Goodbye, 2020...

2020 was the year of extreme highs and lows...it was the year that we added sweet baby Jack to our family, so it was certainly not all bad! He was definitely the highlight of the year for our family. I am just so overwhelmingly thankful that God gave him to us! The joy he has brought to our family this year in the midst of the covid pandemic has been immeasurable. Watching the way Mackenzie, Madison and Jonah love their baby brother has been so sweet. All 4 of our kids are amazing & we have made it through every victory and every challenge together. Madison's bike wreck and hospital stay was definitely the lowest, scariest point of 2020. Looking back, I am just so grateful for God's providence in that situation. It could have had a very different outcome, and I'm not quick to forget that.

Covid has changed our world in such a big way...from wearing masks everywhere you go, to not being able to see extended family and friends, to having to stay 6 feet away from people, to having important events and programs canceled, to learning how to do distance learning, to constantly worrying about yourself or someone you loving getting sick and dying from covid...it has brought a lot of extra anxiety and depression that has been hard to cope with this year. Going through pregnancy and having a newborn in the midst of covid was difficult, to say the least. I am so thankful that at the end of 2020, we are healthy and together! I am proud of us...We did it!

Now, GOODBYE, 2020! 

(If only Covid would go away when the clock strikes midnight...)

Mark out the word "week" and replace it with "year" and that pretty much sums up 2020! LOL!

Hello, 2021! 

New Years Eve

 

The "big kids" spent the last few days of 2020 at G-Ma's house, while Jack, Brian and I hung out at home. Well, Madi was with us on New Years Eve morning, because she was at Sarah's party the night before. We ended up having to go pick her up, because she decided she didn't want to spend the night, so she got to go to breakfast with us at IHOP the next morning. We decided that was a good way to finish out the year! Mack and Jonah were already at G-Ma's, so they missed out on IHOP. After that, we drove out to Newcastle to take her to G-Ma's house and pick up the treadmill. We left the kids to party with G-Ma and headed back home. We were originally going to go out to dinner, but that's kind of hard to do with a baby, and it was freezing cold so we decided to just stay in and order Qdoba. Jack really wanted to make it to Midnight, but he only made it until about 11:45. I fed him and he went to sleep...we rocked our way into the new year together! G-Ma and the kids stayed up and literally opened the front door and "kicked 2020 out the door!" It was FREEZING in IHOP!

Jonah sends the best texts now that he has an ipad! LOL!

11:26 pm...adding this sweet babe to our family was the very best part of 2020 for sure!

Had to take a screenshot at 11:59...the very last minute of 2020...we made it! 

This Dude Is Pretty Perfect

This little dude is pretty perfect, if you ask me! =0)

Jonah is totally into Dude Perfect these days, so I was excited to get him this DP hoodie & hat for Christmas. He is a huge fan, so he needed some merch! We can't wait for the Dude Perfect tour this summer!

Where Did My Little Girls Go?

The girls had Starbucks gift cards from Christmas that were just burning a hole in their pockets, so they convinced us to stop on our way to church. Brian got to be with us at church for 3 Sundays in a row during the holidays, which was such a treat. He is still doing the interim at First Baptist BA, but they take some time off of small groups over Christmas, so he didn't have to be there. 

We sent the girls into Starbucks on their own, and when they came back I snapped this picture and thought "Where did my little girls go??" =0( They are becoming such beautiful, wonderful young ladies, but I miss my little girls! As Madison hopped in the van, she said, "Nothing makes me happier than a Starbucks drink in one hand and my new phone in the other hand!" LOL! Someone commented--"That is universal teen/preteen happiness." 

Relaxing at the Lake

Here are some pics from the day after Christmas at the lake. It was nice to just sleep in, eat a big breakfast, play with new toys, walk down to the water and skip rocks, fly Mackenzie's drone and just RELAX! Plus, I wasn't too eager to return to the mess that we left at home from Christmas morning. =0)

Grandma Baldwin always decorates so pretty for Christmas! 

Side Note: A week or so later, she fell off of a ladder taking her lights down and shattered her wrist...so sad!! 

So pretty!

How cute are these pics?!

This is now my favorite thing to dress Jack in!

Rockin' his new Dude Perfect hoodie!

Watching Daddy and sister fly the drone...

I found this pic on Madi's phone, and oh my heart!! I LOVE THEM!!