Our days lately have felt full in the sweetest ways—library trips and stacks of books, family time, and the beginning of the holiday season. Today I wanted to share a few snapshots from lately and a reminder of how sweet the simple moments truly are. I’m so grateful for these days!
Library Runs and Storytime Fun 📚
As always, we’ve been doing lots of reading around here! Sadie and I flipped through God’s Big Book of Animals and loved learning all about wolves.
We made a visit to the library and Dakota explored the kids section!
The library is definitely our happy place, especially when it’s cold outside!
And I was able to snap a picture of Sadie with my book! What a sweet moment. She was a big inspiration in my writing. 🫶
What about you? What are you currently reading?
Merry Moments 🎄
We’ve been having our fair share of merry moments lately! I took the kids to the craft store and they loved checking out the Christmas-themed items.
My in-laws made a train platform and gave the kids a train set, and they were completely enamored. Thank you, Pappy and Gramma K, for bringing such sweet childhood wonder this season.
We also attended our neighborhood’s light up night! It was a cute evening featuring a warm bonfire, hot cocoa, cookies, crafts, and a visit from Santa.
Our other merry-making was Christmas shopping for a child in foster care. We do this each year and I love it!
Everyday Moments 🫶
Dakota and Gideon hung out in the nursery at church! I love seeing the cousins together.
I savored a sweet moment where the kids were playing with Play-Doh and Sadie was working through some flash cards for school. It’s so special to have them home with me every day. 🤍
The picture below is Dakota’s reaction as I blew bubbles. She was intrigued!
Malcolm gave himself a belly ache. He was chewing on our (artificial) Christmas tree and kept getting sick. Poor buddy. He was not himself for a day but is doing much better now!
Do you have pets that get rowdy with your Christmas tree?
Other Notes and Thoughts 📝
- Dakota clapped for the first time on December 6th and it was such a sweet discovery for her! We keep catching her practicing her clapping. 👏🏽
- Outside of school time, I never force Sadie to read. I want her to develop a love of it on her own. Imagine my delight when she took me in her bedroom and showed me one of her chapter books on her bed and told me she was reading it. My heart was bursting with joy! 📖
- Scripture I’m loving: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 🍓
- I was making microwave mac and cheese and pulled it out of the microwave and the boiling water splashed onto my wrist and oh my word did it hurt! I cried and Jimmy said he gets mad when he gets hurt. I just cry, lol. What do you do when you get hurt? 🤕
- We were driving on the highway on our way to church and there was just a king-sized mattress in the middle of the road. We’ve seen some weird things on the parkway but that was a first!
Living My Full Life 
It is such a blessing you are able to be home with your kids everyday all day!
Love 💗 you!
Dad
🙂
It truly is! It’s such a privilege and joy and blessing! Love you!
It sounds like your days are full of precious moments (though not the burning yourself when making mac and cheese – ouch!)
Yay for Sadie picking up a book and reading on her own! 🎉 (And yay for Dakota reaching a milestone too!)
It’s so great that you’re encouraging your children to read and also letting them take things at their own pace, with the confidence that they will do things when they’re ready.
I think that’s what mainstream schooling lacks, I can’t speak for the US but here in the UK there’s so much pressure on kids from a young age, and also on teachers.
My current book is The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. It’s one of those books with multiple character storylines but you know the two main characters will eventually meet. I’m really enjoying it!
Yes! Minus the mac and cheese haha!
I was so excited for Sadie! I hope she continues to develop a love for reading and I’m trying my best to go at her pace! Thank you for the encouragement!!
I will look up that book now!