No pics, just a post

January?  What January?  You mean it's almost over?  Where did it go?  Oh, I think it was lost in a blur of fog, smog, inversion and countless activities.

This month Kayleen started flute lessons She has been in the band at school since September, but a good friend of mine actually teaches flute, so I thought (since I have been so neglectful at the piano) to actually give her the opportunity to learn as much as she can!  Yaa - I'm excited - I keep thinking some day she and I will be able to do a flute/piano duet!

Tim is currently working on redoing the floor in the kids bathroom.  It is a room that has needed attention for quite a while and in a very bad way.  I wish that I had taken before pics, but maybe it is better to not remember.  He pulled out the baseboards, ripped up the linoleum and then had to remove part of the subfloor and treat part of the floor under that where water had leaked.  That took him all day Monday. Kayleen was his trusty sidekick.  She stuck by him all evening helping him run, fetch, measure, and keeping him entertained with her chatter. Tuesday he had to work, but came home after work and was able to lay the laminate wood in the majority of the bathroom.  Last night (after work and scouts), he finished laying the floor in the closet and sealed some if it.  Pics will come of the completed project! What a lame wife I am.  I went to bed.

One last piece of news.  Jarom has his permit.  That's right.  Soon (when I can work up the courage) we will be teaching him to drive.  Fair warning!

Dance

Just a collage from Kayleen's Dance Recital back in December. They danced to a kind of hip hop version of "I'm Getting Nothin" for Christmas" and she did a great job!

punny pjs

For Christmas this year I had this great idea to make pjs that were all the same, yet individualized for each person. Granted I had this fabulous idea in about October, even had all of the supplies purchased by the first week in December! Nevertheless I hid in my room a couple of very late nights the weekend before Christmas getting them all done. It was a lot of fun for me to see there faces as they started to figure out that they were each going to get one (including Mom and Dad)! Sometimes as a Mom when you get a good idea, you wonder if anyone else will think it is a good idea. But this one worked, with lots of laughs and giggles and a picture of us "glowing" in our green pants and red shirts.

Christmas Eve Nativity

Christmas Eve, as the adults were relaxing over the end of dinner, the kids (of course) were becoming restless.  I told them to go and get the nativity story ready for us.  With pure enthusiasm they headed off and with absolutely no adult guidance (or interference) proceeded to present probably the best reenactment of the nativity that they had ever done. What a treat it was a Mom to simply sit back and watch!

Temple Lights

(**Note - I forgot to mention that the first 3 pics are courtesy of Jarom, with photoediting done by me)

Finally getting around to posting some pictures from our visit

 to see the lights at Temple square. 

There's nothing quite like the spirit there.

So we bundled up the masses, braved the cold, carted the hot chocolate...

... and enjoyed the lights, the spirit, and the friendships.

Ice Skating

Tim got s a pass to the oval for a year for Christmas. For some of us the day after Christmas was the first time ice skating. For others of us it was just the first time in a VERY long time! i was sure i would be sporting bruises, but I am proud to say that I didn't fall once. It did take me a little to work up the courage to enter the ice, but I grabbed on to Robby and went - once I was out I was good to go - I think it's been close to 20 years so I was proud. Spencer and Kayleen had never been before and I was proud of them! They just took off! Jarom has been a couple of times and is still a little unsure, probably has something to do with the fact that he has so much farther to fall. It's been fun to go a few times and am looking forward to the fact that it will be a perfect little escape in the summer!

Happy New Year!!

We had a great week spent playing and visiting with my sister-in-law Tami, her husband Scott, and my nephew Connor.  We took lots of pictures but I have yet to sort through them.

Here's the highlights in words... pictures to come...

• awesome nativity (produced entirely by the kids)
• carols
• "punny" bright matching pjs
• new wii
• ice skating firsts
• backwards charades
• sledding (complete with bumbs and bruises)
• date night with the adults
• a princess, a frog, popcorn and cabelas
• warm fire and fireworks

Today I spent the morning curled up hurriedly reading the book that is due back at the library on Tuesday and can't be renewed!  Do you think anyone would mind if I sent the kids back to school on Monday and took another week off?  Here's to a great year with many more great family memories!