It has been a quiet winter for us here! Oh, we've had our snowstorms, cloudy days, and wintry weather, but really, this has been a mild winter in so many respects for our area.  Our local schools have not closed for one winter day yet this year.  We have about an inch of snow on the ground, and this is already the first of February! We've not had to plow our driveway here yet, and that is very unusual for us! So, we are thankful for the mild winter, and that the Lord allowed us to move into our new home without overwhelming amounts of snow. For this, I am grateful beyond words! 

This week, most of the Lower 48 United States are experiencing chilly weather and we are not exempt. A chilly polar blast has arrived, and with it, beautiful sunshine! For most of this winter, our skies have been grey and cloudy, with lots of rain. We've had very little snow. In fact, we have not even plowed our driveway yet this winter! This week though, the polar air arrived, pushing out all the cloudy skies, and allowing brilliant blue skies and chilly weather.  

The sunshine, blue skies, and snow on the mountains were so beautiful on our drive to Sandpoint.

It is hard to believe it has been over a month since I've been able to sit down and create a blog post. 2024 was a whirlwind of a year, and the last month was especially crazy! The holidays are always busy, but it gets especially wild when you begin to move in the busiest season of the year. I am happy to report that we were able to celebrate our first Christmas in our new home! 

A picture of our kitchen with some Christmas decor that I managed to get up just days before Christmas!

Have you ever been there? It's safe to say that nearly everyone here has gone through this! Maybe you've been in a hurry to reach a doctor's appointment, but then had to sit and wait. and wait... and wait! It's hard to be patient when things need our attention. That's been the situation for the past few weeks.  You might recall that our new double-wide arrived on October 11, five days after our first grandchild was born! The home's progress has been exciting to watch, but also frustrating with the slow processes, especially as Winter approaches. We have been scurrying around trying to get all the things done that we possibly can while waiting for the crews to finish their work on our home so that we can move in. It feels like time is inching along as we enter the Thanksgiving season. I choose to be grateful we have our home though, and know that in time, we will get moved in! 

October has been a month of exciting deliveries, within just days of each other! You may have noticed I haven't posted as much recently, and that is because I've had so much going on. Baby Danika arrived on Sunday, October 6, and our new home arrived on Friday, October 11! It was so exciting to see it finally arrive. The home is beautiful in every way, and while there are things that need to be fixed and adjusted including sheetrock, trim, doors, etc., it has all been a delight to look forward to moving into the home! 

This is the news we have been waiting 9 months for! Our precious Danika has safely arrived, and we couldn't be more thrilled to announce! She came into the world on October 6 at 4:33 p.m. weighing 8 pounds and 4 ounces. She has a dark head of hair, bright blue eyes with chubby little legs and neck rolls! She couldn't be more adorable and has wiggled her way into our hearts! Baby was able to nurse right away and has continued to feed well, and while Momma, our daughter, had an infection, and had to be on antibiotics, she has since recovered and is doing great.  The new little family went home yesterday, and spent the first night recuperating from all the excitement!