December Recap + What I’m Looking Forward to in January
December was a full month! I’m going to do a combo post today – recapping our December adventures, and peeking ahead at January!
December Recap + What I’m Looking Forward to in January:
Bjorn’s Army Reserves unit had Family Day on December 2nd! They had a nice meal for all of the soldiers and their families, as well as Santa and a gift for each child! Sophie got to meet some of Bjorn’s fellow soldiers, and she got a couple cute farm-related wrist rattles from Santa! 🙂 It was a great day, and since I don’t often get to see Bjorn with his soldiers, it was fun for me to see this role that is a big part of his life!
Bjorn and I have gotten to go on a couple dates this month (hooray!!). We love being married to our best friend and we want to be intentional about our marriage, but a new baby complicates things like spontaneous date nights. However, grandmas are awesome. 🙂 One evening, my mom watched Sophie for a few hours while Bjorn and I went out for Thai food (yum!) and then wandered around Target. Another night this month, Bjorn’s mom and sister babysat Sophie so he and I could go out to a movie! It’s a blessing to have family close by who is willing to watch our little girl so we can head out and spend some one-on-one time with each other.
(We’ve also enjoyed a couple “family dates” as the 3 of us lately — things like supper at Five Guys or Culver’s on our way back home from my parents’ place.)
In a similar vein, it has been really nice to have Bjorn home on Christmas break! Having him home means extra Daddy cuddles for Sophie, and an adult for me to talk to during the day, haha. 😉 It’s been great. Bjorn is such an involved and doting father, and hey – he’s my best friend, so we just plain enjoy spending time together! We made a list early in December of all of the Christmas movies we wanted to make sure we watched, and I think we’ve now seen them all! We made sure to watch Bjorn’s favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life, and my favorite, White Christmas. We also really love the movie Joyeux Noel
Sophie went to church for the first time when we were visiting my parents – and she also got to go to our church for the first time. It was special celebrating Sophie’s first Christmas, too! She looked so darn cute in her Christmas dress!
Our daughter also got to meet my sister, Maddie, who flew in from Texas to visit a few weeks ago! We had a special weekend together and made some fun memories, spending time in a cute town called Excelsior, and exploring the holiday lights display at the MN Landscape Arboretum. And don’t forget the yummy treats we made and decorated! It’s not Christmas without a couple cookie decorating sessions!
Sophie also got to meet my college roommate, Jenna! 🙂 Later in the month, Bjorn had several days of army responsibilities during the week, so Sophie and I accompanied him and stayed with my parents for a few days. Sophie had her first playdate, too! We went over to my friend Jordan’s house and played with her daughter Selah! 🙂
We sent out our Christmas cards! It was a tad bit later than I would’ve liked this year, but that was my fault…I’m still learning how to prioritize everything I want to get done around here! 🙂 Still, I had a lot of fun writing our Christmas letter and selecting our cards from Minted again this year!
RELATED: Our 2017 Christmas Cards
A couple of my friends had babies this month!! Both are girls! Sophie and I are looking forward to meeting these precious newborn babies!
This month has involved some great family time – and time with family is a big gift! We’ve had multiple (I think 4?) family Christmas celebrations lately, and we’re opening up gifts with my family at the end of December. There have been several game nights with family (I like the game Codenames a lot!), and a couple different evenings with delicious charcuterie boards and treats as well! My brother is currently staying with us – visits like these are a lot of fun and they’re full of quality time!
I’m writing this post a little ahead-of-time for New Year’s Eve, but that’s okay. We’re looking forward to our annual New Year’s Eve party with friends! (And Sophie gets to meet our friend’s baby boy, who is an October baby, too!) With my family, sometime around New Year’s we make homemade sushi (California rolls) every year, which will be so yummy! I seriously look forward to it every year!
In January, I’m looking forward to:
- Birthdays! My birthday is January 4th, and Bjorn’s is the 13th. It’s crazy to think we are turning 27 already — wow! But the way I see it is that a birthday is an opportunity to thank God for the gift of another year!
- Change of command ceremony! Bjorn will assume command of his Army Reserves unit in early January. I am so, so proud of him! He’ll be overseeing 135 soldiers and a lot of equipment in his unit.
- The fresh start a new year brings. I admit, I’m a sucker for January. I love fresh starts. 🙂 I haven’t decided yet if I’ll have a word for 2018, or even official New Year’s resolutions. Either way, I do have some general goals for the new year and I’m eager to get the ball rolling on some things!
- A post-holiday return to routine. What? I know. I love routines (I wrote about that in this post). 🙂 I do tend to crave predictability. It helps me to get things accomplished, to keep our meals planned, and to maintain a clean home!
- Meal planning. Maybe if I write it here, I’ll follow through a bit better, right? 😉 I tend to be all-or-nothing when it comes to meal planning. But I have a new system that I’m excited to set up and try; I’m just waiting until all of the holiday get-togethers and hustle quiets down a bit.
Did you have a nice holiday season? What are you looking forward to in January 2018?
