Mom/Sydney Day

Sydney and I got a special afternoon all to ourselves on Monday while Wynn was at school and Abby napped. She didn't have school since it was MLK day. We used to get to have special Mom/Sydney time everyday when Wynn was a baby so this was a awesome treat. Sydney was excited about her dad's new perm and wanted me to roll her hair too. So we started off talking and putting her hair in curlers. Then we finished off a project we have been working on together since the beginning of the school year. It is a Minnie Mouse coin purse and Sydney hand sewed more than half of it herself! She is so proud of her creation. Sydney loves to learn not only at school but at home. She beams with joy when either Andy or I teach her how to do what we are doing, and she has been wearing her purse with pride every day since. She has many talents and I'm excited to keep teaching her new skills as she grows and is able to do more and more with Andy and I. It was a special day. I love hearing her thoughts and ideas and seeing her have fun. Love you Sydney!

Belated Blanco

I guess I never posted about our most recent addition to the family, Blanco! Our bishop's wife that lives a few doors down invited us in to see her bunny about 4 months ago when we stopped by. As soon as the kids got down to see him, she dropped the..... "Do you want a bunny?  I can't keep him anymore!" She tricked me because she must have sensed I can never turn animals down. So we went home and said we'd "talk" about it when Andy and I already both knew I was hooked. We spent that weekend building a rabbit hutch and having Sydney read every book I could find at the library on bunny care. Blanco came home with us three days later and he is such a sweet, sweet boy. He only took a few days to adjust to the kids and he and Nemesis even tolerate each other. He is definitely not scared of Nemesis and almost taunts her sometimes as he darts back and forth in front of where she is laying. Blanco loves broccoli and kale but mostly eats hay and pellets. He is litter trained which is super awesome and Sydney is learning responsibility by being in charge of feeding him and cleaning his litter box twice a week. We have a gate up in front of the kids doorways so they can let him out to run around. He even manages to hop up into their beds and cuddle in the blankets sometimes. Abby loves him and always wants to give him treats. His favorite thing though is to sit by you and have you rub under his ears. What a sweet bunny boy!

Sledding

I took the kids up the mountain by our house to sled with some friends over Christmas break. I was happy to see that my car actually made it all the way up this year with the winter tires on. Last year we had to hike up to the end of the road because my car slipped too much.  There was quite a bit of powder up there so the kids had a lot to play in! Abby however didn't like sledding as much. She loved watching the kids slide down, she giggled and said, "RIDE!" When I slid with her though she cried. I think she didn't like the powder flying up onto her face. Then over New Years we end sledding out behind Kim's house and took Abby to a smaller hill and she was a lot happier there. She still only went with us though. We'll probably have a few more chances to go this year so maybe she'll like to slide on little hills by herself by the end of winter.

Christmas 2016

It appears that I hardly took any pictures of Christmas this year. At first I was a bit disappointed but then I thought, 'How fitting that there we didn't really take pictures that focused on the presents or the food because we didn't this year. This Christmas was our first Christmas alone with just our family of five and it was very different than our other Christmas'. It was such a joy for Andy and I to be able to talk about what we wanted to see our family get out of this Christmas and how we could accomplish that. Christmas Eve and Christmas day were very simple and very low key. We started a few family traditions we'd like to carry on from year to year and simply enjoyed each other's company and did a few festive things together that the kids enjoyed. We chose to have no TV time except for one family Christmas movie and we spent several different activities talking about our Savior and what Christmas really means. Christmas morning went as slow as the kids wanted and everyone seemed to be happy and having fun. I feel so thankful for the joy and peace we felt in planning our Christmas with purpose and making a great effort to simply enjoy each other and the spirit Christmas time can bring into our home. Christmas for me is a time of hope and renewal. Christ's infant birth reminds me of the innocence and joy my Father in Heaven wants for us all. I am overwhelmed this year with his awareness of my family, of me and his love. We've been really trying to simplify and focus on our family and the things that matter most and it was already reaped great rewards. I love my Savior and His Father, who sent Him to earth to save us all. I am so grateful for the Savior's birth and that he came to bring hope and peace to all of us on earth and the opportunity to keep trying and learning to follow his example throughout my life.