January 2024

We rang in the New Year in Utah (on Eastern time) and had so much fun skiing Deer Valley to start the year off. We flew out there on NYE and barely were able to stay up for the east coast new year's celebrations. Unfortunately, they didn't show any east coast celebrations on the tv stations there. We were switching channels constantly and they stopped airing The Dick Clark celebration around 11pm EST. Flying all day had worn us all out though,  and thankfully everyone preferred going to bed over trying to stay up to celebrate the MST NYE. (The fireworks did wake us all up however a couple hours after we went to bed.)

The pictures are always slim for January usually, but I think I got quite a few this new year of 2024. 

Utah was a lot colder than Valdosta! We had a cozy fire for a few minutes every night. It was an actual wood burning fire place and the fire wood was wet, so it would only burn for a few minutes, but it was great while it lasted. Thankfully, the heat worked well in our unit. 

Mack bought me Reece's socks for Christmas and bought himself Cheezit socks. I had to get a picture of our feet together. It won't be too long before that little cheezit foot is twice the size of mine. 

Cookie and Water break on the slopes. Mack never disappoints with his helmet head. 

The weather was warmer than usual and the sky was beautifully clear our first couple of days there. 

I forced them into this picture. They will appreciate it one day. 

Emma was being so sweet helping Mack and holding his hand. 

10 year old Mack

The sky was so clear the first few days and the views were spectacular. This picure doesn't even do it justice. 

Such a beautiful backdrop to glide down the mountain looking at. 

The pictures are out of order and these are back from the ice skating trip. Mack only embarrassed Ellie slightly on the city bus ride to and from the skating rink

Emma taking a minute to warm up

Mack starting to get the hang of it. 

Emma was the only child that would stop and smile for the camera. 

Ellie has gotten good with the ice skating. 

Worth and the girls did a double blue and rode a gondola back up. 

Ellie was very impressed with the warm gondola. 

We started our first golf tournaments for the year with Mack and Emma playing right here at Stone Creek. This is Mack with Eli Tillman on their second day of play. 

Emma putting

This is the face of a happy teenager that just got her braces off! She had Invisalign so she could technically take them on and off as much as she wanted. She typically left them off and needed us CONSTANTLY reminding her to put them back on. Somehow, she got the all clear from the orthodontist this month that she is good to go! 

This is Mack imitating Ellie dancing. 

Mack got to acolyte for the first time! 

He did so good. Even though he fought me on signing him up for this. The girls gave me no choice. They said if they had to be acolytes, Mack did too. 

I don't know why they despise acolyting so much. I loved it when I was a kid. It was a little different in the Episcopal church I grew up in. The acolyting tasks were tiered by years of experience, so it was an honor to move up to the next task each year.

Emma made sorghum flour pancakes for a Social Studies class assignment. She had to make a video of her research on sorghum and its relation to Africa. She did a great job and made and A! The pancakes turned out delicious as well! 

Ellie had her first go round with auditioning for 3 summer ballet intensives this month. She and I spent 3 weekends this month traveling to auditions for the Orlando Ballet, USC Summer Dance Conservatory, and FSU. She made it into the Orlando ballet and The South Carolina Summer Dance Conservatory. Orlando Ballet was the company she chose to spend 2 weeks with this summer and she is so excited! We couldn't be more proud of her! Those auditions were stressful and intense, It was tough to choose which one to go to, but I think God helped her make the best decision for her and her ballet work at this time.