random january happenings

I always feel like January can go two ways: 1) super-blah due to post-holiday depression and cold, cloudy weather 2) super-productive due to the fact that the holidays are over and we have time to do things for a change.  This year January was 1/2 of each. 

The first two weeks were terrible.  It was so cold, so cloudy.  I was beat from hosting the holidays and trying to get everything done for the kids.  I took a lot of naps and did hardly anything.  Very uncharacteristic of me.  

Hudson officially entered the "don't put me down stage", which makes being productive so hard.  

We had our annual budget conversation.  It takes a lot of ice cream and brownies to get through budget conversations.  For the most part they aren't too terrible, but I am married to an accountant, and, while I like to stick to a budget, I like a lot more flexibility in my budget than Chris does.  He likes to break things down a lot more than I do... hence the need for brownies and ice cream. 

This is a random picture one of the kids took of me while I was giving them a lecture one day.  Not sure what it was about.  Probably something along the lines of "pick up your stuff and do your work".  I just thought it was funny to see what their perspective of me must be.  

Hudson has a new love for trash.  He especially loves cans because they make a cool sound when he crinkles them. 

Hudson also really, really loves waiting in the car.  It's so much fun, not.  AHHHHHH!  I try to avoid spending too much time just sitting in the car, but when the weather is really cold, or every Monday and Wednesday when Colton has speech for 30 minutes and there isn't really anywhere to go for 30 minutes, we wait in the car and it usually turns into a wrestling match.  Sometimes it involves windshield wipers and hazard lights.  

Madison came home from school one day totally elated.  She had scored 100 on her math CBA (which is a test regulated by the school district that all the kids have to take each quarter).  This test, in particular, was a doozey.  We realized about 6 days before the test that Madison was completely unprepared.  Her math teacher has had some health problems this year and his teaching has been somewhat inconsistent.  The biggest issue was that Madison was supposed to do double digit multiplication on this test, and she didn't even know her basic facts.  I can't even explain the drama and crying involved in studying for that thing. We crammed hard for that test, and we were both thrilled that she brought home a 100.   She got ice cream to celebrate.  

One morning Colton asked me if we could go on a date to chick-fil-a for lunch.  Who can say "no" to a cute kid like that?

Hudson had his 12 month check up.  He's in 12th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight (I think).  He really liked doing tricks in the mirror.  

We also babysit our friends' kids overnight while they went to a concert.  For 24 hours we had 8 kids. It wasn't too bad.  We took them home to sleep at their own house.  The kids all played together really well and Chirs was home, so I had reinforcement.  The kids loved it, though!

Then after two weeks of solid cloud cover and low temperatures the sun came out!  It was a great day when we saw our shadows again!

Then January got really, really productive.  Not sure what sparked it all, probably too much time resting, but suddenly we all got busy.  Chris decided he wanted to learn how to build furniture and his first project was building the boys a bunk bed.  

 

 We all helped.  I know projects go faster when I'm helping, plus I want to know how to do things, too, so it was a group project.  

We switched to 9 a.m. church for the first time in over 3 years.  It's been fabulous, because now we get Sunday naps!!  See how happy I am about my sunday nap?!!!

 Hudson got busy making dinner time even more hectic.  His new favorite activity is destroying the pantry.  

Then he switches to making me hold him while I cook.  

Then he goes back to destroying the pantry even more.  He takes his destroying job very seriously.  

I brought Jaxon lunch at school.  The boys seriously love having lunch together.  They can't wait until they go to school together next year!  They got these glasses in their happy meal.  So funny.

Hudson figured out how to turn on the space heater and make it blow into his face.   He thinks it's really funny.  

I was going to include the whole month of January in this post, but with all the projects we did I don't really have room.  So there's the first half.  Stay tuned for January part 2. (Hopefully coming sometime before April.)