January

The girls got to celebrate the New Year with a little independence.  Burke and I were both exhausted so we turned in around 11:00 but JJ and Zana were having so much fun playing video games we let them stay up.  They rang in the new year with a little dance party and then headed to bed all by themselves around 12:30.  They thought it was so cool!

We celebrated Burke’s 35th Birthday.  He needed some help blowing out all the candles on his cheesecake.  We went on a day trip to the Pro Football Hall of fame in Canton OH.  The seven hour round trip drive was long but the cool stuff we saw at the Hall of Fame made the drive worth it.  JJ’s interest in football was sparked. She especially loved all the rare Patriot’s memorabilia. The younger girls got to fill in NFL sticker books and that kept them busy.  The highlight of the day was getting a sneak peek at the Super Bowl trophy for the upcoming game.

Burke got a really big birthday present.  He traded in his Dodge for a different dream vehicle. . . A 1986 Toyota 4Runner.  It needs a little work but that is what Burke loves to do.  It ended up being a blessing that we sold the truck because the transmission in our mini van failed.  We were able to use the money we made on the truck to  help us upgrade to a Honda Odyssey.  I love my new van with leather, heated seats and lots of extra room for kids and cargo. 

Biddy loves riding with me in the new van.  We chat, sing, and laugh.  I enjoy  taking her on errands with me because she is so cute.  She talks to everyone and makes them smile.  Recently I took her to get her flu shot.  She was so horrible she had to be held down by two nurses and she screamed the whole time.  When it was finally over she dried her tears and then turned to the nurse and said “I was so brave.” The nurse laughed and gave her some stickers.  So when we saw another nurse she said the same and thing and lo and behold she got more stickers.  After making the rounds with the nurses she showed her sticker to the receptionist saying “I got my shot and I was so brave” .  She asked Biddy if she cried and she proudly responded “ No, I screamed.” She sure can make us smile. 

The Bellie  is growing by leaps and bounds. She is 7 moths and is speed crawling, pulling up on her knees and babbling like crazy. She loves to play with toys and the girls love paying with her.  With their help she is learning to pull up to a standing position.  She is eating more food and enjoying it.  We flew home to Utah for a week to visit family.  Everyone loved her. I was not surprised she is so happy and will cuddle with anyone. We love our girl!  

Eventually all kids find the garbage can . . .

JJ and Zana are having a blast playing in all the snow here in OH. I am still surprised when they bundle them selves up and head outside in the frigid cold with the neighborhood kids for hours. They go sledding on the hill at the park, build snowmen and forts and have lots of snowball fights. 

It is half way through the school year they are both doing awesome. JJ got to participate in an invention convention. She created a spray brush that sprays your hair with water and brushes it in one step. She got an A and said that a lot of kids really liked her invention. Reading has finally clicked for Zana. She is now reading above grade level and has the confidence that comes from being one of the best readers in her class.

It has been a great month and a very good start to the year 2013.