Here’s our January 2020 family update. WordPress was giving me fits and I had tons of issues uploading the pictures – they aren’t really in order and it’s annoying me but I’m tired of redoing it so I’m just letting it be. Better to have it recorded imperfectly than not at all!
Everly makes these kissy lips all the time when she wants a kiss from someone and it’s the sweetest thing ever!
Stop being so big, baby girl!
Part of one of Parker’s Kiwi Crate boxes recently was this fun obstacle course
She is so cute I just want to eat her up
The boys (and Michael) built a little castle for Everly’s baby
The magnatiles they got for Christmas have been a huge hit!
I dug out a tub of the boys old clothes and put Everly in some of them. I think she’s just adorable wearing their old jammies!
What’s in my Young Living order this month?
Ningxia Red: we buy this every month and we all drink it daily because it’s amazing! I’m currently reading a book about the Ningxia wolfberry and I’m blown away by all the amazing benefits! 
Everyone needs this!
Einkorn spaghetti noodles: einkorn wheat is supposed to be easier for your body to digest than traditional wheat
Einkorn cereal: my kids love this for breakfast or a snack
Thieves laundry soap: I accidentally bought two 
so now I’m stocked up for a loooong time because this stuff is super concentrated and lasts forever
Thieves dish soap
ART Light and ART Intensive moisturizers: my morning and nighttime moisturizers
Master Formula and MightyVites: my vitamins and the kids’ vitamins
Lavender conditioner: I actually use this as my shaving cream
Thieves Dentarome Ultra: my toothpaste
MightyPro: the kids’ probiotics (not pictured)
Lavender shampoo: my shampoo (not pictured)
Progessence Plus, Endoflex, and JuvaCleanse: for all sorts of balancing
Stress Away: because, kids
Peppermint, cinnamon bark, clary sage, roman chamomile, and YL branded hat and gloves (not pictured): free items from Young Living’s promo this month
(the ART Light moisturizer, ART Intensive moisturizer, Thieves dish soap, Thieves laundry soap, and JuvaCleanse were also free – I used my earned Essential Rewards points to pay for all that so I got it free 
)
I just LOVE how Young Living is one stop shopping for so much of what we need!!
A big pile of my loves!
Back to CC! We had a break from before Thanksgiving until mid January – that was super nice but we were excited to be back.
Making self portraits
Sleeping Everly during CC
Good morning!
My helpers
(not related to this picture but just putting it in here for my memories)
Parker sang “You’re mean! You’re mean!” To the tune of “Redeemed! Redeemed! Redeemed by the blood of the lamb!” because he didn’t like the shirt I picked out for him to wear to church 
Church with little ones is…interesting 
Phonogram hunt – I hid wooden letters around the house, Hudson had to go find them, yell out their phonogram sounds, and then put them in the puzzle. He loved it!
You guys. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR. That is Hudson on a HORSE!!!!
Are you shocked?! I am! We all know that Hudson is TERRIFIED of animals and has been nearly his whole life (I can remember him being 5 months old at church camp and freaking out about a turtle someone had).
He was invited to a birthday party recently where they had this miniature horse to ride. I didn’t even dream he’d get close to the horse, much less ride it, and yet here he is!! He did so great! He actually rode the horse twice – once with someone leading him and then later he rode it around without anyone holding on to him or the horse. We also set Everly on the horse for a minute and Hudson led her around (I was holding her on the saddle).
I’m baffled. And so excited! Maybe this means he’s getting past his fear of animals!
(Parker would not ride the horse, we tried but no such luck)
They also loved getting to practice lassoing a bull.
Girlfriend loves chili. It’s sooooo messy but it’s one of her faves!
Poor pitiful pearl. If Everly wants milk and I don’t respond right away she goes and gets the boppy pillow and brings it to me crying for milk. It cracks me up, she acts like she’s wasting away.
(to be clear, miss Everly is not a bit neglected so don’t look at these crying pictures and think I’m terrible for refusing to feed her….she’s just a little bit dramatic)
Lol her hair is crazy
(from a post I made on Facebook)
“Since Everly was born I’ve had all sorts of back issues. I haven’t been able to workout without being miserable for days afterward. For someone used to being very active this has been incredibly frustrating!
It’s taken physical therapy, lots of chiropractor visits, and some very gentle core-strengthening exercise (pilates) to finally get things healed enough that I felt like I could attempt some more vigorous exercise again.
Last week I started Bikini Body Mommy’s newest 90 day challenge with cautious optimism. I’ve had to modify some of the exercises and am making sure to stretch well afterward but so far I’ve been able to participate!
Young Living’s CBD Joint & Muscle Balm has been a lifesaver as I ease back into working out! If I forget to put it on at night I wake up with a stiff and sore back. As long as I put it on before bed though I wake up feeling great! Since I spent months waking up in the morning in pain, this has been huge!
Here’s to hoping I continue to get stronger and am able to feel like myself again!”
This quarter in CC our fine arts focus is on artists so the kids have been getting to do a lot of art projects. This week they got to paint.
Science: comparing the warmth/coldness of standing on foil versus standing on carpet
Everly has been anti-stroller for a loooong time. She wants to be held all the time! When we went to Convention and Gold Retreat the stroller was basically a glorified wagon for our stuff since she refused to sit in it. The same has been true for CC – I bring the stroller each week but mostly use it for hauling our bags around. But recently she’s started sitting in it without fussing. Yay!
Another impromptu nap at CC…this is no good! She’ll nap for 10 minutes then that’s it for the day – no afternoon nap. Waaahhhhhh.
(from a post I made on Facebook on my 6 year Young Living anniversary):
Six years ago I got my Young Living starter kit. I remember rushing home in between work and a librarian meeting because I knew the package had been delivered and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them!
I opened up each bottle right away. They smelled…different They smelled good but they didn’t smell like candles, which was what I was expecting (I’d never smelled an essential oil before ordering my kit!). Rubbed some Valor and PanAway on my back (because my 38 week pregnant back needed a lot of extra support and I’d read that those two were great for your back). Put wayyyyy too much Peace & Calming in the diffuser (#rookiemistake)
By the next day I was already a believer. I remember calling my mom on the way home from work and saying “Remember those essential oils I told you I was going to try? Yeahhhh…I think they actually work!!!” That Valor + PanAway combo, man. That hooked me.
I posted this picture of my starter kit on Facebook because I was so excited. Right away I started getting questions about oils and although I didn’t have plans to “sell oils” I started helping my friends get their own oils to try and things kind of took off from there.
And here we are 6 years later. Oils and oil infused products are all over my house and used all day long. They have given me confidence in knowing that I have safe, natural products to use on my kids. This business that I never expected has given me an income that I wouldn’t have otherwise had as a SAHM (one that has surpassed my former teacher income!) as well as a community that I dearly love. I get to use my teaching background to teach other people about oils (which I enjoy about a million times more than I ever enjoyed being in the classroom).
If you read this far, I owe you a Reese’s 
. But if you read this far and you don’t have Young Living essential oils in your home, I’d also love to help you change that. Maybe it’s the oils you want. Maybe you need the income opportunity. Maybe both. Whatever it is, let’s talk about it. I would love to help you get started with these oils that changed my life 6 years ago!
Learning to patty out hamburgers
Building a big garage for their vehicles
Some of my friends and I did a New in 19 challenge where we tried to do 19 new things in 2019. It was so fun! Thanks to all the travel I did last year I ended up with more than 19. Here are some of them!
1. Attended Young Living’s Beauty School
2. Tried cupping
3. Got the flu (that was the pits!)
4. Taught a virtual skincare class and virtual perfume class (a super fun way to connect with my YL members!)
5. wrote emails to my representatives
6. Tried CBD
7. Went to a physical therapist
8. Got an Apple Watch
9. Went to Gold Retreat in Spokane, Washington
10. Flew by myself (and flew by myself WITH A BABY! That should be worth a million points IMO)
11. Visited Young Living’s St. Maries farm and Highland Flats farm (both in Idaho)
12. Ate Indian food (and really liked it!)
13. Completed a T-Tapp 14 day bootcamp
14. Started homeschooling
15. Bought a laminator (something I’ve always wanted to have!)
16. Meal planned for a month at a time
17. Took a baby to the beach
18. Saw dolphins, a shark, and huge crabs right there by us while we were at the beach
19. Went axe throwing with my homeschool mom group
20. Went to Diamond Bound
21. Fixed my hair into a formal updo by myself (and actually liked how it looked!)
22. Bought and wore booties
23. Got a sister in law
24. Participated in a limited stocking for a popular toy for my kids for Christmas (a Nugget) and got one!!
25. Made slime
26. Decorated the front of our house with Christmas lights
27. Made my mom’s famous Christmas cookies
What a fun year and what a fun challenge! I plan to continue it and do 20 new things in 2020!
I love their creativity and how well they play!
Cutie pies
She loves it when Michael tucks her into his coat
Everly got her first Kiwi Crate box this month!
Oh look, there’s E dragging the boppy around…I just wanted to drink some coffee!
Parker has started drawing people and they’re so cute!
My mom marked our heights on the wall in our kitchen and I loved looking back at them when I was growing up 
I wanted something removable to use for my kids in case we move someday and fell in love with the look of these huge rulers. I got one for Christmas and Michael hung it yesterday – isn’t it cute?!
ater
The boys made a camera out of a box and a toilet paper roll – Parker’s taking pictures of some plastic animals. So adorable!
Everly loves oatmeal! It’s so messy though!
Practicing his cursive letters.
Hudson turned SIX this month! Here’s the post I made on Facebook:
Happy 6th birthday, Hudson! I just can’t believe how fast time is flying and how quickly he is growing up!
Here are some things I want to remember from Hudson at this age:
– He started kindergarten and we started homeschooling. It’s been a fun new experience for all of us!
– His favorite subjects/things to do in school: learning cursive, playing our math and language arts cards games, and the geography and history facts we learn in CC.
– Some of his favorite things are building with Legos, magnatiles, or other blocks, anything police or military, playing pretend, playing outside, doing crafts, making things out of cardboard, and playing board games
– He loves to be read to and his favorite books right now are the Magic Treehouse books. Favorite tv shows are Zaboomafoo, TumbleLeaf, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
– For his birthday supper he picked grilled salmon and corn on the cob. He loves food and eats a ton! He could easily eat his weight in fruit. Or meat. I’m definitely getting a glimpse into what the teenage years are going to be like…and it’s a little scary . Seriously though, I’m thankful he’s such a good eater.
– Hudson loves music and loves to sing. He has an amazing memory and quickly picks up on songs, memory verses, stories he hears, etc. That can be both wonderful and scary! Oh and his ears are sharp – he often repeats verbatim what Michael or I said to each other in a whisper in the front seat of the car (Hudson sits in the very back row 
)
– He is a wonderful big brother. He’s fiercely protective of Parker and Everly, especially when we’re out somewhere (at home he and Parker spend equal time being either best friends or fighting 
)
– When I was little my parents nicknamed me “HP”, which stood for “House Police” because I always wanted to know exactly what everyone was doing and what was going on. Wouldn’t you know, I grew up and ended up having my own HP . Hudson wants to know where we’re going, what we’re doing, what we’re eating next, when the next holiday is, what Michael and I are talking about, what the plan for the day is, who, what, when, where, why, how.
There is so much more I could say but at the risk off all my feelings gushing out of my eyes I need to stop.
Hudson Michael I love you to pieces! Thank you for making me a mommy 6 years ago!
(picture is from CC on his birthday – they studied Degas and made sculptures this day)
Michael came and ate lunch with us at CC for Hudson’s birthday. The kids were so excited!
Everly loves to “help” me workout and stretch afterward…aka sit on me or get underneath me. Exercising with kids around is an adventure!
Selfie (minus E because she was already asleep) at 7:55pm on Hudson’s birthday – the exact time he turns 6!
Hudson has his first loose tooth! Michael tried several times to pull it but it wasn’t ready yet.
He loooooooves Legos! That’s his favorite thing right now!
The library hosted a Lego day – we took the kids and they loved it. Check out these amazing creations people had on display!
They also had a room full of Legos for the kids to build
Hudson tucked some of Everly’s babies in before he went to bed one night – so precious! He’s such a thoughtful big brother!
Hudson writes a lot in his notebook during church. I took a picture of some that I thought were so cute!
“cop also called police, robber also called bad guy” 
“pharoah” (check out that long “a” symbol! love it!)
I don’t exactly remember what the pictures at the bottom meant though
Trying to spell out “mushroom”
“5 loaves, 2 fish, 1 boy”
Keep your eye on the ball, the ball is God (he was definitely listening during the lesson that morning in church!)
Playing Uno Moo
Everly loves holding on to the boys’ fuffles. For those who have forgotten about fuffles – Hudson attached to a pajama shirt of mine when he was little. It has ruffles on it and he called it “fuffle”. Then Parker wanted it all the time so I used the pants part of the pajama set and cut one leg off to turn that into his fuffle. I have one pants leg left so it looks like Everly needs that one!
Nursing a toddler is…interesting.
The boys got haircuts so we came home and I gave them baths – Everly got just as wet outside of the tub as the boys did in the tub!
Using the nugget as horses. They loved this set up!
I was trying to wash dishes and they came and set up their blankets riiiiiiight in front of the sink. Lol.
His cursive blows me away!
Everly 15 months
I cannot even handle how adorable this girl is. I love her to pieces.
Some notes about her at this age:
Words: she says mommy, daddy, Bible, and yes. Also yesterday Hudson and I heard her twice, clear as day, say “Daddy! Where are you?” which seems crazy to me but Hudson heard it too 
. We think she’s been saying “fuff” as well (for fuffle – the boys’ lovies) She likes to moo like a cow and bark like a dog.
Signs: milk, eat, and all done are the only ones she uses consistently
Favorite foods: blueberries, grapes, strawberries, cheese, beans, applesauce, hashbrowns, green beans, most all soups. She’s definitely pickier than the boys were at this age! Still breastfeeding several times during the day and at least once during the night, usually more.
Sleep: Good other than waking up for milk One nap a day after lunch
Growth: 19.9 pounds (31th percentile), 30.5 inches tall (49th percentile). She needs 12 month clothes now because of her height. But can wear 9 month dresses and such. She’s mostly outgrown size 2 diapers and I’ll move her into 3s when we finish this box. Her cloth diapers are still on the 2nd snap
Other stuff:
– she gets so, so excited when she hears the garage door when Michael comes home from work. It’s adorable
– she loves to eat crayons. If a crayon gets left out within her reach, it’s going into her mouth
– she’s getting a little more independent and not as attached to me – running and playing outside on the playground at CC, sitting in her stroller instead of me having to always hold her, that sort of thing
– she follows the boys around everywhere at home and wants to be right in the middle of them
She is so active and busy and fun! We love you, E!
The boys having a play picnic during Everly’s nap time
Working on making a calendar in math
The boys built this tower and the light coming through the window was making all sorts of pretty colors through the magnatiles. Hudson wanted to take a picture of it but was frustrated that he couldn’t capture it on camera.
PSA don’t be a dummy like me and set your cookbook down on the stove then turn the wrong burner on
Thankfully we realized before the book caught fire!
Learning about Monet and painting water lillies
She fell asleep in the car on the way home. I thought I might could make a successful transfer to the bed to finish out her nap but nope.
Trying to pull that pesky tooth again!
I got my hair cut. It’s been long for years but I woke up one day and was like “I can’t stand this anymore!” so I had is chopped.
Our 100th day of school! We counted out 100 with a big grid on the kitchen floor and filled it with magnatiles.
That’s a wrap for January!
Questions about the homeschool curriculum we use? See that post here.
The post What’s up with the Kings? | January 2020 family update appeared first on My Chocolate Moments.