January Evenings / 6:51pm

The other day I shared this quote on my Instagram Story from Victoria Erickson (you can follow her on IG here: https://www.instagram.com/victoriaericksonwriter/): 

I've been thinking a lot again lately about being in the season you are in and this quote really hits home. Rather than fighting against it, I'm embracing the winter darkness, the desire to hibernate and rest, the coziness. I know the light will come back again - the past teaches me that it always does. 

What is your evening story for this time of year? 

The other night, around 6:51pm on a Tuesday, I picked up my phone camera and took a walk around the house to capture what everyone who was here was up to and tell that story. 

We had eaten dinner early, around 5:30pm, which is always my preference whenever possible. On this particular evening only one of the kids had a later activity and Aaron was off picking him up. Some nights are more full of people coming in and out at different times or there's driving around picking up and dropping off. It's the season we are in with this awesome group. Other nights, as you might know, are just me and Aaron. Sometimes he does music late into the evening and I read or work and other evenings we watch a show or go out to dinner. 

This is our now. 

I found the girls playing legos. This is their activity of choice right now outside of screen time (they get an hour a day on week days) and it's so fun to see and hear them play together. They've been the beneficiary of three older brothers legos along with lots of their own. 

I found Simon at the kitchen table researching good and evil references for a Star Wars book he's reading called Tarkin. I love how he uses the internet to learn and research and get answers to questions he has about all kinds of things. I love that he wants to tell me about what he learns. The ways he makes connections between things (movies, etc) is so, so awesome. 

Later on this evening he came to my room and we sat together on the couch in my bedroom and read our respective books (I'm currently reading There There). 

I was so happy and asked him if I could take a photo of us together and he said yes. 

I found Elliott in the music room practicing and recording. He plays drums, trumpet, guitar, piano and he sings. He loves Ed Sheehan. 

As for me, I was just starting my yoga practice for the evening. I've been doing Yoga With Adrienne's 30 Days Of Yoga Dedicate series. It's so good. Last year when I did her 30 day series in January I did it most days before I started work in my office. This year I've found myself doing it in the evening in my bedroom. Showing up. Rolling out the mat. Making it happen. 

Look for the stories my friends. They are always there, waiting for you, to photograph and write down.