January Happenings

It's always hard to leave family & friends in Utah, but there is just something about coming home from a long trip that is so refreshing. Getting to sleep in your own beds, getting the kids back into a routine, getting myself back into a routine is wonderful. It's just nice to be home. Of course there's not much down time as you jump back into real life. January was a busy month for us too. We did get in lots of play as the weather was really nice. In fact, it was a bit chilly. But we don't mind wearing our jackets & cant forget about our cowboy boots. :)

We love going to the park for picnics & play. I sure love these two cuties of mine.

Gavin got to bring the class friend Beary home for the weekend. He sure loves having Beary in our home & having him help around the house & play. The boys were helping Doug fix his tire & Gavin said, "Beary wants to help too!".

  Taking a break from work for a little R&R in the hammock.

  

We now have 9:00AM church so we have all afternoon to hang out as a family. We love being outdoors so we decided to take a family bike ride to the park.

Gavin did really well riding the entire 2 miles to the park. But after playing on the playground those legs just wouldn't work on the way home. It was taking forever to get home because he just kept stopping. So...Doug decided to give himself a 'side car'. Haha!

Liam goofing around with Dad's 'Billy Bob' teeth. So funny lookin!

All of us girlies surprised Brittany with a little baby shower in the park for her & her little man that was about to make his appearance. It was fun that she had no idea. She thought that just a few of us were going to the park to play. It's so fun when your friends are having babies & getting together to celebrate.

She had her baby that weekend on Saturday January 18th. Doug & I were able to go to the hospital to visit & meet cute little Dempsey Rhodes. Brittany as you can see looks way to good for just having had a baby. And I was in heaven holding that perfect angel. He really is the most beautiful newborn baby I think I've ever seen.

And speaking of babies, mine is not so much a baby anymore. It amazes me how big Liam is getting. And seeing him change into a little boy is so fun, but a little hard at the same time. These jammies are the cutest & I love it when he wears them. There is just something about tight jammies on kids that make me happy. :)

Such a cute wittle 'bear bum'!

Doug took Gavin camping with the scouts so I had to come up with something to keep Liam happy. Because let me tell you, he was ANGRY that he couldn't go with them.

 Thank goodness for Merry-Go-Rounds! This was actually his first time ever being on one. He loved it!

The weather really has been perfect lately. Liam wanted to play outside so while he jumped, I read in the hammock. Can't beat a January day like this can ya?

Gavin was complaining that his mouth hurt so I began to inspect. Found another canker sore. Poor kid is just like his mama. We are prone to those things & it's awful. He made me take a picture of course so he could see it himself. Haha!

We had been reading the Gingerbread Man book for a few days & the boys asked if they could make their own gingerbread men. Luckily, I had a packaged mix in the cupboard & could actually say, "Yes!". :)

On Saturday the 31st, we went to Plantation Heritage Park to ride the hayride & roast some mallows. It was a lot of fun for the kids & we were happy to be there with a bunch of our friends.

 And ya gotta make a s'more when you're roasting marshmallows. Liam devoured his!

 All 12 kiddos from just 5 families (minus one baby)

 And that night the boys definitely out numbered the girls so it was reason for a 'boys only' shot. Gotta love my crazy Liam there screaming his head off! Haha.

I had to go in & wake Liam early from a nap one day & this is how I found him. How is that remotely comfortable? Love those little toes.

Nothing beats a good ol' fashioned get on your knees & mop the floor. There really is something so satisfying about doing it this way. Probably because it doesn't happen all that often. :)

We work out every morning while the boys eat breakfast. And I just love it when they want to do it with us. One morning after returning home from dropping Gavin off at school, Liam insisted that he 'FOCUS'. So I tried to just get him to do some push ups with me, but that was not good enough. He kept pointing to the tv & saying, "Focus Mom, focus". So I turned it on & watched him get his work out on. I about died at the cuteness.

The boys love playing outside on their bikes & scooters. The newest obsession is the skateboard. Here they are after coming up with this version all on their own. :) I love watching them play together.