January Jambalaya

At last!  January 2024.  It feels so good to finally be blogging in the same calendar year, even if I am four months behind still.  I've got a little extra screen time at the moment because I happen to be in Omaha.  I'm up on floor 5 of UNMC hospital in Omaha where Papa Kay is in the hospital.  He's been experiencing more and more shortness of breath and fatigue for weeks now.  It took a moment of crisis where doctors thought it might be a pulmonary embolism before they diagnosed him with pneumonia.  He's doing better thanks to oxygen and IV antibiotics, so we are hoping to go home today.  Still, I think it's going to be a long while before he is fully recovered.

New Year's Day.  The new year felt full of promise and resolution.  To celebrate, I went out for a long run up Millcreek Canyon.  When I got back to the car after nine miles, I realized that if I ran another four I could make it a half marathon.  So I did. 

Those final miles were super tough, but rewarding enough that I set a goal to run a half every month in 2024.  It hasn't been easy, but so far I've made it.  #feelingproud

Talia and her heart art.

Ski season! We finally got ourselves up to Brighton for some snowy fun.

Who wouldn't want to do their homework in a laundry basket?  By the way, I couldn't find Annika the other day, and she was literally in the yard waste bin.  Ew.

More evidence of her quirky obsessions.  The stuffie situation is out of control.  Obviously.

Sibling love.

It wouldn't be January without snow.  Annika doesn't help shovel the walk often, but here's evidence that it happened at least once.

I much prefer to walk to church on days when the snow is deep.  That way I don't have to scrape the car.

More snow fun, both in the backyard and sledding with a friend.

Annie's decided that she really likes to cook.  She made me a fantastic omelet and even served it on a tray. She's a cutie.  I know I'm biased, but all my kids are.   I just wish they weren't growing up so fast.

Just to reiterate, this one needs to stop growing too.

I know I already blogged a bit about it here, but Annika was a Ghosty in her school play "We are Monsters" in January, on the very same day that her heart freaked out again.  When I first posted, I thought it was v-tach, but it turns out that it was ventricular fibrillation.  That's as ghastly as it gets.  Here's what her heart rhythms looked like before and after her shock.

Sure glad our gal came back to us!  She did great in her play, making the audience laugh as she put a little jingle in her jangle.

What a fun cast!  Ms. Penny does such a fantastic job with all the performers.  I hope Annie gets the chance to perform with her again next year.

Having heart problems may not be easy, but it helps to have a Dad who understands.

Celebrating in the hot tub at Justin and Brianna's.

More cause for celebration: our amazing school librarian Ms. Tanner let Annika be the first student to check out the illustrated Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

The Bonneville Shoreline Trail is fun to explore in all seasons.

Brighton ski bums.  I can't keep up with them, but shredding the slopes with Talia and Eli is So. Fun.  Each year we discover something new.

This year it was the fries loaded with barbecue pork, coleslaw, cheese, and a pickle.  One order is enough to satisfy the whole family.  :)

So there it is!  January's jumbled photo-jambalaya.  Hope you enJoyed.