December

We started off December with one of our traditions...Christmas in Color!  We went with our neighbors this year.  Seeing the joy on my kids' faces was the best part.

New family of three=New Christmas Ornament!

We survived the last weeks of school and made it to Christmas break!  On the last day of school for 2018 our school had our annual school wide Christmas Sing.  Love watching my kids sing.

 Love my school

 Love my team: PE, Computers, Music, and Art

 All the teachers and staff!  Freedom Elementary is the best!

Kayzee has started Tumbling!  She has the perfect body for it and she is already amazing at it!  This girl can move...

 Memphis started Karate.  He loves it.  It has been so good for him.  He has already advanced from white belt to yellow belt!

This has been the busiest month but totally worth it! Karate and Tumbling are now taking over our lives but watching these two and their accomplishments makes my mommy heart so happy. I couldn’t be more proud. They are cruising through the beginner levels faster than a lot of other kids. The transformation in Memphis is huge! Karate teaches courage, focus, and self-discipline. To see that change in him is simply amazing. Kayzee is doing things she thought she could never do. She is crushing tumbling like a champ. Seeing these two soar is what my life is all about.

And dating...basically it's the worst now that I am a single mom.  Some days I just want to be single for the rest of my life but some days I think there is someone out there for me.

We finally got a really good snowstorm and the kids had so much fun playing in it.  They played outside for 4 hours!  And I have the best neighbors who clear my driveway and sidewalks!

Christmas Eve finally came!  We have so many traditions and it's our favorite time of year and I really cherished just spending the time with my kids.  Best Christmas yet!

Christmas Eve Tradition #1 Go to the movies...this year Ralph Breaks the Internet

Christmas Eve Tradition #2 Games.  Hide and Seek was the best this year!  We got more creative with where to hide.

Christmas Eve Tradition #3 Dinner by candlelight.  If you ask my kids it's their favorite tradition of them all.

The rest of our Christmas Eve Traditions...cookies for Santa, open 1 present from grandma Thorpe...new pjs, my grandma's famous Mud Pie, and our new tradition for our new family of 3...sleepover in Mommy's bed.  Santa had a little trouble escaping to put presents out ha ha!  Didn't want to wake those kiddos up.

Christmas Eve tree

 Christmas Day...Santa came!

 They are so excited waiting to go down

 Yay!  Presents...as usual we were all spoiled!

I got this idea from a teacher friend and it took a while to get it all together because of the distance problem but we did it and it turned out sooooo cute.  Presents for my mom and dad from their grandkids!

 We went to Get Air Hangtime Trampoline place to get some energy out during the break!

 I finished my reading challenge of 100 books!

 Our 2018! My NY resolution for 2018 was to find a happier me. I just didn’t realize it would take heartache, tears, and trials to get there. 2018 started out the worst possible way and some days I didn’t think I would make it. Too many hard days and lots of tears. Wading through the long process of getting a divorce and me and my kids having the worst winter months of sickness we ended up in the emergency room with me wondering how I would survive being a single mom, we found our new normal as a family of 3 and I really am so much happier. I have grown a lot closer to my parents, especially my dad and I am so grateful for all the help they have given me this past year. I found my tribe of close friends who I know are always there for me. And the best part...my kids! I cherish being their mom every day and am so blessed to have them in my life to keep close and hopefully raise them up right. They cheer me up and keep me going every day. 2018 ended up carving out a happier me! Now on to 2019...a healthier me. I spent the past year taking care of my kids making sure they were doing ok with everything going on that I neglected my health. Found out some hard truths after some medical tests and talking to my doctors what I need to do so I don’t get worse! A healthier me in 2019. I got this!