A Bright New Dawn 2018

How do you get off to a bright new start in 2018?  Well, if you are Bob and I, you go to an auction!  At least, that's what we did this New Year's Day.  Our friends, the Jensons had told us about some exciting model home auctions which they attend occasionally, and since we had nothing better to do on January 1, and we hadn't shopped enough already (wink), we attended our first auction.  It was an unusually bitter cold Houston day and we kept ourselves warm in the open warehouse and outdoor tent by bidding furiously upon a few treasures for our house. We walked away having purchased a couple of area rugs, a kitchen dining set, an office chair, a surveyor's lamp and some artwork.  Not bad for a days work!

On January 6, 2018, Brady Sean Goodman brightened our world with his birth to Michael and Kristin!  Big sister, Eve, was pretty excited about her new baby brother.  Grandma and Grandpa would have to wait a bit to see him in person.  I had to wait until the stitches in my hand dissolved, I was out of the day brace, and had regained a little mobility with my fingers (although a night brace would need to be worn nightly for the rest of my life).  Brady's middle name was inspired by Michael's mission president, Sean Douglas.

By the end of January, I was getting quite stir-crazy and decided to drive over to Temple and spend a few days with Chelsea and family. I needed a little baby time! It didn't take much to add a little light to the life of Grandma!

 

Are you motion sick, yet?

To break up the monotony of February, Bob and I decided to start trying to be a little more social.  Using a groupon deal which Bobby and Jill had given to us for Christmas, we invited a bunch of our friends from The Woodlands to go to an "Escape Room" with us.  Basically, the eight of us (Wendell, Jennifer, Millie, Bic, Lanna, Victor, Bob and I) were "locked" up in a room together until we could figure out the codes to five combination locks in the room which would help us "escape". It was a difficult task and there was very little in the room that made any sense.  However, with just a few seconds remaining, we succeeded brilliantly in our quest!

   

With the winter Olympics in full swing, we decided we needed to host a empty-nesters pot-luck dinner and Mini-Olympics at our home.  It was great to begin forming friendships with some of the couples in our ward and illuminate our home with love.

Scoffields, Nielsons and Mays

Paynes, Pews and Lucas'

Toward the end of the month, Thomas had a few days off work, so he decided to bring the family over to play at our house.  I'm so glad we have one of our children in Texas with us! Although the weather was not ideal, it was warm enough to take a drive down to the beach at Galveston.  With a dense fog rolling in from the ocean, visibility was extremely poor, but that didn't detract anyone from having fun.  Holly was pretty content eating sand and Knox loved jumping over the big waves.  The beach always brings a little sunshine into our lives!

We took Knox bowling one morning, but after trying to retrieve a ball and slipping in the bowling lane, Knox lost all interest in the sport!

Chasing squirrels at the park followed by a little time in the pool seemed to brighten the day.  And making a cool cardboard house with roads for his cars kept Knox entertained at home.

A fun kid's play place kept us entertained another day.  The pirate ship ride was worth it's weight in gold!  Sitting at the highest point of the ship, Knox giggled wildly with every tilt of the swing.

 We explored one more park in Conroe before it was time to return to life as usual.

 What a delightful time with family!  Surely, Bob and I were feeling the brightness of a new dawn in 2018!