Photos from Phones - January 2021 Round Up

January, usually such a long month, actually felt pretty quick. Especially looking back on it from four days into February! I think after glancing through this slew of photos the theme is probably something like reading, skiing, a little disc golf for good measure (because it's cool to say we played in January), more reading, more skiing, and some dumplings. Ha.

1.1.21
(First book finished in the new year (we only had about a half hour left, but I’m counting it ;). We started reading this in the summer after we finished the first in the series but didn’t finish and then had to return and finally got it back in December, so it’s been a long time coming! Started out fun and playful and got a little more intense toward the end. And I didn’t love the cliffhanger ending. (I think mostly I’m just not a fantasy person in general). But Cal liked it and it wasn’t a terrible way to spend a handful of hours in the car.)

1.1.21
(finished another puzzle - a perfect
new year's in time's square scene)

1.2.21
(scrolling through my photo roll after
a facebook messenger chat with Grace is never dull!)

1.2.21
(She just finished reading her “thickest book ever!” and
said her favorite part was when Father let
Almanzo have a colt of his own. 😍)

1.3.21
(a little Sunday photo shoot because they're cute)

1.3.21
(Cal snapped this and I think it's cute!)

1.3.21
(she made a snow village with our great packing snow)

1.3.21

1.3.21

1.4.21
(back on the slopes after a blackout break over Christmas)

1.4.21
(there's Sam and Gregg on the chair in front of us)

1.5.21
(epic fort building happening today. (and it is noteworthy
to mention that if Cal is always in pajamas these days,
then Sam is always in shorts and a t-shirt, though
I do make him change into season-appropriate
coverings when we go outside).)

1.5.21
(the library had these fun kits to make
suncatchers available to take home - the
bags had all the supplies, we just had to
provide our own scissors. score!)

1.5.21
(This one had been on my list for a while, but after my SIL Heather recommended it recently, I bumped it up my list. Whoa! It’s intense. And heartbreaking. And a page-turner. I flew through it and could never quite nail down exactly what the story was, but I liked the back and forth time periods and perspectives and how they finally met and the mystery was revealed.)

1.6.21
(I think maybe it's really time for new boots?
nah! amazingly they look this terrible
and still keep my feet warm and dry!)

1.6.21
(Sam has been begging for dumplings, so
we made it happen and it became a whole
family affair of assembling and cooking)

1.6.21
(I couldn't find dumpling wrappers so I 
bought wonton wrappers instead, which
I think (?) are the same thing just a different
shape - at any rate, they're definitely not authentic!)

1.6.21
(but they're fun . . . and yummy!)

1.6.21
(I just sat down and read a graphic novel about periods, of all things. But really, I think it was awesome! It was super well done, and I loved the creative use of shades of red that colored every frame. A lot of important points brought up, and also a great story of friendship. Definitely recommend it for a quick and enlightening (and entertaining) read.)

1.6.21
(just a random page to show the color scheme)

1.7.21
(7:54 am - goood mornin'!)

1.7.21
(very pleased with this airy crumb on my latest
sourdough loaf!)

1.8.21
(More fun graphic novels: this time for the kids. I loved King of the Birds because it was funny and educational. And Stepping Stones was a great story of learning how to make the most of a situation that isn’t what you wanted. Cal, Sam, and I all enjoyed these!)

1.8.21
(this is what you get when it's super bright plus
my glasses are fogged up and I try to take a family
selfie at midstation after our first ride on Apollo
of the season)

1.8.21
(good thing we have Gregg to get a better shot!)

1.8.21
(bravin' the lift with Sam (last season was stressful
for the two of us together, but this year he's rockin'
it!))

1.8.21
(Two more good graphic novels I just plowed through (yeah, I’m on a bit of a kick!). Not an intentional theme here, I just like this artist and hadn’t read these ones by her. But they brought back lots of memories of pregnancy and newborn days :) I like her honesty and humor and storytelling and real-life-ness.)

1.9.21
(we took a walk on the path through Ogden
one Saturday afternoon - the highlight was chasing 
the laughing ducks down the river)

1.9.21
(and we just happened to find ourselves near the Weber
State disc golf course with discs in the back of the car,
so why not?!)

1.9.21
(this hole was a bit tricky since the discs slid like
sleds down the snowy/icy hill if we didn't make it to the top)

1.11.21
(No theme here either ... just the faves from this week’s library haul. Some are old faves (re-checked out regularly) and others are brand new this year, or at least new-to-us. My fave oldie is definitely Snowflake Bentley. And my new fave is Sticks and Stones. (I’m trying to read everything by Patricia Polacco, and this one just came out in 2020!)

1.11.21
(finished another one - this was my Christmas
puzzle featuring Acadia National Park)

1.11.21
(we made goals for the new year for FHE
one night early in the year, but I just now
remembered to snap a pic of the kids' lists
because I don't want to forget their goals 
and their handwriting. Sam's goals are 1)
Go on a bike ride 15 miles, 2) Help Dad build
the trailer, 3) Make Hot Wheels City.)

1.11.21
(and here are Cal's: 1) master cursive, 2) swim in deeper water,
3) read 150 books this year, 4) get more into division, 5) learn how
to play the piano, 6) learn more hymns, 7) ride a bigger bike, 8) actually
sew some clothes, 9) make inventions)

1.11.21
(Cal is working her way through this cute series (written by a Kallie!) about a mouse and other woodland friends who live and work in a big tree hotel.)

1.11.21
(they talked me into playing on the library
computers on this visit)

1.11.21
(Sam wouldn't let me forget that he's five now and
that was the age I always told him he had to be to play
on the computers before. I love how his left hand is
engaged as he tries to maneuver the mouse with his right;
it's tricky figuring out a new skill!)

1.11.21
(As soon as we get in the car after a library refresh trip, Sam and Cal are begging for a book (or five) to read all the way home. Today I pulled in the garage, parked, turned off the car and snapped this pic and they didn’t even notice! #bookworms
Also, I'm grateful for our library - it's empty and they're strict about masks and health
and distancing so it's one place I feel comfortable taking the kids for an outing each week)

1.11.21
(can't stop, won't stop!)

1.12.21
(I loved this quote from Julia Child comparing bread to Kleenex! I laughed out loud. (From The Kitchen Counter Cooking School.))

1.12.21
(this is me picking out the peanuts from my trailmix
to use in my thai peanut noodles for dinner!)

1.12.21
(night skiing with the fam!)

1.12.21
(Gregg's parents were watching us on the
live cam and snapped this pic of us as
we were getting in the lift line)

1.12.21
(Put this on hold for Cal after she saw it in a magazine and asked to read it. (I had seen it in a book list somewhere, too, and thought she might like it.) She started it and told me I should read it, too, when she finished. But I snagged it after she went to bed last night and beat her to the end. ;) A quick, cute graphic novel story with some fun Great British Baking Show vibes, but also about making new friends and fitting in to a new country and working hard for a goal. Good stuff!)

1.13.21
(I thought it would be good to get out on a walk
to move our bods, so we set out to deliver
the water bill around the corner. It started 
raining (good thing the kids were smart and brought
umbrellas!). we were soaked by the time we got home!)

1.14.21
(I didn’t mean for my reading and Cal’s reading to match up so well, but this and the Measuring Up graphic novel made a really great “book flight” (as Anne Bogel on what should I read next would say). I loved that they even both had the same story from Julia Child! I liked this book, but I didn’t love it at first. I felt like the author was a bit too judgy in the beginning, when she was touring volunteers’ kitchens. But I was pleased that she shared what she learned through the project as well as what her students learned. There’s a lot to learn in the kitchen!)

1.14.21
(Gregg gets in a reading kick every new year, it seems. He is currently tackling this stack of recommendations he got on Twitter. (He finished 438 Days and says it was an intense story of survival - from what he told me, I think I would not survive alone at sea for any amount of time, let alone 14 months!))

1.14.21
(This was a quick read, novel in verse, but really powerful. Told from the perspective of a boy who’s dad was a famous football player who then got sick from too many concussions. It’s a great dad story, boy story, friend story. It was beautiful and sad and hopeful. Jacqueline Woodson has a gift!)

1.16.21
(A good story, inspiring, but not really great writing, sorry to say. I don’t know if it felt too simple because it is the young readers edition, and maybe it would read better as the original? It was a very easy, quick read, but I’m glad to know her story.)

1.21.21
(I’ve been on a bit of a Kelly Corrigan binge this week. I read and loved her newest Tell Me More a couple years ago, but it wasn’t until she read an excerpt from Lift on her podcast (which I also love) that I finally started into her backlist. These memoirs about motherhood and daughterhood and grandmothering and nannying and life and death and cancer and all the beautiful hard things in families were full of just what I love about her: realness, and humor, and compassion, and honesty. I’m a fan, to say the least.)

1.21.21
(Our branch of the library got a huge new stack of Heidi Heckelbecks and
Cal checked out every one of them and read them in about four days!)

1.21.21
(This was my favorite picture book this week! It’s quirky, and clever,
and original, and funny, and we loved it over and over!)

1.21.21
(A good stack of must-shares; and a good mix of story, biography, wordless, photography, humor, serious, and even one lingering Christmas book. Something for everyone, I reckon. ;))

1.23.21
(trailer bunk height testing in the kitchen)

1.23.21
(it's time to cut that hair!)

1.23.21
(and after!)

1.23.21
(Heather recommended this one and I’m so glad she did! Cal and I loved it! (And I’m sure Sam would too, but I haven’t read it with him just yet.) A fun behind the scenes peek into her work and creative process.)

1.23.21
(Sam and I spent a good long while reading this one this evening. It’s not wordless (actually has been translated from its original French), but the written story is only a tiny part of a much larger story that is happening in the pictures. Each page is the same view of this busy animal house, and busy it is! So many side stories happening that were fun to notice and point out to each other. Definitely feeling some Richard Scarry vibes with all the little details. The art is adorable! (Also, it’s HUGE - I made Gregg hold it up for scale.))

1.24.21
(they looked so clean and neat and cute
I begged for a photo shoot. This, and
what follows, is what they gave me.)

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1.24.21
(also of note: Cal requested her hair be
curled because later we were headed
to the church (she and I actually went inside!)
for her baptism preview program that
afternoon!)

1.25.21
(happy skiers, yet again!)

1.25.21
(we're getting pretty good at lifting together now)

1.25.21

1.25.21

1.25.21
(I was looking up the ALA awards for children’s books that were announced today and found this tweet that I can totally relate to. (Imagine this cat and various other cats typing away on computers in a GIF.))

1.25.21
(I don’t know this person, but we are the same! Haha.
(My holds list right now is up to 63!))

1.25.21
(I don't know if I'd recommend this to
everyone - lots of language and drugs
and drinking and stuff like that that may
not be everyone's cup of tea - but I 
thought the structure of the storytelling
was so unique and loved seeing all the pieces
come full circle at the end. quite clever)

1.26.21
(this is a typical homeschool morning)

1.26.21
(and so is this)

1.26.21
(I heard that it was national bagel day recently, and after making a batch
of bagels, I went on a bagel book spree!)

1.26.21
(Returned these wintertime delights today. Perfect reads for a
snowy afternoon snuggled in a fuzzy blanket!)

1.26.21
(These three round out the notables from our latest library haul
(they just don’t fit into any category I just posted about ;).)

1.26.21
(Look at this stack of beauts! I put a whole slew of award winners on hold yesterday after they were announced, and this good portion of them were waiting for me today when I went in! I ❤️ my library so much! 📚)

1.26.21
(Cal picked this up off the craft/sewing
shelf and it brought back some serious
fleecy memories from one Christmas when
Heather made all the sibs fleece hats for Christmas.)

1.26.21
(this exact hat for Ky and Mugs)

1.26.21
(and this one for Nate and me! she didn't check out the same
book from our library back then, but she got the patterns
from a 4-H day camp and maybe they used this book? haha)

1.26.21
(Sam checked out this How to Draw
book full of trucks and trains and things
and I was so impressed when he actually
tried to draw one and it looks so good!
Cal does this stuff all the time, but he hasn't shown
a ton of interest, at least by himself, so
this was cool!)

1.27.21
(Here’s another award winner from yesterday’s pile that didn’t make the pic because Sam was reading and loving it. He says, “it’s the funniest book in the world!”)

1.27.21
(In her natural habitat, curled up on the heat vent with a book. This week she stocked up on all the craft and sewing books she could handle and is loving perusing the photos and instructions for inspiration.)

1.27.21
(same puzzle as from new year's but
this time all 500 pieces were assembled
by Cal BY HERSELF! It took her about
5 days and she was so stinkin' proud!)

1.28.21
(this was all her own idea to write a letter showing
off her new cursive skills, so I snapped a pic and 
then counted it as an extra handwriting lesson for the day ;)

1.28.21
(science time!)

1.28.21
(mixing corn starch with water to represent
blood in the excretory system)

1.28.21
(the funnel is the kidney and the balloon is the
bladder and the girl is not thrilled to be talking about
urine.)

1.28.21
(snow!)

bonus video!

"big fat flakes"

1.28.21

1.28.21
(hot wheels city goes artic!)

bonus video!

"story time with sam"
1.28.21

1.28.21
(this is my dishwasher after I (yes, me) took it apart,
cleaned it out and started to put it back together when
I realized I should take a pic for posterity. I was perhaps
the most disgusting job I have ever done (be glad you're getting
the after pic) but I had such a high after getting it done! Thank
you, youtube for teaching me how to fix my non-draining
dishwasher!)

1.28.21
(best ski night of the season on the new soft snow!)

1.28.21
(we skied lots of blues that we hadn't done yet this season.
Gregg said all the practice on crappy snow paid off
once we finally got some good stuff!)

1.28.21

1.28.21
(we even did a new-to-3-of-us run, Logger, which
was hard and then fun)

1.28.21
(My SIL Heather shared a great list of books from her school’s diverse book club, and said this was her favorite of the ones she’s read. So I naturally snagged it from the library as soon as I could. Loved it! Like Heather, I learned so much about what it’s like to be Muslim, and while it had some hard and sad moments, it does have its happily ever after at the end.)

1.29.21
(today is prize day for completing our 
read aloud challenge - Sam chose lunch
from pat's for his big prize (which we
all got to enjoy, too!))

1.29.21
(playing "Callie Valley" in the backyard - the swings
were the lifts. I love it!)

1.29.21
(This graphic novel memoir was recommended by my SIL Lea and tells about the history of Iran from the perspective of a young girl in the late 70s and early 80s. I learned so much! (And apparently there are a few more sequels, which I’ll be checking out soon!))

1.29.21
(Cal's prize was a campout in the living room!)

1.29.21
(for everyone!)

1.30.21
(we met up with Heather's fam at the Ogden Nature
Center on a Saturday afternoon and had fun walking
the trails and checking out the birds of prey exhibits.
Cal borrowed my camera to snap a pic of the great horned
owl.)

1.30.21
(three little eaglets in a giant nest)

1.31.21
(this was part of our lesson on Sunday, but mostly
I just wanted to document Sam's phonetic spellings that
I love. (translation: Intersection and Curve; Vermont;
Go on a jump on my bike))

Every other round up here (whew!):
2020: Dec | Nov | Sep | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar Quar + Mar | Feb | Jan
2019: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sep | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan
2018: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan
2017: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2016: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2015: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2014: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June | May | Apr | Mar | Feb | Jan

2013: Dec | Nov | Oct | Sept | Aug | July | June