and programs have been keeping us very busy.
RUNNING AND JUMPING at track meets. May also kept the kids in good shape. There was a 5th grade District meet, in which {D} participated. All of the kids, besides {M} were also able to take part in a track and field day for Lutheran Schools in Perham. Angela helped with the school track club and was able to assist in the track meet that Zion school put on for 5th – 8th grade Christian schools in our area.
As parents we are very happy with how hard our kids tried at their events – and even that they were able to come in in first place in some of them; But more importantly, we are proud of the sportsmanship that they displayed with their teammates and other athletes.
CELEBRATING Mother’s Day. Each year, Angela requests only one thing – pictures with her clan. This year the weather was absolutely gorgeous, and so we set the timer on the camera and lined up. The pictures turned out better than we ever imagined – in fact, we love them so much that we are considering having them printed to hang on our gallery wall!
GETTING the yard summer ready. After a long winter of shoveling snow and avoiding ice patches in the yard, we were excited to get the lawn mowers out, trim the bushes, and to plant a few flowers. Angela is happy that have the landscaping project from last summer behind her. It feels great to be able to enjoy the outdoors without being all bundled up! Soon there will be beach trips and water balloon fights!
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
REMINISCING on an entire year with {K}. We met in China in April 2017, and spent two weeks in country before returning home. It is really hard to believe that we have had a full year of adventures with this sweet girl already!
{K} home one full year!
Days after meeting {K} in China – April 2017
Throughout the year, Angela has interviewed {K} – asking her about her favorite things. It is amazing to look back on these videos and realize how much easier it is for her to communicate with us now. Her looks have changed quite a bit also! If you are interested in the videos you can see them here: 4 months home, 9 months home, and 1 year home.
Easter, April 1st, was the very last holiday that we had yet to spend as a complete family of 7. We had a wonderful celebration.
WATCHING the snow melt. Spring weather has finally reached the Midwest! Though the last snowstorm created a muddy mess of things, we couldn’t be more excited to be outside after such a long, cold winter.
RELAXING on our days off. With the warmer weather of Spring, the after school activities and sport camps are beginning to fill the calendar. The days we have to just snuggle up at home are precious. The kids always seem to find new and fun ideas to explore.
CELEBRATING Craig as he retires from the Fire Department. He has been a volunteer fire fighter for eleven years. We are so proud of him for the selfless sacrifice that he has made through those years. He finished off his duties by coordinating a beautiful memorial service for the firefighters who passed away this past year in the state of Minnesota. It was an incredibly touching program that included a vocal solo from {D}. We found it symbolic that {D} was just a newborn when Craig got accepted into the department and that he was able to help his dad to end his service.
We are absolutely overjoyed that we will be able to spend more time with this incredible man. Wonderful memories are yet to be made!
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
CELEBRATING {I} and his 9th birthday! It seems like just yesterday this little man entered our lives. He is a kind, gentle and committed friend, a brother who is always willing to lend a helping hand. He is our little inventor and has a very mechanical mind – spending large amounts of time taking things apart and putting them back together.
We love watching the story that God is writing in his life!
ENJOYING what will hopefully be the last portion of winter. We finally got a big snowfall at the end of the month. Those 11 or so inches gave us more accumulation than we have seen all winter long! The kids are now able to do a bit of sledding and snow fort building, and they are thrilled.
WORKING hard at school. In February, the kids celebrated their 100th day with some fun activities. They continue to bring home colorful art projects, and good grades. We have parent / teacher conferences soon and are excited to hear how they each have grown academically over the school year. It’s hard to believe that there are only about 12 weeks left until summer vacation!
FINISHING up the basketball season. It has been a lot of fun to watch {D} progress through the games. He has gone from looking confused on the court, to taking initiative and making plays. He really shines on defense and is able to out-hustle his opponents regularly. When the weather warms up this spring and summer, I am sure we will see him and his brothers honing their skills with the garage basketball hoop.
DESIGNING Arrow Hill Cottage, our future house. We made a big jump this month and began talking to a banker about loan options and visiting with a contractor about pricing. We are getting the house design buttoned up so that we can get some accurate cost estimates and see if it is at all possible to break ground this spring! We have been thinking all along that we would build the spring of 2019, so this would get us into our new house a year earlier than planned if it all works out. We are excited about that prospect, but are also willing to be patient another year if the timing (and pricing) isn’t right. You can follow along with our home design here.
This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!
What should you do when your child outgrows his/her crib? Consider re-purposing it into an adorable DIY toddler bed, using this simple tutorial.
Not many moments spark the same amounts of joy and sadness as when the youngest child of the family finally outgrows the crib. With the celebratory occasion of assembling the ‘big boy/girl’ bed comes the equally emotional moment of taking the crib apart.
We were faced with this exact scenario in the months before we took the trip to China to finalize {K}’s adoption. {M} had always loved the security of her crib, the same crib that all three of our sons had also slept in, but at 3 1/2 years old, it was finally time for her to say goodbye as well.
It was at that moment we were faced with a difficult decision. What do we do with the crib? Maybe you are nearing this milestone and have had the same question. Today I am offering a tutorial explaining our personal crib re-purpose DIY project.
THE CRIB BEFORE
Our simple, Jenny Lind style crib was well loved but it’s natural wood finish and spindle details had a charm that we wanted to preserve.
It was given to us as a hand me down before {D} was born, over 11 years ago. Needless to say, it was equipped with the notorious ‘drop side’ – a feature now considered dangerous. We had long ago disabled the drop side, but legally the crib was no longer eligible to sell (or give away). Even still, the crib had a beautiful Jenny Lind style, and the thought of throwing it in the garbage just didn’t sit right with us.
We brainstormed a few different ideas, and eventually decided that the best option for our family was to turn this ONE crib into TWO toddler beds – one for 3 1/2 year old {M} and one for her 6 1/2 year old sister {K}, who has arthrogryposis and is small for her age. We knew they would both fit comfortably in the smaller sized bed for a while, and that the bed DIY project could save us some money as well!
CREATING THE DIY TODDLER BED
I’ll be honest that at the time of the project I wasn’t thinking in terms of getting enough pictures for a tutorial. I only have a few photos, but will try to fill in the gaps with words. If you have any questions about the process we used, feel free to comment below or send me an email!
STEP ONE
My husband Craig disassembled the crib, which actually made {M} very angry! She couldn’t see our ‘vision’ at the time and was just upset that he was breaking the comfy place where she loved to sleep. Essentially, all pieces of the crib were used to create the new beds with the exception of the hardware and the spring mat.
STEP TWO
We purchased standard 2×4 material, and Craig cut them to assemble a three sided ‘box’ that would hold the crib mattress. Because we planned to use the two tall sides of the crib as headboards, he only needed to make legs for the end of the box. He reinforced the center with a 2×4 cross base.
STEP THREE
Craig attached the assembled ‘box’ to the headboards, making sure everything was level. He then set one side rail into each of the ‘boxes’. The side rail piece spreads the weight from the mattress out over the 2x4s included in the ‘box’ construction.
STEP FOUR
The crib mattresses were then added. They were a perfect fit, as demonstrated by this goofy picture of {L}. Crib mattresses are a standard size, but they can vary slightly. If you try this project you will want to base your dimensions on the crib mattress you have. We happened to have two mattresses, one that was used in the crib and another that we had for a different toddler bed.
STEP FIVE
Dress it up! I created pink ruffle bed skirts using this easy tutorial. They really were simple to make, but a bit time consuming! I used muslin fabric to cover up the exposed 2x4s near the mattresses.
I also found some adorable heart bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. Grandpa and Grandma purchased the bedding as a gift for the girls. A king sized texture blanket was the perfect size to cut in half, allowing me to make two matching comforters. Topped with accent pillows, and comfy colorful quilts, the beds look super cute on each DIY toddler bed!
FINISHED IN THE ROOM
The finished beds look so sweet set up together in the room. I still love walking by and admiring them, over a year later!
The girls really enjoy sharing a room and their little beds fit perfectly into their bright and cheery space. Although I am having fun designing their new shared space for Arrow Hill Cottage, I will be sad when we have to retire (or pass on) these special beds their daddy made them!
MORE SHARED BEDROOM DETAILS
Just for fun, here are a few more details of their shared bedroom.
This rocker was Craig’s grandparents. We had it reupholstered before our first child was born, and have used it in the nursery ever since. It is a special piece. Next to it we have a bookshelf, making this the perfect spot for reading.
The bookcase itself is a vintage piece from our local Carnegie Library, which is now closed. I love that the girls are able to see the fronts of the books when making their selections.
Above the bookcase is a DIY piece that I put together using a mirror frame, which I spray painted white. I covered the mirror with a fabric. It is attached with temporary adhesive, because I imagine in the future the girls may opt to use the mirror itself. The heart was made by weaving strips of paper grocery bags.
Both of our girls were adopted from China – {M} at the age of two in 2015 and {K} at age six in 2017. We always want them to be aware of their beautiful birth culture. The paper crane bird cage/ mobile symbolizes peace and longevity. I folded each of the cranes by hand using a variety of pink patterned paper. The dresser was mine when I was a little girl. It was a gift to me from my grandpa, and I love that I can pass it down to daughters of my own.
Above the dresser are more symbolic and special pieces, including two panda bears from China – one from each trip.
We painted the floor in the girls room, and the entire upstairs of this rental house, a chocolate brown color. It has held up very well and is actually something I am considering for the new house.
PIN THIS DIY TODDLER BED IDEA
I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and the impromptu room tour! I would love to see the creative ways you have re-purposed a piece into something new!
DRESSING WARM and bundling up for the season. The temperatures have dropped significantly over the past month. The ground is now covered in snow, and the thermometer rarely reads in double digits. In fact, today it is foretasted that the high temperature will be -15! That’s not including wind-chill!
Despite the cold weather, {D} and {L} continue to make an effort to get outdoors and practice their football skills. They are forming a special bond over the sport, which is really fun to see. {D}s favorite is still kicking, while {L} enjoys throwing and catching best.
SINGING in celebration of our Savior’s Birth. {D} performed at Jingle Bells once again, both in a duet with a friend and with the school choir. You can listen to the performances HERE. It was a beautiful evening filled with music and talent, and all for a wonderful cause.
The rest of the kids participated in both the day school and Sunday School Christmas programs. Each of the day school kids had to remember quite a few lines for these programs. They did a wonderful job and it was fun to see them sharing the Christmas story together. {M}’s Preschool had its own program, which was adorable.
ENJOYING CHRISTMAS BREAK at home. We had such a wonderful, fun filled Christmas! With it being {K}’s first Christmas home, we wanted to make it extra special. The house was decorated in bright colors and accented with photos from our year and the special events that took place – including our trip to China to make her a part of our family. You can see all of our decorations in THIS POST.
We kept the gift giving very minimal for the kids again this year. With five little ones under the roof, they already have plenty of toys and games and actually tend to have the most fun playing with one another. We purchased each of them an activity book (paper airplanes, brain puzzles, seek and find, etc). The girls received some fun new things for their play kitchen, and the boys received micro brick sets. They are sort of like Legos, but smaller and more challenging. The largest gift of the season went to {I}, who finally got a ‘high performance’ drone.
REMINISCINGon all that has happened in 2017 by watching our family videos. We are thankful that we started the new tradition this year of organizing our family photos and videos each week into mini ‘timeline videos’. Each year in the future, during Christmas break, we will take time to sit down as a family and relive the past twelve months. Since we started in July of 2017, we only have six months to review this year.
If you’d like to see these videos, and get a closer look at all that our family has been up to, you can see them on our YouTube Channel: ARROW HILL FAMILY.
Blessings to everyone for a happy and healthy 2018!
WATCHING the change of the seasons. The weather the last few weeks has been absolutely gorgeous. Fall in the Midwest is one of the most beautiful scenes to behold. The leaves slowly turned bright colors, then fell to the ground. The temps are now dipping and we experienced our first bit of snowfall, although it melted quickly.
LEARNING new things. The older two boys and Craig have started taking Greek lessons, and are enjoying the challenge. Even though they need to wake up early on Wednesday mornings for their class, they are not deterred.
{K} and {L} are both working on their reading skills. It has been fun to see their grasp of vocabulary blossom. {L} has even taken to writing books of his own!
{M} is getting into the groove of preschool, and has been bringing home plenty of art projects that showcase the fun she has been having! She has made some new little friends, which has been wonderful.
PLAYING outside. As the weather cools down we are taking advantage of every spare moment we can before the deep freeze sets in. The girls really got a kick out of the fallen leaves, and labored over making them into piles that they could jump into.
There is also plenty of dune buggy riding going on. Craig even gets in on that action!
Even though the football season is now officially over, {D} continues to show his dedication to kicking and can be seen in our yard most days practice his form.
DRESSING up for Halloween! We went with a minion theme this year, which was pretty fitting. Many times Craig and I feel over-run by the chaos these little people exude, but we are so blessed by them!
DECORATING for the season. Angela has had a lot of fun this season getting the house festive. She has been pulling bits from nature to make decorative table centerpieces.
This is just a glimpse of what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY.
Not many moments spark the same amounts of joy and sadness as when the youngest child of the family finally outgrows the crib. With the celebratory occasion of assembling the ‘big boy/girl’ bed comes the equally emotional moment of taking the crib apart.
