Welcome to my Scenes From the Month series! In these posts, I share the highlights from my previous month ranging from the simple, everyday things to the more memorable events. One of the primary reasons that I blog is to keep a scrapbook that I can look back on in the future, and these posts help serve that purpose. Now that I have babies, everyday moments are extra special!
February was hard. It brought the devastation of Winter Storm Uri to Texas and the loss of my sweet Mimi. We did just fine in the storm, only losing water for a short time and never losing power. It was hard to watch so many we know have to push through the extremely cold days, especially with little babies at home.
I wanted to share something I wrote about Mimi: Mimi LOVED our boys, and all her great-grandkids, with all her heart. All she wanted when we would visit the past couple years was for the boys to have fun toys to play with and for us to be well-fed. We all got some good laughs out of Carson rolling around on her walker, his favorite toy. She loved holding the boys when she could, even when they were too squirmy to sit for long.
I have so many memories of summer and Christmas visits in Olney – she just wanted her grandkids to have fun. She took us to the local pool and library. We made the trip to Graham and Wichita Falls for Mr. Gatti’s and the movie theater. She supported us as we practiced (and argued over) our numerous cousin “plays”. She encouraged lots of time playing outdoors in their big, beautiful yard. And she was always in that kitchen constantly cooking delicious meals and snacks all day long. She and Papa made sure the freezer was stocked full of mini Blue Bell ice creams at all times. And most evenings would end in trading off turns for a wonderful Mimi back rub. Mimi had a heart of service and always thought of how she could serve and show love to her family. Since then, with Mimi and Papa’s move to Aledo and then Waco, they both continued to attend most of my and my sibling’s milestone events over the years. They always sent a birthday card. My life would not be the same without all of my Mimi memories.
Favorites from the Month:
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Fiction Book – The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I read several great fiction books this month, but this one captured my attention the most. It is very well-written and made me think about all the things I am grateful for in life. At the beginning, I was worried that it was going to be too “magical” for me, but it ended up being a beautiful story about loving the life you have and focusing on what is important.
Nonfiction Book – Cosy: The British Art of Comfort by Laura Weir. This was the only nonfiction book I read this month, but it was enjoyable. It is a very quick read about the ways the British embrace coziness. It was a fun book to read in a month of winter storms.
Music – During my own time, I’ve mostly been listening to audiobooks, but I’ve been loving my Disney and Hillsong Kids Pandora stations in the background of playtime or meal time with the kiddos
Movie/TV – For TV shows, we watched “Sharp Objects” this month. I read the book forever ago. It’s super creepy but definitely good! Two great movies we watched were To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You (on Netflix – so cute!) and the newest version of Emma (very well-done!).
Item – My AirPods! They aren’t new, but I used them a lot on walks with Caden during February.
Activity – Celebrating Daniel’s birthday! While it wasn’t the best month for a birthday, we tried to make it special with scattered celebrations throughout the month. His birthday was the weekend that the snowstorm started, so many things were canceled or postponed. We had Franklin’s BBQ at home as a family, went to Hestia for date night, and let Carson pick out a present – a “Daddy Shark” t-shirt and chocolates.
Accomplishment – Surviving the snowstorm with little kids!
Photos from the month, top left to bottom right:
(1) Beautiful sunrise on an early morning
(2) Carson LOVES his toy sink!
(3) The boys did another fun visit to Gramma & Grampa’s house.
(4) Caden still loves his bath time. Love this cheesy face!
(1) Caden did his first trip to the grocery store in February! He was in awe of all the sights and sounds.
(2) We switched Carson into a toddler bed in February. He loves it and is doing really well at nighttime. I’ve kissed daytime naps goodbye, but we do still have a “rest time” at home in his room.
(3) On Daniel’s actual birthday, we did what we could by making a yummy cake and giving him gifts. Even though we were snowed in, we tried to make it special day for him.
(4) I had fun plans for Carson and Caden to wear their cute new Valentine’s shirts to, but with the snowstorm, we settled for wearing them at home for a photo shoot.
(1) & (4) The next couple days after Valentine’s Day brought the most snow! These are not sights I thought I’d ever see out my window in Texas!
(2) & (3) We tried to get out and have fun in the snow, but the boys were not a huge fan. Carson especially disliked it after falling face first in it!
(1) When the cabin fever really started setting in, we brought in our huge tent to make things fresh and exciting for the boys. They both loved playing in it for the next 3 days. Carson was a big fan of zipping and unzipping the tent door.
(2) Happy boy in his brother’s Toy Story t-shirt!
(3) We had a very friendly neighbor who kindly brought his Bobcat in to the neighborhood to help clear streets. He also offered to give stir crazy toddlers rides. Carson LOVED his!
(4) The weekend after the storm, we had some friends over for showers and laundry because their water was shut off. Our boys loved playing with Baby Milo!
(1) When the temperatures finally started rising, we made a trip to a local playground and had so much fun! I have learned that I really do take our beautiful weather for granted. While we do have three or four months of pure hot misery (in my opinion), the rest of the year is pretty much nice and beautiful.
(2) Daniel and I did a date night downtown one evening. It was so foggy out that you couldn’t see the top of this building!
(3) We ordered Franklin’s BBQ for Daniel’s birthday celebration. It was delayed twice for the weather, but when we finally had it, we all loved it, including Caden! He’s going to be a baby BBQ snob since his first experience was Franklin’s!
(4) We made the trip to Waco the last weekend of the month. I was able to say goodbye to my sweet, sweet Mimi, and we got to give Papa lots of hugs. Please pray for my Papa during this time as he continues to mourn the loss of his wife of 65 years and settles into this new phase of life without her by his side.
{Thanks for reading! Want to know a little more about me? I’m a CPA learning how to balance a career with motherhood and regular travel while planting roots at home in the Austin, TX area. When I’m not exploring my home city with my husband Daniel and baby boys Carson and Caden or cuddling with my chubby orange cat Banana, I’m probably either out on a playdate with my son or planning, packing for, traveling to, or daydreaming about our next adventure. After all, my travel mug collection is never complete. If you have wanderlust too, be sure to follow me on Instagram (and InstaStories!), Pinterest, and Facebook, or subscribe to my blog!}