January iPhone Pictures

I'm finding myself using my camera phone more and more to capture every day moments in our lives rather than lugging my big camera around.  I still LOVE my big digital camera, but for everyday use you really can't beat the camera on your phone. Here are some pictures from January. 

On January 3, Josh and I celebrated 14 years of marriage. We've been through a lot together over the past 14 years, a lot of good times and some not so good. We've seen each other at our worst and at our best. We've loved each other on days when neither one of us were very lovable. We've laughed, cried, argued, celebrated, and much more, but we've done it all together. There is no one else with whom I'd rather do life. I thank God everyday for putting us together. I love this man more and more with each passing day and I can't wait to celebrate many more anniversaries with him!

One day after school, Eli and I had a hot chocolate date at the local coffee shop. He also whooped my bootie in checkers while we were there. I love these precious moments with Eli and I hope that they continue even as he gets older.

One of my student's parents gave me a bread starter and I began my journey of baking homemade bread every week. I bake three loaves of bread a week and we use it for everything-French toast, sandwiches, grilled cheese, garlic toast, breakfast foods, rolls, cinnamon rolls, and much more. Even with using the bread all those different ways, we still had multiple loaves in our freezer each week so I started I to give it away. It ended up being a great little "happy" for Eli's teachers this year. They looked forward to "bread day" just as much as I did! Baking bread is a three day process but I truly enjoy each second. I always feel such a sense of accomplishment when I take those three, golden brown loaves of bread out of the oven each week. Plus, there is just nothing better than fresh bread from the oven smothered in butter and local honey. Oh my word, get in my belly! 

Eli chose to forego soccer this year and play basketball instead. He loves shooting basketball at our house and was really looking forward to playing with a team. This was a quick picture I managed to grab before his first game. He couldn't wait to play!

Here in Louisiana, Mardi Gras season is so much fun to celebrate-parades, beads, and yummy food galore, especially king cakes! I can't tell you how many king cakes my students brought to school this month, but it was a lot! It's a good thing I was still training for my Rock and Roll half-marathon or else I would've been in big trouble with all those yummy treats. I decided to try my hand at making a king cake this year and it turned out okay! I made a cream cheese filled king cake and this was the result. I thought it looked and tasted pretty good for my first attempt. Next year, I'll definitely make this again :)

That was our January! It was a fun month filled with lots of happy moments :)