January has come-and-gone!

It seems like MUCH of January was a blur - we all were sick for parts of January sadly.  I had - over break / got better / got again after school started back whatever the mucous-y crud was that was going around.  Todd got it next... Mercer had it for a little while too.  Isabella avoided it.  But, sadly, she picked up strep throat a couple weeks later.  (probably from school since none of us had that)  She is now officially done with her antibiotics as of yesterday.  Fingers crossed - February will be HEALTHY!

We did a bunch of (little) things in January: 

- Our school system had a "comedy night" sponsored by a local credit union specifically for us teachers at the historic Strand theater.  We had dinner at home with the kids, then went up.  The comedian is married to a local middle school teacher (in the neighboring district) and had LOTS of material that we could all relate to!  Afterwards, we went to a speak-easy off of the square that we've never been to.  We had a drink and listened to music, then went back to reality!

- Starting the Sunday before MLK day, the youth had a "lock in." Mercer couldn't stay overnight because he had baseball tryouts on MLK day.  So he stayed 'til about midnight and we went to pick him up. He got to help out with a service project on Sunday, eat dinner with the crew and watch a movie.  He was not able to go the following day to help build a community garden.  He went instead to baseball tryouts.

- We had a snow day in the middle of tryouts (they were postponed), but there was no snow.  There *may* have been icy roads here & there, but we didn't see anything.  Isabella and I did stuff at home. Mercer walked up to the square for the day.

- Mercer had conditioning every day after school in January for baseball. He had tryouts over MLK day a little into the week following  Thankfully he made the JV team.  I don't know if he'll be pitching, but more than likely - he'll be in the outfield. He also has a powerful bat. 

One thing that is cool that has happened a couple of times so far:  the MLB player Dansby Swanson who is a shortstop for the Chicago Cubs - he still has a house here and a trainer.  His trainer has some sort of agreement with the high school to use their indoor facility, so they got to see him practice / he talked to the team.  (Dansby is a MHS grad and former Braves player 'til a year ago...he was - while playing for the Braves - a hometown favorite.  His mother worked at the elementary school where Mercer and Isabella went and every now-and-then there was "hoopla" about Dansby coming to the school.)  

I haven't heard Mercer complain about the indoor facility since that started happening... which he has over the previous years.  Ha!

Fingers crossed ( a pun on his broken finger from last year - wink ) he'll have a healthy season and gets a lot more play-time this year!  

- Isabella has been going to martial arts (when she was not sick) and horse-back riding a couple of times in January.  

She sort of stopped playing her violin and was focused on only her piano.  We had a conversation and she confessed -- she wasn't that interested in the violin anymore. She wanted to switch to the cello.  

So... we went to the music store and that's exactly what she did - traded the violin for the cello!  

She's only had 1 lesson so far, but it's not too bad.  It doesn't seem like it will be too tough of a transition for her.  ??

She was using a 1/2-size violin for the previous year and a half.  Last weekend, she was fitted for a 3/4-size cello.  She's definitely grown! 

She fully extended the stand on the bottom so that she could show her classmates that it COULD be taller than her - but she wouldn't actually stand up and play it (I don't think).  We had to print a picture so she could take to class and show her classmates.

- One thing that DID NOT happen:  any form of soup night.  We ate a lot of soup but as a family. Unfortunately with all of the illness in our house - we really weren't feeling like cleaning / prepping / serving lots of people.  January has come and gone and it felt weird that we didn't do it! 

- Todd has had a lot of meetings at night - building committee meetings and city council meetings.  His work is picking up a bit - including some new projects for this year.  They also hired another person and are back up to 4 employees.

- I've been busy with lots of school stuff - including going out to a site visit this past weekend for a student project.  The cool thing about the site:  it's where Isabella had her amphibian camp last summer! 

I learned MORE about what she did - she was here where the mesocosms for endangered amphibians are.... I just asked her about it and she said that they did stuff here.  Apparently these containers (and what's inside is a big deal)

This "field research center' (a converted residential garage) is the site for the student competition.  In their designs, they will be tearing down the existing structure / using the grade and the slab / driveways that are already established.

Interesting how 2 different worlds just came together! 

So far in January & early February - we're just plugging away!  Nothing major, but that's OK.

Baseball games will start in February AND Mercer has a BIG birthday coming up this month.  :/  yikes!