Our 2020 Christmas Card

January 15, 2021January 15, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

Happy New years from our five! We took these impromptu pics in our backyard to send some New Years cards because I am always late on sending actual Christmas cards. Someone please come organize my life!! Anyways, 2021 started off weird with insurrection stuff and my heart feels so sad and now I’m not feeling it. Oh well. Here are we are! We miss everyone. And love love all the Christmas cards we get every year. Seriously my favorite. Have I said, we miss everyone?

December 2020: Christmas Stuff

January 5, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

December was really good. Focusing on Advent and the hope in Christ was much needed. We baked a ton, watched lots of movies, went to look at Christmas lights, decorated the house, and shared lots of meals with pod friends.

The rest of the pictures: Christmas Eve dinner, gingerbread house decorating, present swapping with friends, White Elephant gift exchange, wreathe making and hot toddies in the patio, and celebrating birthdays with the pod.

November 2020: Birthdays and Thanksgiving

January 5, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

Well, I mixed up the photos! The first two pics were taken in September, I believe. Curtis got promoted to General Manager at work, so I threw an impromptu party with our pod. We grilled Carne Asada and had a taco party. So proud of Curtis!

The pics below are from October and November. We had a friendsgiving in October where the dudes smoked a turkey. We then had “real” Thanksgiving in November where we did it all over again. Hahaha. We love Thanksgiving food apparently.

Evie turned 7! We had a bakery themed birthday with pod buddies.

Homeschool Year 2020-2021

January 5, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

This school year we have a first grader, a Kindergartner, and Preschooler!

Summer Garden of 2020

January 5, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

Random pictures of the multiple gardens we had going on. We had one large bed at our house. We had 6 beds in our community garden. My freezer is full of summer goodness. And I tried to can what I could and had time for. I mostly canned jams and salsa’s.

Fathers Day and Birthdays

January 4, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

First up! Father Day celebrations. Then celebrating Jonathan’s 3rd birthday and then a couple weeks later celebrating James turning 5. We also celebrated the 4th of July with a BBQ and fireworks.

June 2020- Oregon Coast Camping

January 4, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

These peeps have become our Portland family and we are very thankful for them. I think I mentioned that before! Hahaha

The last weekend in June we went to the coast for some camping and early birthday celebrations (James turned 5!). God has blessed us with really amazing friendships and Curtis and I feel super lucky. Also, the Oregon coast is just so beautiful. Can’t wait until this summer to do it again!

Family Camping Trip Shasta Lake-June 2020

January 4, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

The Shasta trip kicked off the camping season! We went on 6 camping trips this summer. We were exhausted by September! Hahaha. Anyways, some photos from Shasta. Lots of cousin time. Our kids had so much fun reconnecting! And so did we.

June 2020 : Graduating Kinder and Preschool

January 3, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

Homeschool graduations with just us! This was in May I believe. And I think we were still shelter in place in Portland. It was weird and not the graduation party we were expecting. The kids missed their buddies from their co-op. We still had a sweet time face timing family, opening gifts, grilling hot dogs, and eating all the cupcakes.

Pandemic Life 2020: Phone Pictures

January 2, 2021January 9, 2021 ~ Simply Mr.and Mrs.

I think I blogged once in 2020. It wasn’t on purpose. But, it just felt weird. The whole year was weird. Nothing in the year 2020 happened as expected. Everything was different. It was a hard year for me. There was lots of tears, anxious moments, lamenting, low key depression, processessing so many triggers, missing family, missing friends, missing our old life, exhaustion from quarantining with little kids and just sadness. It was hard to blog or take pictures or share. Here are some pictures from the year. Note: These are the highlights. Everything here might look perfect or happy, but that isn’t the whole story. I’ve learned this year you can experience heaviness and happiness at the same time. Feelings are complicated. Hahaha.

I am thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness. His love and grace in the midst of all my mess and doubt still amazes me. He is good despite my circumstances and my feelings and my wandering heart. I am thankful for the way He carried me this year.

I am also thankful for our quarantining bubble. After shelter in place, we decided to form a covid pod with a couple families. That has been my saving grace this year. Pod friends, if you are reading this, THANK YOU. We survived this year because of all you. I am thankful for the community during such an isolating year.

Anyways, here are some cell phone photos. They are not in order and I don’t have the energy or time to fix it! Later this week I will upload my photos from my real camera.