My dad got a new fancy car at the end of the year, and so my parents had been praying about who they could bless and give his old Honda Accord to. Then when my mom came out to help us after Henry was born, she asked if we wanted it. Marc’s current car, Doctor Engine, has been a great car- but is dying. We had started casually doing online research for a new car for him, so what a blessing the Honda is. And the cherry in top of the cake was my dad had the time to drive out to Texas and spend five days with us and meet Henry.

I got mastitis the day he got to Waco. So I was sick, sick, sick. And Papa just happily held down the fort during the day. He read countless books, made marble runs, jumped on the tramp with the kids, just sat and held a baby, kept the house tidy, did the dishes and snuggled on the couch with Ruby, Hazel and Levi on top of him watching classic Disney movies.

We decided for New years we needed a serious spread to celebrate. And Papa and I had way too much fun at H‑E‑B picking out cheeses, crackers and snacks in all their varieties.

We ended up with enough hors d’oeuvres to feed a small army. So we invited the Reeves over too. It was a PARTY! Complete with bucee hats, poppers, and a ballon drop to ring in the new year at 7:23 pm 😂.

After the bed time routine, family prayers, a chapter from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Ascaban, the three of us adults stayed up playing Settlers of Catan.