A Review Of Our 2021

Happy New Year, friends!  Every year I do one of these recaps, and it's always a good  exercise for me to see our whole year laid out like this.  There are always so many things I forget about until I'm sitting down to write about it.

This year, overall, was happy, and it wasn't because all was right with the world.  This year's news cycle was almost as stressful as 2020, when I sit down and think about it objectively.  I didn't even avoid the news, but it was a peaceful year internally all the same.

 I think with more time on my hands, I spent more time this year pondering my own tasks, the things the Lord has given me.  To raise my kids.  To love my husband.  To run my household well, to be an encouragement to my friends and family, to honor the Lord with everything I'm doing.  I've faced my own selfishness this year in a way I haven't in the past, and while it was painful in some ways to consider past mistakes, the Lord's grace to me was ever more evident.  He's been working hard on me this year, readjusting my priorities, and even when it hurt a little, it's been sweet.

January

-I gave up social media, with the intention of it being a long-term thing.  This ended up being a really great thing for me all through 2021, and especially in January with the hectic state of things in the nation.  

-I took a reader survey from you all, and you gave me some amazing ideas of topics to tackle!  At the time, my emotions were too raw from 2020 to get into any sticky topics, but I might have to revisit that survey again for ideas.

-I started organizing photo projects, my kids' drawings, and a home organizer planner.  Maybe I'll do a post soon about how that all went.

-My parents started to get into snowmobiling, and we got to try out snowmobiles for the first time at their house!  

-We spent alot of time at home and with family in January, and it was lovely.

On The Blog: A Happy Review Of A Rough Year

February

-Wyatt turned 10 years old!  We did a special Nerf war party for him.

-We let Wyatt get his first pet, a betta fish.

-We had a sweet Valentine's Day with the kids, and I prepared little goody bags for them. 

-I tried doing monthly book recap videos, but I didn't really make that stick.  I may try videos again in the future, but I kind of hate watching myself on video, even though I recognize I could use the speaking practice.

-Rush Limbaugh died, and I honestly found myself missing his take on all the news events of 2021.

-We made tie-dye shirts for neon night at Awana.

-I had friends over for a brunch and tie-dye project of our own, and it was really fun to do a craft project together.

-We went snowmobiling on a mountain pass with my parents, and it was so much fun!

-I started reading up on frugality, which was an interesting project until it was quickly foiled by my books being due back at the library.

On The Blog:  What's Changed Since I Quit Instagram, What I Learned From Rush About Living Well

March

-We started using latch hook kits during our read-alouds, and it was a great way to keep the kids' hands busy.

-Gwen became very interested in reading about Annie Oakley, and it was fun to find books about her!

-I started teaching the kids a bit of Shakespeare, and they caught on quicker than I thought.  I also planned a Resurrection Day unit study that was a highlight of the homeschool year.

-We had some good snows in March, including one two-foot storm, and we took a homeschool snow day.  I also started reading The Wingfeather Saga during a snowstorm in March.  We also had some beautiful, warm days too.

-I started organizing a homeschool park/hiking group with some of my friends, and we got together multiple times a month all year!

-We got a nasty cold, which was not Covid, proving that people do still get regular old colds which are no big deal.

-The kids built a wooden car (Wyatt), and cardboard box cars for an Awana derby night.  It was really fun!  Gwen won a prize for her adorable car design.

-I patched the kids jeans for the first time, part of my quest to be more frugal.  

On The Blog:  How I Manage A Typical Homeschool Day

April

-We visited my childhood friends who own a ranch, and it was a wonderful time as always.  It was also a particularly beautiful spring day, which got me in the mood for summer!

-Clyde turned 7 years old!  He lost his first upper tooth.

-I got very introspective without social media to distract me.  

-We did all the Easter activities - coloring eggs, resurrection rolls, paper "stained glass" crosses - before celebrating Resurrection Day with family!

-We had a "decades night" at Awana - the girls dressed up like the '80's, and the boys did a '50's look.

-Derek's brother and sister-in-law came to visit from out east, and we went out for hiking and dinner!

-Derek got a new job!  Still in accounting, and still working from home, but the new environment and new challenges were a blessing.

-More much-needed snow!

On The Blog: What to Consider Before Joining A Homeschool Co-op

May

-At the end of April and in May, our school subjects slowed down quite a bit as we finished lessons for the year, so we worked on some special studies, including joining an online nature art club.  We also did a state history study that was enjoyable for all of us.

-We celebrated a rainy, quiet Mother's Day, which ended up being just what I needed.

-We had Derek's mom over to show us some of the kids' genealogy on his side - it was so interesting for them, and I hope we can do it again this year!

-We did a "homeschool field day" and my mom's house to finish out the homeschool year!

-They lifted the mask mandate in our area, and I put away our masks mostly for good!  Happy to report that I haven't worn one hardly anywhere since (except the doctor's office, because they won't let me in without one, and that's one place we do have to go).

-We celebrated my mom's birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, which is an arcade and pizza place that the kids love!

-We also took a weekend field trip with the kids as our last field trip of the year, to a local historic fort.  The kids loved it way more than I thought they would!

-On Memorial Day weekend, we took a last-minute road trip to visit some of the National Parks in Utah.  It was really beautiful and memorable!

-Our poor old dog got another tumor on his leg, and we had to take him for surgery to get it removed.  He is such a puppy about going to the vet, and it made me so sad.  I don't think we ever found out if it was malignant, but he seems to be doing fine now.

On The Blog:  Why We Keep A Traditional School Schedule

June

-In June we went on a camping trip with my family, at a KOA with a huge slide!  We also visited my grandpa in the same weekend, and it was really fun for all of us.

-We had a family campfire on Father's Day!

-I started buying flowers to plant in front of our house again.

-We did some grammar review for Wyatt's 4th grade standardized testing, which proved mostly useless since it wasn't on the test anyway.  He did quite well, for the record.  I didn't need to be worried.

-We enjoyed hiking and fishing at a nearby state park (a couple different times).

-We celebrated my birthday, and I went to our state's homeschool conference with my sister!

-We enjoyed more park days and splash pads with family and homeschool friends.

On The Blog: Why You Should Go To A Homeschool Conference

July

-We had a quiet few weeks in June and July, and it was really pretty restful overall.

-We celebrated the 4th of July starting on the 3rd, with a trip to the zoo, and then we met up with my family for fireworks.  On the actual 4th, we had hamburgers at my house with the family, and we listened to a bunch of stories of my dad's childhood, and told a few of our own.  Then we let the kids do sparklers outside, because for the first time in years there was no fire ban on the 4th!  It was a really great celebration this year.

-I had a bit of an epiphany about forgiveness, and it really changed a relationship situation I was struggling with.

-Derek and I went on an anniversary overnight trip, and it was a really nice getaway for us.

-The wildflowers were in full force, and I started thinking ahead to the start of the school year.

-We did more hiking and campfires and fishing! We also started making plans for a fall trip with friends.

On The Blog:  My Beauty Favorites For Summer, Life Without Instagram - Six Month Update, Visiting Utah National Parks With Kids

August

-We went swimming a few times, once with my sister, with friends, and just as a family!  The kids are getting so much better at swimming this year.

-The two little girls got their first haircut! I decided to trim a few of Georgie's curls that had grown out unevenly, and Clarice and Gwen insisted I trim their hair too.  It was especially scary for me to trim Clarice's hair, because it's grown out so perfectly and I didn't want to mess up her curls!  But it turned out alright.

-We visited my grandma's mountain cabin for a weekend, after having to postpone it from our original June plan.  We went fishing and played card games - it was a refreshing and sweet visit!

-The kids had a cousins sleepover at Grandma's house, and they had a great time feeding the horses and hiking to a rope swing up on the mountain.

-We took the kids out to a movie, which is a rare enough occurrence that it's worth noting.  We saw the Paw Patrol movie!  It was cute.

-As a last hoorah before school started, we took the kids to a local amusement park!  Since it's a smaller park, we were able to ride so many rides.  Derek and I might have got a little sick, but we all had a wonderful time!

-I put some serious effort into organizing a couple year's worth of photos - it felt so good to get it done!  I hope I can be better about getting our albums caught up in 2022.

-Some friends and I decided to re-read Jane Eyre, and I created a Pinterest board for inspiration.

-We started school, trying to get a couple weeks of work in before our September trip.

-My pastor's wife asked me earlier in the summer to help start a homeschool support group at our church, and we had our first meeting in August! 

On The Blog: A Minimalist Approach To Morning Time

September

-We took a trip to the Ark Encounter in Kentucky!  We had asked some of our good friends if they would be interested in going out there with us, since I would have to drive out alone and Derek would fly to meet us.  We were so excited that they were able to make it work! It was a fantastic trip, and a wonderful memory with our dear friends.

-As soon as we returned from Kentucky, we came down with a cold-like illness, and soon enough tested positive for C-19. In retrospect, I have some doubts about the accuracy of the test.  But regardless, we hunkered down at home for a couple weeks, and I'm glad it's over with.

-The three big kids started soccer, and I could really tell how much they're skills have grown by the end of the season.

-Derek and I spent a weekend chopping up a big tree that fell over the river on my parent's property - free firewood!  We also got our wood stove problems figured out.  We were having problems with smoke filling the house whenever we tried to light a fire, and it was because the air wasn't drawing properly - having a proper wood stove is more technical than I originally guessed.  But we added additional pipe to the top of the chimney, and it is now fully usable this winter.

-We celebrated Clarice's birthday at the end of September!  We went to the zoo on her actual birthday, and accidentally discovered that if you come to the zoo on your birthday, you get a coupon for an impressively big ice cream cone - for free!  So now all the kids want to go to the zoo on their birthdays.

On The Blog: Lived In

October

-I took on a huge project in October and decided to attempt, again, a 31 Day Blogging Challenge.  I am happy to report that for the first time, I completed it!  I blogged every day in October, and there are lots of good posts from that month - you can click here to read them all!

-We went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze twice, once with our homeschool friend group, and once by ourselves!  It was fun both times.  The kids loved competing to see who could find their way through the maze first.

-The big kids continued on with their soccer games, and the grandparents were able to watch their games or practices!

-We went on a gorgeous leaf hike with our good friends, and took a bunch of leaf-pile pictures.

-We were able to finally enjoy Awana nights again, after missing much of September.  Derek and I resumed our weekly Awana night dates!

-We had a field trip to a historical farm and museum with our homeschool friends!

-I got a Reformation Day unit study guide, and the kids and I had a ton of Reformation Day fun.

-We celebrated Georgiana's 4th birthday!  We took another trip to the zoo for more ice cream.

On The Blog: 31 Days Of Blogging (All Posts), Searching For A Signature Dish, What We're Doing For Reformation Day This Year, What I've Learned Homeschooling Multiple Kids

November

-November started with hunting season, and Derek got a deer!  That's more meat for our freezer.

-I started a "Thanksgiving tree" with our kids to focus on gratitude in November.  We all loved it!  We also read a ton of Thanksgiving picture books.

-Wyatt and Gwen participated in a unique field trip where they "ran the world" for a day.  I volunteered and was assigned to consult for the delegates from Russia.  Gwen worked in Canada selling pop and snacks, and Wyatt worked as a manufacturer in China.  It was so interesting for them to learn a little about economics from a global perspective, especially with supply chain issues in the news.

-As the big kids finished soccer, the little girls started ballet.  They loved it while it lasted!  We had to drop out of the class a little early, but I loved getting the chance to see them in their sweet outfits.

-Derek's brother and sister in law came back in town briefly for a family funeral, so it was nice to see them while they were here.

-We started reading 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea with the kids, after watching the movie.  The language is so difficult, but they were really enjoying it before our break!  I promised them an under-the-sea party if we finish it, so we'll start it up again in January.

-We got lots of great visits in with friends - a fall party with our homeschool group, a zoo day, and a chance to babysit for my friend that turned into a fun playdate for the kids!

-We enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family - we were actually sick, but it turns out everyone in my extended family was sick at the same time, so we figured it couldn't hurt to go ahead with Thanksgiving!

-The weekend after Thanksgiving we set up our Christmas tree!

On The Blog: Our Thanksgiving Tree, Thanksgiving Picture Books We Love

December

-December started off with lots of parties!  We went miniature golfing with Derek's coworkers for a Christmas party of sorts.

-We went to a "trail of lights" with my family for my dad's 60th birthday!  It was truly a perfect night for it, with warm enough weather that we didn't even have to wear our snow clothes. We went out for pie afterward.

-We had a Christmas party for our Sunday school class that was a ton of fun, as always, and a "secret sister" Christmas exchange with the ladies in our class.

-My grandpa turned 85 years old, and we went to a wonderful birthday party that my Grandma Juanita threw for him!  It was a perfect visit, I thought.

-We had Christmas with my mom's side of the family at my grandma's house, and I finally got to meet my new little second-cousin, and found out another cousin is having a baby next year! 

-It finally snowed!  December is awfully late for a first snow around here, and it wasn't much, but my kids made the most of it.

-I took photos of our Christmas decorations, for the first time in this "new" house.

-We went on Christmas break, Georgiana got an ear infection, and I had to do a last minute Christmas shopping trip for things I forgot. It put a damper on our baking week - but somehow we squeezed it all in!

-We had Christmas Eve with both sides of the family, and it was lovely!

-Christmas morning was relaxing and magical.  The kids loved their presents, and played with their toys all day.  My parents stopped by for lunch!

-We celebrated Gwen and Derek's birthday, and it was Derek's 40th!  We will have a party for him in January, but of course we spent their actual birthday at the zoo.  More ice cream!  We also decided, on the spur of the moment, to go to a movie, and we saw Encanto in the theater.  There was alot of fairytale magic in it, which I'm generally okay with - there was one part that seemed a little too much like a magic spell, but other than that, it was really cute!

-We celebrated New Year's Eve by watching Star Wars with the big kids!  This is their first time seeing the original trilogy.  They were unsure with Episode 4, but by Episode 6 they were into it!

On The Blog: Christmas Picture Books We Love, Spicy Mocha Recipe - A Caribou Coffee Dupe, Hope (Some Christmas Thoughts)

A year of personal peace was badly needed with all the turmoil going on in the world, and I think the Lord was gracious enough to give me that.  I'm so thankful for everything we were able to do together this year, for the memories we made, and the lessons I learned along the way.  I can't wait to see what 2022 has in store - and whether good or bad, it's ever a comfort to know we are right in His hands.