on this blog and in every aspect of my life but I don't see it changing any time soon. :)
December was fun because of all the Christmasy stuff going on (parties and music and decorations and such) but very busy and all of the kids were sick twice! They all got something, got better, then got something else! All at different times and different sicknesses, so I was nursing everybody ALL MONTH! But the biggest blessing is that I didn't get sick at all! Ben even got a cold after Thanksgiving and then another one at Christmas.
We spent Christmas with Ben's family in Dallas and then after a day at home, my dad drove down to drive up to Kansas with me and then drove back down with me and then drove home. Yes, he's crazy and such a good dad and grandpa! He didn't want me to have to travel alone with the kids. Our drive up there was the worst ever! Lucas slept MAYBE 45 minutes and cried 80% of the time. Sometimes he'd just yell and I'd turn around to look at him and he's SMILE so big! He was adorable! Then if I wasn't feeding him or paying attention to him, he made a LOT of noise! A dr visit after that trip found an ear infection, so I'm not too upset at him anymore. ;) Anyway, I bet Dad was regretting this trip! The way home was TONS better.
While in Kansas, my dad told me he was getting remarried. I had been upset about the prospect but then I just felt so peaceful about it. I think my mom was sending me vibes of, "It's ok, don't worry," and I've felt good about it since. We are planning to go up to Kansas in March for the wedding and I'm helping to plan it a bit. Trying to focus on all the positives of the situation. I am sure missing my mom these days.
Jill & Miranda are happy to be back in school. They loved the break but they love school too. The best part of the break was getting to see Daddy so much.
Natalie is back to doing joy school and is amazing me with what she can learn, memorize, and remember from week to week. She just learned the 1st Article of Faith and recited it at church to get a sticker and a sucker! :) She did it so easily, she could probably have done it a long time ago but I didn't realize it.
Lucas is SO AWESOME! He has been my hardest, high maintenance baby but he is really getting into a happy and fun phase and I am SO GRATEFUL! He just smiles and talks and wanders around (super speedy crawling or cruising around) and he LOVES his Daddy and his sisters and not just me! He's actually good with babysitters too but when I come in the door he squeals so loud and starts clapping! Can't beat that response! :) My "little" Lucas is looking more and more like a big boy these days. He is standing on his own quite a bit and I actually just watched him stand, bend over to pick up a ball, and place the ball on a chair without holding on to anything. :) The little cutie is going to just take off walking any time now but I am in no hurry. He has been so slow to do certain things like put ANYTHING in his mouth. No little toys, crayons, etc. Awesome! Don't have to worry about the choking hazards! But... he wouldn't put a Cheerio or pacifier or bottle in his mouth either! Seriously! Luckily he overcame that and started holding his own bottle at 11 months (finally!) and started the oral stage right before his birthday and now I have to be careful of everything but at least he can feed himself! Yay! I think he was just lazy but now he realizes he'll get stuff faster if he does it himself! :) His birthday was kind of sad. He was sick and he didn't feel like eating cake and he didn't know how to put anything in his mouth yet, so he just squeezed his cupcake in his fists and made a mess and then had a fun bath. ;) Not much of a party. We may have to celebrate a half birthday for him in June!
I think 2011 is going to be a great year for our family and I'm determined to get myself healthier (not a new year's goal, just a necessity since I've had a few minor health issues that can be fixed with diet and exercise, so I'm committed!). One of my wonderful friends is helping me and keeping me going, so I plan to be successful! ;) I got super busy toward the end of last year and hope to keep a little more balanced this year. Always hard for me! I can't say no! I did 4 Christmas class parties (and I only have 2 children in school!) and things got a little crazy with sick kiddos and commitments at the school. Luckily Ben took a sick day to take care of our kids, so I could do school parties for other people's kids. Yeah, crazy. :) But it's fun and I love it.
I'm still the Primary pianist and I must be improving somewhat because people keep asking me to accompany them and I guess that's a good thing??? :)
Ben got an Ipod Touch for his birthday since his last year's Christmas present Ipod stopped working and we found out it was a fake! We got refunded since it was a knockoff and so he got an Ipod Touch this time (a real one). :) The girls have had a blast playing on it (whenever they can get it away from Daddy) and I got a new Android phone (just the free one for renewing my contract) and now they love to play with that too. So if you try to call me and can't get through, it's probably because the kids have my phone. :)
I got an electric blanket for Christmas and it was my favorite gift! :) I love crawling into a warm bed in the winter time! My dad bought us a Wii and we bought a trampoline, so we are feeling pretty spoiled around here with fun stuff to use when we spend time together.
Other than not seeing my husband enough, I really can't complain. Life is good and keeps getting better. I hope you are all happy too! I will post pictures soon!
