Two weeks have flown by and February is about to come to a close. I think the months of January and February are always the hardest. Various holidays that packed the months prior have come to an end and the cold weather becomes even colder - drastically changing the amount of time we can spend outside.
I attempt to fill our days with cleaver games and various ways to release pent up energies (that being a much harder task when trying to keep a home spotless for possible showings) but I must admit that in my attempt to keep things positive, I am secretly counting the days until spring.
I have found myself debating throughout the entire month of February on whether various Ballard family happenings are "blog worthy".
In most instances I decide that the games of paper battleship or Haley discovering the hidden stash of markers and drawing a lovely mural on the newly painted wall can be saved for another day.
Then the thought struck me.
The greatest "gift" I receive from the efforts of keeping our family blog is the journal/scrapbook that I have printed out at the end of each year. If I fail to add events, regardless of how trivial they may seem, I will with certainty forget the silly moments and wonderful experiences that this sweet family creates, thus, making February not only bearable but enjoyable.
Having said that, below is a "wrap up" of our last few weeks.
First, we just found out that our next stop will be Fort Riley, Kansas. The physician at each opening spot gave a "run down" of their particular location prior to choosing.
The Fort Riley doctor and his family loved the small town, the great school system, and best of all,
the light amount of call.
For those reasons and more this was our top pick and we are very excited with the outcome.
The small college town of Manhattan, KS is seven miles from Ft. Riley and home to Kansas State.
(which apparently plays some pretty good teams throughout the year - I think Steven liked the idea of that too!)
Steven will take over for the Ophthalmologist there.
It will only be for a short year before heading out for his fellowship
but we are very excited for this new area and adventure.
Grandma's Valentines.
We had fun treats and Dad gave his usual cards and gifts to the family.
This year he also gave a "kids" gift - the game Operation.
He mainly chose that game due to the heart inside - thus relating somewhat to Valentines.
We had to giggle when the kids opened it and we realized they have changed many of the body parts - replacing them with a phone, a frog, and Thatcher's favorite - gas bubbles.
It even comes with sounds now that fit each item within his body.
Oh well. It's been very fun to play, and with most of their board games in storage the kids have loved it.
This kid cracks me up.
While not quite as classic as the piano picture, I cannot believe the various positions that this angel can actually fall asleep in.
And yes, she did find markers and it was quite a lovely mural.
