Our Five Ring Circus: The January Wrap Up

January was filled with worry and waiting, so I'm glad it's behind us! There were good moments, but life last month was very overwhelming. Thankfully, it ended well, which is the only thing that matters!

I headed into 2021, hoping to recap each week on the blog, like I used to do before life became too busy. I started the year strong, but a a week later, I gave up! So here I am, wrapping up 3 weeks in one post. Maybe I'll get back on track one day...

So here's to January. Lots of worry, lots of waiting, a surgery, a recovery, weekday runs, cold days, cute puppies, back to school, and a whole bunch of snow! It really does help to look back on the month, and see all the good that could be found in each day!

So here's where we left off...

January 8th

❄ Drove Liam to school while his siblings live streamed their classes. Liam has an IEP, so he was allowed to remain in school during their brief closure.

❄ Ran 2 miles at a nearby trail.

❄ Lovingly remembered the day that I received my favorite childhood gift - my horse, Cherokee, on this day in 1993!

❄ Coen turned 22 months old!

❄ Our puppy turned 3 weeks old.

❄ We visited my parents, and ate dinner with them.

January 9th

❄ Grant, Lexie, and I went to the Celebration of Life service for Lexie's best friend's cousin, Jake. It was an emotional day.

❄ We stopped to see our puppy, and I went shopping with my friend.

❄ We had dinner at our friend's house.

January 10th

❄ We started packing away Christmas decoration, so we had a lazy day at home.

January 11th

❄ Dylan and Lily joined Liam, and went back to school in person. Lexie opted to stay home to live stream classes for a while.

❄ I ran 3 miles in the snow after dropping the kids off at school.

❄ We played outside after school.

January 12th

❄ I ran 3 miles after school dropoff.

❄ Coen stayed at my parent's house while I went grocery shopping.

January 13th

❄ Morning drop off followed by a 3 mile run.

❄ Our new TV was delivered.

❄ We played outside after school.

January 14th

❄ Ran 3 miles after morning drop off.

❄ Lily had tumbling after school.

❄ Coen's antics inspired us to make the kids switch bedrooms again.

❄ We played outside before dinner.

January 15th

❄ Ran 3 miles after morning drop off.

❄ Our new puppy turned 4 weeks!

❄ I did a ton of laundry.

❄ We visited my parents, and ate dinner with them.

January 16th

❄ We dropped Coen off at our friend's house, and took Liam to meet our new puppy.

❄ Grant and I took Liam to the hospital for his pre-surgery Covid test. It was snowing hard while we were in the city. Liam had so much fun spending time with just us, loved the city, and smiled his way through his Covid test. We were back in our car before his appointment time!

❄ We ordered McDonald's on our way home, and picked it up while Liam napped.

❄ We picked up Coen, and brought everyone home, then headed to Lowe's to shop for our new fridge and stove.

❄ Our quarantine crew came over for dinner.

January 17th

❄ It was a quiet day at home. Lexie helped her papa clean, and we finished up putting Christmas decorations away and continued with the room switch.

January 18th

❄ No school!

❄ Worked on the room switch. Lily has so much stuff, and it was EVERYWHERE!

❄ Lily got dropped off at our friend's house for a sleepover.

❄ I dropped off Lexie and Lily at my parent's house for a sleepover, in a sudden snowstorm. It was Coen's first night away from me!

❄ We headed to bed, nervous about Liam's surgery the following day.

January 19th

❄ It was finally surgery day! We woke up super early, so we could leave the house by 6 AM.

❄ You can read all about it by clicking the surgery day link, but the surgery went well, and we came home early afternoon, and let Liam rest before picking up all of his siblings. Our friend came over and made dinner for us so we could focus on Liam.

January 20th

❄ After a 4 day weekend, it was back to school for 3 of the 4 big kids. Liam had to recover at home for another week. I dropped Lily off at school then returned home.

❄ Liam had a great day! You couldn't even tell he had surgery other than by the big cut on his neck!

January 21st

❄ Liam had a tough day. After dropping off Lily at school, I dropped Liam off at my parent's house so he could relax with his Papa, while Coen and I took my mom grocery shopping.

❄ Liam was cheered up when Lily came home with get well soon cards from all of Liam's classmates!

❄ Lily had tumbling, and Liam enjoyed a few minutes outdoors.

January 22nd

❄ Fridays are my busy day. I drove Lily to school, then tackled organizing her toys, and did a TON of laundry.

❄ Our puppy reached 5 weeks!

❄ We ate dinner at my parent's house.

❄ Lexie had a sleepover at her best friend's house.

❄ I went to my sister's house for a very small get together with my mom and two of my sisters. I didn't stay long, and ended up taking Coen home to bed after about an hour. Once he was asleep, I decided to return for an extra hour since she is only a mile down the road.

January 23rd

❄ We had a quiet morning at home.

❄ Lily worked on a fun craft.

❄ We hung out with Bernie.

❄ We went to our friend's house to celebrate their son's 19th birthday. Liam LOVES Dom!

January 24th

❄ We had a Sunday at home, and spent it cleaning and organizing.

❄ I hung out with Bernie again...

❄ Lily visited Beyonce!

January 25th

❄ Another Monday...

❄ Ran 3 miles after dropping off Lily.

❄ Lily had a dentist appointment to get a cavity filled. She did great, but was so made she had a cavity!

❄ Lexie helped me with some social media projects.

January 26th

❄ Coen woke up SUPER early...like before sunrise.

❄ I went grocery shopping after dropping off Lily at school.

❄ We had a quiet evening at home.

January 27th

❄ Dropped Lily off at school and ran 3 miles.

❄ Received the AMAZING news that Liam did not have lymphoma, so we spent the afternoon celebrating!

January 28th

❄ Liam finally headed back to school after his surgery!

❄ I headed out for a run after dropping Lily and Liam off at school, and ended up getting stuck outside during an unexpected snowstorm. I didn't even mind, because I was still feeling so relieved that Liam was okay! It was as if a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders!

❄ I picked the kids up from school, and dropped off Lily and her best friend, Charlie, at Charlie's house to play before tumbling.

❄ We had a quiet evening at home.

January 29th

❄ My typical busy Friday - school drop off, 3 mile run, laundry, school pick up, visiting my parents, and dinner at my parent's house. Beyonce reached 6 weeks old, which meant she would be coming home in two weeks!