The Eternal January....

In typical January fashion, it's been a really long one and I'm pretty happy (and hopeful) to see February! All 3 kids had activities that kicked off right after the first of the year and that was going well.....but then John, Charlie and I got covid and we were down for about two weeks. John made a trip to KC the last weekend of January to say goodbye to an uncle who passed, then we got about 10 inches of snow and were snowed in for 4 days. 

Thankfully, we have all recovered and are feeling much better! Even with everything that's happened over the past few weeks, I still managed to capture a few things....

Our girl loves a good selfie :)

Johnny is totally in his element in ninja class

I woke up really not feeling well one Saturday morning....chills, aches, headache. After taking my temp and realizing I had a 101 fever, we decided I should probably take a covid test. Sure enough, positive! The worst part was that John and I had plans to see Alabama in concert in Indianapolis that night with some friends. I'm still upset about missing it! 

...Winston got pretty concerned with me staying in my room for several days..

After John tested positive, the kids then had to quarantine from school since they hadn't isolated from him. They had only been isolating from me. (Charlie tested positive the day after John after reaching a 102 fever.) 

The kids did such a great job powering through their school work for 4 days and Winston was here for moral support for his buddy! 

Charlie stealing my phone for a selfie while I ran back into the house to grab something we forgot

Getting ready for school and these two realized they dressed alike

Charlie was the helper of the day. One of his previous teachers snapped some pics for me of him sharing his show and tell...he was so excited and proud.

A little bit of snow and a couple of deer friends

Movie night buddy

When daddy is gone, this girl steals his spot

We sure do love our pup!

The weatherman predicted 12+ inches of snow and he was pretty much right this time. I don't have an official count but it was definitely right around 10-12+ inches. The kids loved it (once it stopped blowing) even though Charlie wasn't a huge fan of walking in it because it came up to his knees and was hard for him to move through. 

Charlie's snow day preference :) 

Charlie's second choice of snow day activities

And this is when I say it is time for the weather to warm up....when the boys start wrestling on the couch..... :) 

!!Christmas 2021 & New Year 2022!!

 With everything that happened leading up to Christmas and all the uncertainty we had about what it was going to look like, it really ended up being amazing!!! 

I tested positive for influenza on Tuesday night (the 21st) but we had to wait for my COVID test results before leaving town. So, we didn't get to leave on Wednesday for KC like we originally wanted to. John and the kids had separated themselves from me so that as soon as that negative test came back they could get on the road (and at that point anyone else who had it would be showing symptoms). In the middle of the night Wednesday night, I got the negative result so everyone was able to leave Thursday morning. I still wasn't fever free so I stuck around until Friday (Christmas Eve) and made the trip. It wasn't ideal to drive separate, but it was the best option we had; and I still made it in time for all the festivities. 

The whole trip itself was fun and exhausting and we ate way too much food....but we just love it so much! I can't imagine doing anything else over Christmas break! 

Just Winston and I riding out my fever.....he was so unsure what to do without "his kids".

John and the kids made it to KC and John finally got to meet Quinn!! 

Thursday morning Winston and I hit the road.....he vomited a few times but then road like a champ. I always feel so bad for him....he gets sick every single time he's in the car. I even moved him to the front seat shortly after leaving to see if that would help....it didn't. 

Christmas Eve "traffic"....such a smooth drive and I was thankful because I ended up getting pretty tired. With so little traffic I didn't have to think much. 

Christmas Eve pictures at Nana's! 

Checking the naughty and nice lists and also trying to see where Santa is with Uncle Andy. 

Reindeer food!

Christmas Morning!!!! I was terrible at taking pictures :( I guess I was just so "in to" the morning that I forgot.....I didn't even get a picture with each kiddo and their gift. Oh well, I guess.....

Mellany got a overboard and Johnny and Charlie both got a Nintendo Switch. 

Christmas Day with Gammy....again, I was not doing my best with pictures....but we were sure having a great time!

The day after Christmas with Papa & Teresa....a few more pictures, but that's only because 3 of them were sent to me lol!

I stopped by my favorite coffee shop back home, only to find out it was closed... I was so sad! 

Charlie wanted a silly face picture...

This summarizes Christmas break in KC pretty accurately :) 

Mel & Daxton making chocolate chip cookies. These two have grown up so fast! 

Celebrating Teresa's birthday! 

The weather was amazing this year over Christmas, so we even got to go outside for target practice. 

Everything was going really smooth, and then the forecasts started calling for ice and snow the day we were to leave Missouri for home. After some lengthy discussions, we decided that it would be best for John to head home a day early to ensure he was back for work Monday. The boys wanted to go with John so Mellany and I stayed with Gammy and had a bit of a girls weekend.

We found some angel wings on a wall that made for the cutest photo opp. 

John sent a pic of the boys headed in to Applebees after getting some groceries. 

Mellany, Gammy and I puzzled, crafted, organized a closet, did some baking, watched movies, painted nails, stayed up to watch the ball drop in Eastern Time and even took naps. It was a good thing that John left Friday because we didn't end up leaving KC until Monday. There was quite a bit of ice and I wanted to be sure the roads were totally clear before heading home. 

Barrett girls headed home!

It's a bit hard to see but there was still plenty of ice on the trees and it looked so majestic! Mellany wanted to take a pic of it....

I left my phone in the kitchen one day last week when I got back into my phone, I found this...this boy cracks me up. 

Picking up Johnny from school is one of the best parts of my day. He almost always has "Douglas" and runs out to the car so excited to see me....it just makes my heart so happy! 

Proud Parent Moment: Mellany wrote a note to their school custodian to thank her for all she does.....just because....for no reason at all. Talk about a kind heart....I have a LOT I can learn from our girl!

Working hard or hardly working? lol :)

We finally got all the parts for our master bathroom shower so it got installed this weekend and Charlie couldn't wait to get his hands on the drill to help. 

Our church didn't have any children's services this past Sunday, so the kids came into service with us....definitely a favorite of the week! 

Early morning workouts can be tough somedays but then God does this on the way home and makes it even more worth it! 

Here's to hoping 2022 is WAYYYYY better than what 2021 (and 2020 too) had to offer! The past two years have been challenging to say the least!! With that being said, we are 100% thankful for our family, our friends, and that we are all healthy! We can't wait for the adventures ahead this year!