January happenings

Oh, January. It isn't the worst month…or is it? Actually I think it might be. February is also a candidate, but must be excluded due to my birthday (plus Teddy's and Sam's!) and its shorter length. So January it is—but this January was actually quite nice! The nice weather and sunshine definitely makes a difference, even interspersed with some grey days and smoggy skies.

Anyway, all the months go so fast these days, none of them really drag on like they used to seem to! Sebastian came home a couple times for visits, and the kids are always happy when he's around. He took them to the airport to watch planes.

Clementine hopping for joy while holding Seb's hand

We had our usual watch-fireworks-from-the-car-at-midnight-while-having-the-sparkling-cider-people-gave-us-for-Christmas event. We wake the little kids up and bundle them into the van with their blankets, and we drive to the edge of the neighborhood and watch fireworks going off all around down the hill. Sam pours up the Martinelli's (we invariably have some given to us at Christmastime by a neighbor!) while I give dire warnings for no one to spill it. And we each take a turn to talk about our favorite memory of the past year, and what we're looking forward to during the next year.

We were all together (Seb and Abe included!) for it this year, which we haven't been for a few years, and which we won't be next year. Malachi will be on his mission, for one thing! And who knows where the big boys will be! It is strange to be in this season of so much change.

We had our usual New Years feast, with a few additions (the gyoza were a big hit! and Sam's parents gave us a warming mat for Christmas, so we were actually able to keep them and the wontons warm.

Is this the way cream-cheese brownies should be cut?

Moving on to later in January! Gus gave me this nice note. It says "Today I gave you two treats." He told me when I got the note, "But really, I only gave you one treat. I was just going to give you two." (The treat he did give me was a truffle, from my own Christmas stocking.)

Matching cream-colored girls

Matching red-and-black girls

Matching striped girls

Wintry-dress girls

We took our Christmas decorations down (after Twelfth Night, as one should…waaaay after Twelfth Night, which one perhaps shouldn't) and it was nice to rearrange the furniture and feel that fresh January start. "This is the BEST living room ever," said Ziggy, enthusiastically.

Gus slammed his own finger in the van door and was brave enough about it that I didn't notice for a couple days how BAD his finger looked! He cried, of course, but not for that long, and when he said he could bend it I figured it was fine. But when I looked at his horribly purple and swollen finger a few days later, I felt sorry that we hadn't made more of a fuss over it! It healed pretty fast, thank goodness.

Ziggy copied a bunch of languages onto papers for his wall. (He has a book of languages he likes to copy from.)

A few days later his wall had grown into this! Zig was very excited and pleased with himself, and I didn't have the heart to make him take down the tape, even though it was NOT good tape for walls! Seb had left tiny thumbtack holes everywhere, anyway. I love how neatly Ziggy arranged everything!

We had some field trip days at Thanksgiving Point. Our pass there is expiring, so we had to make the most of it.

Another field trip day. Watching the demolition of the BYU administration building.

And still more field trips. The beaver at the Monte Bean Museum.

Playgrounds (we've had the best weather, we've been going to playgrounds allll winter!)

("Take a picture of me from down there," said Gus.

"I don't know if I can see you from down here," I said.

"If I stand like this you can see my one face," he said.)

BYU Dinosaur Museum

Watching donuts being made at Krispy Kreme. The older boys used to LOVE this and I was flabbergasted to learn that NONE of the younger kids, not even Teddy, had even set foot in a Krispy Kreme before! A wrong that must be righted.

Tiny pizza Clementine made

My dear niece Katy and her husband are moving to Arizona (sad for us; happy for them—now they'll get to be close to mom and dad!) so we got together with them one last time. We were SO sad to say goodbye to Baby Parker! We love him so much! Clementine ran and got Evie so she could match Katy with Parker all evening.