Roku Marble Run

I got this Roku Marble Run for Joe for Christmas.  We really enjoyed putting it together!  It took about 5 hours for us to assemble.  I punched out all the pieces and Joe put them together.  It's really well designed, great quality, and the instructions were clear.  I love how well it works!  I've noticed that Arien comes running whenever she hears us cranking it because she likes watching the marbles.  😊

These pictures are already a few weeks old, and Laurelin looks much older now.  Her hair keeps thinning out and getting much lighter.  I don't know how much time I'll have left with her, so I'm spoiling her more and more with her favorite treats.  😊

These are the last pictures I have of Fili and Kili together.  😭  They've been separated for a while now and are both doing well and enjoying life.  😊  I'm hoping to get new pictures of the hamsters very soon!  I am not confident that I'll be able to tell these two apart afterwards when editing pictures... I guess we'll find that out soon enough!  😅

Fidget Toy and Dice

One of things I love about gift giving is when you can find that random, unexpected, and yet perfect gift for someone you know well.  This fidget toy I got from Joe and this set of dice I gave to Joe are great examples of what I mean.  Neither of us needed these, but they are fun and thoughtful, and we are enjoying them.  😊

I thought it was adorable how Laurelin inspected everything.  She's so precious!  😍

To be clear, the hamsters didn't shrink; these dice are just quite large!  Hahaha!  😂

Puzzles

Joe really likes puzzles and got quite a few of them for Christmas.  So far, his favorites are the metal ones.  I've been enjoying these as well.  In general, getting them apart is very doable, especially given enough time to tinker with them, but then the hardest part is getting them back to the original state.  I find that I like them so much more after I've watched YouTube videos that show how to put them back together.  😁

 Laurelin loves broccoli but doesn't get it too often because I don't buy it that often since I'm the only other one in the house that eats it.  I think broccoli is delicious as long as it's cooked!  Laurelin is happy for a little piece of it raw.  😊

I'm still trying to convince Fili and Kili that broccoli is yummy, but they keep ignoring it.  They are still fairly picky eaters, but that doesn't stop me from still offering this and many other new foods to them in hopes that they'll find out they like treats other than just walnuts.

Board Games

My husband and I both love board games and we received some good games for Christmas!  One wall in our basement is basically just shelves that are nearly full of games (don't worry, we have room for the new ones!).  😁  We didn't get to play as many as I would have liked to over Christmas break, but that's okay.  We did get to play all of the new ones and we really like them!  Pendulum is pretty unique in that it doesn't have set turns but instead you do whatever you can and want to do within a set amount of time.  For our first time playing, we didn't use the timers which was nice.  I don't know how well I'll do at the game when we do use timers since I can be fairly indecisive.  😂

I've never played Disney Villainous, but I really liked this Marvel one.  I'll admit when the game first started, I was a bit frustrated because everything was going so well for my husband and it looked like I didn't even stand a chance.  But then, I got into the hang of it, things slowed down for him, and I came back to win.  😊  Hues and Cues is such a simple concept, but it works so well and is so much fun!  It's a great party game!

Christmas Tree (RIP Tarmund)

I've learned over the years to not try to plan on doing any home projects during Christmas Break because it's such a short break and my husband needs the time to rest and relax.  So I gotta say, I was pleasantly surprised when on Christmas day, we spent a couple hours working in the office doing some rearranging and reorganizing, specifically with our desk area.  We are both so happy with the changes we made!  

We still have our Christmas decorations up, but they'll be put away sometime this week.  I had to have the hams pose with one of my favorite ornaments on our Christmas tree.  We have a few of these little white bears on various different red objects.  This one is on a sled.  I think Laurelin is sad that she doesn't fit on the tiny sled.  😁

On Christmas day, I found Tarmund curled up in his nest, never to wake up again.  I think he had passed away the day before in his sleep.  It's been weird working in the office and not hearing him up throughout the day.  He had a little fire in him, and I never quite got comfortable taking him out of his bin without a glove on because he was pretty territorial.  But once he was out of his bin, he was such a sweetheart!  He loved to explore and didn't fear anything, including the cats.  He will always hold a special place in my heart as my first dwarf ham.  If I did my math right, I think he was about 1 year and 7 months old.  I believe he was born in an accidental litter and my cousin took in both him and what was supposed to be his brother in June of 2019.  Unfortunately it was actually his sister and two more accidental litters happened.  😬  So then in August, I took him in to help out my cousin.  I didn't think I'd fall in love with something so small and yet so stubborn.  Haha!  I really miss that little guy!  ❤  I am including some really old pictures that I never posted of him.  I can't believe how black he used to be!

With Tarmund gone, I've decided to separate Fili and Kili so they will each have their own bin on my shelves in the office.  There are two main reasons for this.  First, despite the fact that they do get along fine, I know that they would be happier with their own spaces and frankly, there is always a risk when housing two dwarfs together that they will suddenly not get along and could even fight to the death.  Second, if I don't separate them and therefore have an open bin on my shelves, I know I'll be tempted to get a new hamster.  😁  Fili and Kili are young and I expect to have them both for a while longer.   Laurelin is over 2 years old and I really want to focus on the time I have left with her, and therefore I don't want to take in a new hamster now.  So I'll get some final pictures of the boys together today and then they will be on their own.  😊  Oh and the added bonus to separating Fili and Kili is that I'll figure out who is who and mark it on their bins so I won't be left guessing anymore.  😂

Christmas Nativity Scene

The weeks seem to be flying by!  But the presents are mostly wrapped (we're still waiting on a couple to be delivered), I've started the baking and have a thorough plan of what I'm making and when I'm making it, and I'm cutting back on my work so I can enjoy Christmas break with my husband.  I feel blessed that I can step away from the busyness of life and focus on the things that actually matter.  Nearly all of our Christmas decorations came from my in-laws, including this nativity set.  I miss them so much!

Laurelin was so calm and gentle as she inspected the nativity set.  She probably could pass as the angel.  😇

I'm fairly certain that Tarmund just doesn't sleep.  No matter what time of day it is, he is almost always awake.  I don't know where he gets all that energy!  😂

Fili and Kili are surprisingly still fairly picky eaters.  I offered them a bit of plain cooked chicken the other day and they didn't know what to do with it.  Haha!  Thankfully I know that if I want them to be still, I can give them walnuts.  😁

Christmas Candy Dish

I'm admittedly feeling pretty worn down recently.  There were a few weeks of being very overworked and now that I've gotten back to a more sustainable level of busyness, life seems to be throwing curveballs.  So, despite dealing with car issues, I'm thanking God for His peace to calm my anxious mind.

I probably sound like a broken record by now, but I seriously love photographing Laurelin!  She is so good at making my ideas work with ease.  And she always looks so happy as she does exactly what I want.  😊

Tarmund has a fire in his heart that makes him hard to photograph.  He just loves to be on the move and explore!  😁

It took me longer than I'd like to admit to get these pictures of Fili and Kili.  I figured that since they would be contained in such a small space, that they would be easy to work with, but they spent most of the time looking in opposite directions.  Patience is the key for photographing, well, basically everything (except for Laurelin who is obviously a professional model).  😂