Getaway

Our family has jumped headfirst into the busiest season of our lives so far. Simultaneously, Jake has started his graduate program, Annabella has started taking weekly ballet instruction and attending a homeschool Enrichment Day here in town. Thankfully, wee Penelope is still too small to have any extracurricular pursuits of any kind, but that will change soon, I realize. I am seeing very clearly why families have to strategize about limiting outside involvements in the interest of, well, the family itself. My MOPS year starts this week as well, so things here are... lively. Speaking of strategizing, we concluded our little family needed some time just the four of us (well...technically five), so Jake took the day off on Friday, we rented a cabin out on the western coast of Michigan, and explored Lake Michigan for the first time. It was a wonderful, refreshing weekend for all of us. Here's a little sample of our days.

The Joy Girls Are Getting...

a baby brother! And he's coming sometime around the second week of February. We're almost halfway there!

First Day

It may have been her favorite hour of her life. Or maybe that was last week when we went to the dance clothing shop and she tried on 12 leotards. She cried when we had to leave, but was quite comforted to hear that we would attend ballet every Monday and that every week does indeed contain a Monday.
(*I didn't want to use my flash on the first day--observation day. We only get to observe a few days a year, and I was trying to be as unobtrusive as possible; you know, a "pregnant lady with a toddler on her hip taking pictures" kind of unobtrusive...)