I don't know about the rest of you, but January is by far the LONGEST month of the year for me. I think it's a combination of the busy-ness/excitement of the holidays being over, Utah winters, and no fun holidays. Eric's birthday is in January, and while that is fun, it doesn't seem to carry me through the month. Megan being in school twice a week has helped a lot this year. Also, I've tried to plan something fun for the kids and I to do a couple times a week. It has been a little challenging with an 18 month old (since mine is so busy and loves to run away from me while laughing...) but we're still making it happen and it's going pretty well. It's been nice going into January this year knowing that I don't really love this month and planning accordingly. So, if any of you Utah blogger friends want to play, let me know, because we're always up for doing something fun!

And here to prove that while January might be the longest month of the year, it's certainly not the dullest; here are a few new "things" my kids have learned this month.

1. Play-Doh is fun for everyone! (And not for eating...):

2. When your sister doesn't finish her cereal (she likes to eat it dry with a cup of milk on the side, just like her Papa) you can just climb up on the table and finish it off for her after your nap:

3. Just like Buddy the Elf, Dane considers syrup to be one of the 4 main food groups:

4. If you hide under the desk with the chair pulled in, it takes Mom a few moments to notice that you're sneaking into the candy that Dad keeps in his scriptures:

5. Sometimes it's necessary to come downstairs to get Mom's help with all your wardrobe changes during "quiet time" :

I had been looking forward to the week of Christmas for a while. Both my brother and sister were going to be in-town for our step-sister's wedding and I had lots of fun things in mind that we could do, including a lot of baking. Well, as they say, "the best laid plans..." All of us except Eric caught a nasty bug instead and spent the better part of the week before Christmas on the couch and in the bathroom throwing up. I was so sick Eric ended up taking me to the ER to get some fluids and anti-nausea meds. I felt so bad for my brother and sister. I am sure this is not what they had in mind for their Christmas break.

We did manage to sneak some fun in though. Before the plague hit, Jill, Megan, and I attended The Nutcracker. Megan loved it and on the drive home she told us, "I wish I had a gun so I could die the rats." She also requested a playdate with Clara for days afterward. Needless to say, this is going to be an annual tradition with the girls.

Years ago, my family started a tradition of playing Monopoly on Christmas. Eric has won every single year. We were barely feeling up it on Christmas Eve, but played anyway and it was just as fun and "spirited" as years past. Jill was the spoiler and won! We've pretty much figured out the one thing you need to do in order to guarantee a win, which might have taken the fun out of it from now on, so we are thinking about moving on to another game next year. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Christmas morning and fun and crazy. Dane really loved ripping into presents, including ones that were not his own. We then went over to my dad and step-mom's for brunch and more presents. They have a dog and the kids LOVE to play with Blanca.

My oh so cute and talented (and single!) sister is graduating from college as a photography major in May and wanted me to take some pictures for her to use for her graduation announcement. I was happy to do that and try out my new 24-70 mm 2.8 lens that Santa got me for Christmas. It was cold, but we managed to have a little fun. Plus it was nice to have someone to take pictures of someone who follows directions.

Our Christmas wasn't quite as fun I had originally planned, but I was still able to spend it with my siblings, the kids loved their gifts, had fun with their uncle and aunt, and Eric was able to take a few days off of work, so all in all, not too bad.