Spud hats that Alicia and AJ brought back for the kids from the Las Vegas bowl. They wore them around all day.

Allright I keep saying I'll get better at this, but clearly I'm not very good at following thru. But when you have four kids, lots of things are hard to follow thru with. Know that my intentions are good and I've made it a goal for the year.
Speaking of goals, here are a few for the year-
-Read all of the Sunday school and RS lessons before Sunday
-Read the Ensign all the way through each month (our Bishop has made it a goal for each family member to read the age appropriate magazine each month). I used to do really well with this until I started reading other stuff a lot. I need to realize I can do both.
-Get more organized. I have a schedule I'm working on-like bills on Fri., one load of laundry a day (including folding!), clean a bathroom a day, and a few other things. I've already done the laundry part this week (although I skipped the folding one day), and I've made a meal calendar (which is a HUGE deal for me).
-Get in better shape by eating better and making it to the gym three days a week instead of two! We had a FHE this week on goals and dad had us all write them down and we sealed them in an envelope and asked each other how we could help one another. I told them to make me go even if I don't feel like it!
-Stick to our budget!

One of dad's was that he was going to take the stairs ever time at work. This a lot since he works on the 4th floor. And he wants us to encourage him to work out in the garage a few times a week.
Peanut included learn to read and write better.
Bubba had work on penmanship and stop biting his nails!
JP had read The Friend and scriptures more.
All in all a good activity.

In other news we rang in the New Year with a bang. B's step-mom Susan came up the Tues. before to hang out with the kids and visit. She watched the kids Weds. night while B and I went to the grocery store on a "date". Then Thurs. night we went to the mall to use some of my Christmas money and out to dessert. Fri. she and I and the kids went to Kohls because they were having a big sale on kids clothes and both the older boys needed long sleeved shirts and jeans. Bubba chose skinny jeans much to my disappointment, but I later realized how cute they look on him. We went to Hobby Lobby in the same parking lot afterwards and she got a ton of art stuff for her and the kids to do that night for their "party". They got lots of stencils and a couple of little art books that Peanut could learn to draw simple things. I got some scrapbook paper and a soap dispenser for our upstairs bathroom that says "Paris" on it-it was all half price and I only spent $12-which is a big deal since the soap thing was $10 and scrapbook paper and stickers can be really expensive. Yay for deals!

I got a text at the store from my good friend Tiffany while we were out. She and I have been friends since we were neighbors and both pregnant with JP and her little girl. All of the other girls from our group have moved away now. She said they were having a party that night and it would be great if we could come because she was having a midnight wedding. My jaw dropped. I was so thrilled for her. She went through a really nasty divorce last year with guy who was "technically" a member, but was always inactive and started drinking, doing drugs and gallavanting around. She has two small children and he put her through a lot of fighting over the kids. He did it out of spite. She finally got custody in May and after all of that, he moved to Colorado! Anyway, several months ago she met a wonderful guy who was a recent convert. He had three children from a previous marriage as well. So they decided to get hitched at midnight because she told him after everything she had gone through she couldn't get married before 2011, so he suggested midnight! We had already planned to go to another party that was a sort of going away party for some other friends. So we made an early date of it by going to dinner and a movie and then heading to the first party. Then around 11:30 we went over to the wedding. She looked so happy and beautiful and I actually got a little misty eyed. The Bishop married them and they actually have big vacation planned for June in Hawaii where they will get sealed! We realized that night that in the 12 years we've been married that we've never once been out for New Year's!



Grandma Susan had a huge spread of food and treats for the kids, treats, hats and horns, and crafts and movies planned. They were still awake at midnight. But by the time we got home around 12:45 am, Coconut had passed out on the couch. Crazy kids!

Susan also gave them all silly bands and Coconut hasn't taken his off since that night! Even for a bath! He's also wearing Peanut's big boy shorts in this picture.

We hung out and vegged on Sat. and then she left Sun. morning. Tues. brought Grandma Randall. She flew in for a funeral that is in the Eastern part of the state, but stopped for a visit here first. The kids were thrilled to have two grandparents in a week and JP asked when Papa Larry was coming. We had just seen my mom last month at my brother's homecoming. Grandma took us to dinner that night and then yesterday I took advantage of her and went to the gym, then got my hair done and then we went out to PF Changs to use a Christmas giftcard. We've been spoiled to go on so many dates in the last week! Thanks again to both Grandmas. JP started swimming on Mon. night and so thrilled about it. He has a lot to learn because he keeps bending his legs while swimming. He has a doctor's appt. this afternoon. He seems to be doing great. Wow this was long. Sorry. This is why I have my goal to write more so you're not sitting here forever reading, or get discouraged and give up halfway through!

**Edit- I forgot to mention that somewhere in there JP got sick-again. It was in the middle of the night after the New Year's Feast. It was from eating too much and getting too excited. B woke up to him yelling for dad. He went in and quickly came and woke me up. I went in and he said, "I don't even know where to start." We both stood there for a minute assessing the situation. JP wiped his arm off, cleaned up his face, and changed his pjs. We sent him off to sleep in the playroom where Bubba was sleeping. Instead of throwing up on his bed and blankets like we've instructed him to do if he can't make it to the toilet, he leaned over the side of the top bunk where he sleeps and threw up all over the stairs and onto the carpet. We've never seen so much puke. Sorry to be so gross. It was stuck in the cracks of the wood even. It was super hard to clean up. We opted to wait on the carpet until morning because of the pieces of "things" that were in it and needed to be dry to clean up. Needless to say, because it dried, the smell wouldn't come out. No matter how many different cleaners I put on it. He slept in the playroom for a couple of days while I continued to try. Finally I thought to go get that powdered stuff you put on the carpet and vaccum up to freshen up the room. It worked! He was finally able to move back in the other night. I told him that if he ever did that again he was going to permanently sleep in the garage. He got very sad, so I had to clarify that I was totally kidding. ***