January 2014

• The kids started school back up and I found a little of my sanity again. 
• We got a new Sister Missionary in our Ward and she looks a lot like my little sister Cozette!
• Dylan started choir.
• Alivia started going to a before-school art club.
• Isaac graduated Nursery and was moved to Sunbeams in church this year.  It is not going well at all!  We have late church which doesn't help since it runs during his much needed nap time.  
• Abrielle walks everywhere if she is assisted, but staunchly refuses to walk on her own. 
• I built a table for a nook in our wall.  I stained it and white washed it and it came out the most gorgeous grey color, I LOVED it!  Then I quickly realized that even though I loved, loved, loved the grey, it looked very unattractive next to my beige and chocolate walls.  so even though it tore me up inside I just painted the thing white so I could be done with it, but now it's white I'm thinking I should just go all out crazy and paint it a bold color like turquoise or coral or some sort of vibrant green.

• My Sister Cozette asked me months ago to crochet her some headbands, I am glad to finally say I finished them! The original ones she fell in love with and wanted were knitted so I did my best to recreate the look with crochet, they turned out really cute (at least I think so)!

• We actually had a few hard freezes down here in last little while and I lost all my plants (and my temper) seriously, its hot like 9 months a year here I didn't/don't want to spend the three nice months we have freezing!  I am however still enjoying my blood oranges that are currently hanging from a leafless tree in my back yard.  They taste heavenly, even though they aren't totally ripe!

• Abbie's had a rough month, mobility definitely has taken it's toll on her little forehead.  She managed to get three separate goose bumps in one day!

• We finally took Alivia out for her Birthday dinner.  She requested that we go to Clay's Restaurant.  The foods nothing special but it's not terrible either.  The kids however love the outside sandpit and petting zoo.  I laughed and shuddered a little when I first heard of an eating establishment and a petting zoo that were one in the same, but it is a fun family experience none-the-less.  Isaac and Alivia especially loved the pony ride.

We went to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 after dinner and then finished the night off with an ice cream cone (which we actually suspect wasn't ice cream at all, but frozen whipped cream) from Sonic.

• The weather has been bi-polar the last week or so.  Sunny and warm one day and bitter cold freezing the next.  The kids school was cancelled on Friday because we had rain and freezing temps which iced over all the freeways and over passes.  I thought it was totally crazy that they cancelled school, but I guess they were being safe...
• I finally busted out the new bike trailer, (which I had Dylan assemble for me) and the kids and I have loved getting out for bike rides!  
•  After a few years of trying I think I finally made a Tikka Masala that is just as good as anything you'd find at any restaurant. Hooray!
• The Mr. had another "Go live Weekend"  (which means he wasn't home for a 24 hour period) so the kids and I did our best to entertain ourselves Friday evening without his presence.  Little Ceasars Pizza and a few rounds of Wii Party seemed to do the trick.
• The kids had a second "Snow Day", because of cold temps. I know I'll regret saying this, but is it time for warm weather yet?  I have a sneaky suspicion that it's going to be winter one day and Summer the next.  I just wanted a month or two of decent enjoyable weather.
• The Mr. found an incredible deal on a Table Saw and bought me one, other than a Lathe and a few other unnecessary but very cool saws, I think I now own every piece of woodworking equipment I could ever want.  
• I finished building and installing the baby gate for our stairs.  I used the wood from the twin box spring we deconstructed a few weeks back, to build the baby gate.  I didn't want to drill into the banisters to secure the gate so I built a frame and then used heavy duty zip ties to secure the frame to the newel posts. I was going for the picket fence look.  I originally dreamed that I would paint it white and distress the heck out of it so that it would look chippy and weathered, but since it's cold outside I'm putting off painting it.   I used a natural vinegar and black tea stain on the reclaimed wood and it almost perfectly matches the color of the banisters. 
  
  
  
  
  

  • Alivia and Dylan both brought home wonderful report cards.  Dylan made the Honor Roll this semester.  That is huge for him.  I'm so pleased!
    
    
    
    
    
  • Abrielle got tired of hearing me tease her about not walking on her own and decided to give it a shot.  She's rather funny and zombie like about the whole thing.  She is still really unsure of herself and prefers to crawl where ever she needs to, but on rare occasion when she thinks nobody is looking, she'll toddle across a room.  It's just a matter of gaining some self confidence and she'll be running along with her brothers and sister.