Growing Pains: January Recap

Tuesday, February 10, 2026

January Recap

January. I used to think this was a longer month after the holidays ended and we all go back to work and regularly scheduled events. Honestly, I don't think that way any more. We are just in a real season where everything is a whirlwind. We have so many things going on all the time and we just keep moving with it.

This month starts archery for our family! 3 of our kids are doing this year, first year for Jayden. So, we got out and practiced as much as we could.

We got out to the lake on a bit of a warmer day. This time of year we can see bald eagles and I am all for it! We love walking along the trails and watching these gorgeous birds!

Before Christmas break had ended I made tiramisu for the first time. It won't be the last. So good and once of my favorite desserts! Not cheap to make (or buy for that matter) but worth the random treat on occasion!

A sweet picture of our littlest little. She went to the park and had a great time, as always.

We took a homeschoolers field trip with a group to a local pretzel shop that just opened. Worth the time and we have been there so many times since! One of our new favorite stops!

A random homeschooling picture. I will miss these days one day:

And a day of doing spelling, one of Riley's least favorite subjects:

Learning about objects in motion and making art:

We did some volcano exploration, Avery especially loved:

We got out to the Children's museum and Avery is now a professional rock climber:

We went to a dinosaur class with the extension office. Riley got to break open a fossil. He enjoyed that!

This quarter we have a culinary unit for homeschool. So, you are warned. There will be lots of food pictures and many of them will be made by the one and only 4th grade student I am currently teaching.

Brownies with Harry Potter school logos:

Cake pops:

Jelly filled donuts:

Made another batch of chokecherry jelly with grandma:

I made homemade buns:

We took a few random trips. One was to a the biggest ball of twine. Jayden has asked and asked and asked all school year to do this trip. We had one weekend of basketball that made it just an extra hour away. So... we did it! It was cold but Jayden was so happy!

We also went to the middle of nowhere. Or the middle of the united states. Which is in the middle of nowhere. There is a tiny church there that the kids all went into and a few playground items. Overall, we had fun. I love traveling and making new memories with my crew.

We have had so much time out and about as one kid always seems to have a practice or basketball game going. Some times this means entertainment on the road and sometimes it means snacked packed and we eat them in the park, in the cold, with coats on!

We had another field trip to the police station and it was a total blast. We learned about different jobs and got to see their training simulator in action.

We also went to the library with homeschoolers to learn about the new 3D printer they have. They learned a ton and can't wait to make projects there!

We wrapped up basketball! Both Payton and Riley had a blast. It was a huge commitment for our family (4 days a week of practices and weekend games). So we are all relieved to see time in our schedule free up.

I did not take this picture but I love it so much:

This season, with a 2 year old in tow, means a lot of entertaining and just doing what we can to keep everyone happy. We have embraced it and loved this time with our children.

We also know how to soak up our time at home. The kids are teaching Avery how to play board games:

I have several pictures of Avery sleeping. These will be my last pictures of her in this crib, possibly even of her sleeping. She is in a bigger kid bed now. Probably the last child I will transition out of a crib and it has been so bittersweet for me. I am sure thankful for this crib, the only camera we had for a baby and I sure loved it!