Catch up time!

Okay, It's a new year! I can hardly believe it! The holidays are gone! What happened? Yikes! Has it really been since October that I blogged last? Shame on me! I guess that needs to be one of my resolutions for the new year, right? "Blog at least once a month!" I love to read my friends blogs! And here I am, not providing them with any amusement! I'm sorry...

I will now try to update you since October...

Not a whole lot happened in November. At least not that I remember... I was still not feeling 100%. In fact, I believe that I ended up with a sinus infection. Owen and Hanna also ended up on antibiotics. Owen ALSO had a q-tip push in his ear hard enough to cause a lot of bleeding and a trip to the doctor's. It was a money losing month, now that we don't have medical insurance anymore (...we decided after yet another premium increase that we would be better off having a medical savings account. So far we have been able to meet all of our medical needs.--Even after Jared breaking his wrist!)

I had a hard time getting into the Christmas holiday this year. It wasn't a "bah-humbug" type of thing, it's just that I felt like it snuck up on me and I wasn't ready! Once December came, I was frantic trying to get things ready for the holidays. I don't know what got into me, but I decided to paint the living room before we decorated for Christmas. It was so hard painting the vaults!!! (Not to mention, I was still recovering my energy from being sick so long!) I am such a nervous nelly on a ladder! I pretty much waited for Spencer's help with the high spots. I wanted the livng room to look nice when my family came for the holidays. Spencer decided since I was going thru all the effort, it was time for a mini-makeover. So, I also made curtains (you can see them in the background of our Christmas cards...). We even bought new shelves, artwork, heater vent covers, a clock and some furniture. Okay, another money losing month! But after living in our house for 10 years, it's finally nice to feel good about the first impression you get when you walk in the front door! The hand-me-down furniture served it's purpose and was well loved but WORN OUT! I love what we've accomplished.

December was full of fn memories: From gingerbread houses with Grandma Howard, to family Christmas parties, to Hanna's piano recital, to visits with out of town friends AND FAMILY!

My brother,Jon, arrived home safely from Iraq in December! I was so proud and happy and excited! Sometimes, my emotions felt like they were going to erupt when I thought about seeing him again! We all drove up to Idaho to be there for his family being sealed in the Idaho Falls Temple. Quite the memorable experience! Jon and his wife were in the thick of the stomach flu! They decided to go thru with everything even though they both should have stayed in bed that day! It's just that everyone had come so far just to be there for there special day! They barely made it thru! That was the first time I have be to a family sealing. It was a special experience to see Jon with his wife and their three boys. (The adoption for the older two was final in December, as well!) Cody was so cute at the Olive Garden after the Temple. He was so proud that he was part of an ETERNAL family! What a great month for Jon and his family (aside from the stomach flu...) So proud!

And here it is January of 2007! You know, I haven't even thought of what I would like my resolutions to be yet! It has taken a bit to get into the new year. After the family was gone, it was our turn for the stomach flu! First Hanna, then Jared and then Owen had two waves of it! NOT FUN! Spencer felt naucious a bit, but never actually threw up. And I have managed (so far! Knock on wood!) not to get it at all. It has been very spread out though (one a week), so I hope it's gone for good!

Ahhh, so the kids are back in school now... except for Owen. (His preschool doesn't start back up again until March.) So my days are spent: getting the house back in order, playing Lego Star Wars with Owen, doing Suduku to relax, playing games with Owen, and regulating play time on the new Gamecube! Lego Star Wars (the video game) was on the top of the boys lists this year. Isn't Santa nice to have gotten that for them!

I will post some pictures next time. I'm pretty proud of myself for getting this far tonight!