12 in 2014

This is my kind of link up.  :)   Thanks Dwija.     I decided to add something into my photo choices - I limited myself to only cell phone pictures (either mine or Mike's).   I have tons of great pictures that are "perfect" - perfect colors, expressions, framing, etc. - but that's not necessarily what my year really looked like.  Sooooo....here's my imperfect look back at 2014:

January

January found us right in the middle of gymnastics competition season, and traveling to West Point for our first "big" meet for our boys.   They competed against gymnasts from all over the region, and this clown managed to medal in vault.  :)  He was very proud of himself, and we were proud of him!

February

I love this picture because it just captures the oldest circus clown's creativity.  Nothing is safe in our house - if he has a vision, he somehow manages to find the resources to fulfill that vision.   This is the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, made out of legos, cardboard blocks, blankets, and bath towels.  

March

March pretty much means Lent in our house, which means that oftentimes, March means Mardi Gras.  This year was no different.   Mardi Gras means.....food.  Lots and lots of food.  This year included making mini king cakes to celebrate with.   One of my favourite things about homeschooling is the ability to work our daily lives and traditions into our schoolwork.    Mardi Gras reminds me of home (the south), and I have a lot of sentimental attachment to the day.   I love being able to focus our lives on stuff like this, without having to share our day with outside commitments.   

April

Okay, April gets two pictures, because I wasn't able to get it all into one picture.   This is the calendar that hangs in our kids' bathroom.   Joseph fills it - unprovoked - with awesome drawings.   My favourite this year was, by far, Easter Sunday.   The question marks above the heads just cracked me up.

May

Uhh....duh.   May can't be anything other than the appearance of Miss Ruthie.   This picture is one of my favourites from her birthday weekend.     She was then, and still is, such an amazing baby.   We are so blessed by her.

June

....and along those same lines....June can't be anything other than the arrival of this little guy.   Even though it's a bit blurry, this is one of my all-time favourite pictures of those first few weeks home with Mr Theo.   I can very clearly remember taking this picture - we first started bonding over colouring and arts and crafts (I love doing that kind of stuff), and I remember taking this picture and thinking, "I can't believe he's really here in front of me."   He has brought so much joy into our lives, and sometimes I still have a hard time believing he's really and truly in front of me.

July

What, not everyone grills their s'mores on the 4th of July inside the house?  ;)   This picture pretty much sums up our whole summer:   family and fun, but inside of the house.   We spent the summer in a self-imposed "cocoon", as we and Theo all got to know each other.    Scenes like this filled our days.

August

August brought our annual trip to the local amusement park and the realization that this rascal was finally big enough to go on the "big kid" rides.   To say he had a blast would be a bit of an understatement......

September

September brought the start of school and another reminder of why I love our homeschooling lifestyle.  I love love love love seeing the kids doing their schoolwork like this - in the sunshine and fresh air.    With 3 out of 5 kids either reading or beginning to read, a lot of their assignments end up looking like this......

October

First Halloween here, which was loads of fun, all-around.   We had two little ones enjoying their first Circus Halloween, and it was absolutely wonderful.   

November

A return to colder days and evenings spent in the dim winter light, by the fire.   Time to break out the board games (or dice games, in this picture), stories, and cuddling time.

December

Another first came in December - growing up in the South, going to pick out and cut down a Christmas tree wasn't really an option.  In previous years, Mike's work schedule didn't really give us enough time to go and do it and we'd get our tree from a local tree lot instead.   This year was different - we bundled up, trudged through the snow, and chopped down a tree.  It was a beautiful day, and there's nothing I love more than snuggling up with this little girl in our winter gear.   She's a doll.  :)

So there you go, a year at the Circus, in cell phone pictures!    Your turn!!!  (Link me up when you post - I want to see your pictures from 2014!).