A Whole New Year!

WARNING: Lots of writing! You're warned so no complaints!

It's been 6 months and I have had a long 6 months to contemplate what I want to do with my blog. I've thought of just stopping all together, because it's not my favorite past time and I feel pressure to keep it up. I don't always have 30 or 40 minutes to devote to editing my pictures,

coming up with cute phrases or captions, and/or sitting down in general at the big computer.

I've also thought of trying to keep up weekly, not going to happen I'm way too dang lazy. So I've come up with an idea. I'll do a month by month run down of what has happened in our family. I think I've always said this blog is mainly for our family to keep a record of the things that have happened in our crazy life and I'd like to keep it that, mostly for us but for others to enjoy as well. I'm glad to have these memories documented especially since last year our computer crashed and I have tried to recover all of our pictures but haven't been able to retrieve 2009, the entire year. So for the 3 people who read my blog or blog surf to see what's going on with us I will try not to disappoint, if I do I'm sorry. It's my blog and I'll blog if I want to! :) Hope everyone is doing well, for the most part I keep up with most of my blog buddies on Facebook so I hear almost everyday how you are. Take care! Love to all!!

JANUARY

Actually December review first...

December 2-Ward Christmas Party-helped with food, slight nightmare with WAY to much food leftover. But glad to do service for the main activity.

December 15-Kids Christmas Singing Program-4th Graders: Reese sang- Where Are You Christmas? & Christmas Cookies 1st Graders: Lauren sang-Swingin Holiday & Angel Band. Ahbee took the day off and was able to come with Papa. Grandpa and Grandma Newcomer came as well. It was a fun morning. Lyndi was running a fever for a few days and was really sick that day so we took her to the doctors. We found out she had another double ear infection. This was her 3rd in 6 months. 2 more in 4 months and she'll be getting tubes.

December 16: Kids last day of school before Christmas break. Their teacher gifts were cute chalkboard painted pots with herbs. Both kids had parties. I helped in Lauren's class to sit and read books over and over to 4 different groups of kids. Those little munchkins are so cute and I love seeing Lo in her element.

December 24: Appetizer dinner at Trev and Ellen's for Christmas Eve. I came up with a scavenger hunt for the kids to find their presents. Everyone ended up being something from the nativity. Lacey had a friend that had made a ton of different costumes to re-enact the nativity. I video taped it, it's kind of funny. King Herod missed his part because he was munching on the snacks. We had a nice testimony/answering of questions provided by Lacey. Came home way to

late and stayed up till 3:45am getting Christmas ready. Hopefully that will not happen next year.

December 25: 9am Church. NO daddy to help get everyone ready, so I was a little bit late. Nice sacrament meeting with musical numbers and narrating by 2 members of our ward. Ryan sang with 3 other men, The First Noel. Of course we booked it home and changed right into our jammies, a Christmas tradition of ours. Except I wish I had taken a picture of all the kids in their grey and pretty magenta coordinating outfits! :( Oh well, I'll remember it forever and ever and ever... right? By the way I video taped all of Christmas present opening, no pictures!

December 26: Ryan, Reese and Lo went skiing all day! Snow wasn't great but the kids had all day lessons and are on their way to becoming pro's! P.S. No white Christmas for us, we haven't gotten a decent snow storm since October.

December 29-January 3: The Vehars were here!!! Reagan and Lauren spent almost every waking moment together. Lots and lots of sleepovers and quality time spent together. We tried going to The Legacy Hall at BYU, it was closed, we didn't realize that and Roo was pretty bummed. BUT I did find the yummiest best choco covered gummy bears I have ever tasted, seriously I have gone all over the place to find these. We had a blast while they were here. BYU played Tulsa in the Armed Forces Bowl and won by the skin of their teeth: 24-21.

NOW JANUARY

January 3-Kids went back to school! :( It was way to quick of a break. We all loved having the opportunity to sleep in and be lazy if we wanted.

January 7-Roo's first basketball game! I'll be honest this was super disappointing the very first time we showed up and it was basically monkey ball. 4th Graders running back and forth on the court with no clue what they were doing is slightly frustrating for me, the mom who played basketball all through Junior high and half of high school. I've lightened up a bit and Ryan helped me realize this is a good starting point for Reese. He loved it and got a few baskets that first game.

January 13-Lyndi's Birthday! She's 2, I can't believe we've made it to 2 and within a blink of an eye. It's baffling to me that 2 years ago I still had a baby and then had her. She was 2 1/2 weeks early but I was so glad to snuggle that sweet girl. It was a busy time for us. Ryan was newly called to be the Elders Quorum President and was somewhat stressed out with work and his calling. I don't remember much from those first few months. I can bet I was late to everything as I am now and most likely sleep deprived. I do remember endless amounts of time snuggling with my mini to soak up every last minute of her tiny littleness. Now she's a toddler as Ryan likes to remind me but I will always think of her as a baby. She'll always be my baby!

January 15- Our extremely large ward made it's much anticipated split. For months and months the speculations and rumors had been flying all over the place whether we were splitting and how. It was a somewhat weird split of boundaries which left a few upset but Sundays are so much better. It's sad not to see the friends I usually talk to only on a Sunday but that is life. Towards the end it was almost unbearable walking through the halls, I'm sure we were breaking all sorts of fire codes!

January 29- So as Ryan likes to put it, my punishment for asking to be released from being Jr. Primary Chorister calling, I was called to be the ward historian. In the beginning I thought this is cake, nothing to it, etc. I knew the main reason for my calling was to compile and create a fancy ward history book, which I knew when I was called in September wasn't due until January. The last sister who did it did the whole thing like a digital scrapbook. It was great and so nice. I thought, I can do that I know what I'm doing! I finished it the Friday before it was due and was elated that my 6 weeks of work was compiled and so pretty. I'm glad my bad luck didn't rub off in this situation and was completed and turned in without a hitch. I can't even remember the last time I had a huge project like this, probably high school!

January 31-Girls Night Out/Birthday dinner with girlfriends. Cheesecake Factory-oh so yummy in my tummy!

See you in February!!