January Tidbits

January always tends to hold a bit more sickness for us than the rest of the year (weird viruses, UTIs and nasty diarea illnesses-too much information, I know), so we're never really sorry to see it go.  However, here are a few January moments we will not forget:

Brushing teeth in a big box-you should try it!

 FHE pictionary-Adam thought up and drew this all by himself-it's an octopus...with obviously more than eight tentacles.

Janey loses her first top tooth-I seriously love the voice of a child missing a top tooth!

I'd like to blow this one up and plaster it on a wall or something in our house.  I cannot look at this picture and not smile.  It was taken shortly after naptime-hence the great hair-and how can you not love that big cheezer grin!?!?  Thanks Leo!

Winter Project

This project was actually started in the fall and was meant to be finished in the fall as well, but as we all know, projects around here always take longer than expected.  I usually like to multiply Aaron's time estimations by three:-)  We sold the above ground pool that we inherited with the house since our kids are still too young and inexperienced with swimming-it just would have been too nerve-racking to have that danger in the back yard.  And then since the electrical wiring was already run halfway across the yard, Aaron wanted to finish running it all the way to the shed.  Now was better than later but with the rainy season and now the frozen ground season upon us, you can imagine how things have slowed.  Here everyone is on one of the warmer days "helping" Daddy and Papa dig the trench.   Boys and shovels-what could be more fun??

Hopefully I'll be able to post in another month or two a nicely filled in ditch and and maybe even some sod on top of where the pool use to be-here's to hoping!

Happy New Year!!

Oh happy day-no one threw up on this holiday!  We started our evening activities with a dance party.  Daddy pulled out his stake dance moves which are entertaining if not in style anymore.  Our favorite pandora station for events like this is "80's dance party".

This special occasion called for mustaches

Traditionally we play games and munch on finger foods while we wait for midnight, but this year Grandpa brought his new "3 Stooges" collection, and that won out, although the women didn't really mind since we like to chat anyway.  The most exciting part of the evening however, came when Aunt Emily (Aaron's sister) called to announce that they are having a baby!  I can't believe she was almost 16 weeks pregnant while she was visiting, yet we couldn't tell even one little ounce.  Happy news!

We had to take this post-midnight picture from far away, so posterity won't be able to tell how tired we are!  A funny thing, this holiday of late night activity so we can all start the new year off tired.  Oh well!  It was fun and we anticipate wonderful 2015!

Temple Lights

With some encouragement from my parents, we decided to brave the Temple Visitor's Center and lights display.  The day we picked turned out to be one of those crazy warm winter days which was nice.  We listened to Nathan and Elizabeth Pacheco sing, which was lovely and then strolled outside to enjoy the lights.  Grandma and Grandpa were working at the info desk that evening but with how absolutely packed it gets in there, we were only able to stop for a moment. 

 Our year-round summer dressing daughter did finally get a little chilly, so we wrapped her in Leo's jacket and my scarf and all had a good giggle about it:-)

Christmas Unwrapped

Christmas started about 7am this year. Unwrapping is not too organized but slow enough that we can pretty much see what each person gets.  Daddy stops us every few minutes to pick up the trash and Leo stopped us about half way through with the same stomach bug that Adam had the day before-just keeping things exciting! 

Jane got a little bird from Daddy and you can tell by her face that this endearing family joke isn't her favorite. 

A day or two before Christmas, Leo decided he didn't want to wear clothes anymore.  We have now resorted to putting him in Adam size footy pajamas most of the day, turned backwards so he can't undress himself.

Porter and Grandpa spent several hours on Family Search-with Porter's initial excitement he may be our family's way in to family history.

Yo-yo-ing

Emily and Joe

Grandparents in the kitchen

Is that an animal that crawled up on Daddy's head and died?!?

Ahh...the two day RISK game

Hard to see but we're having a snowball fight with in-door snowballs that Muna and Papa gave to the family-highly recommended fun!  Also, thank you to Porter for being assistant photographer to help capture Christmas.  Let us also remember a few un-photographed highlights-caroling to Sis. Johnson, charity talks, the tickle pickle, the soda machine gift mystery, and a new story "Christmas Day in the Morning". 

Only six more months and I will stop talking about what a treat it is to have Grandma and Grandpa Smyth with us.  When you have lived so far away, for 10 years, you just HAVE to talk about how nice it is!  It still makes me teary every time they leave to go back to their apartment because I know one of these times they will be leaving back to Arizona.  Until next year...