January

Just thought I would quickly update everyone (and by everyone I do mean the two people who actually look at this blog) on our month of January. What a long month-full of cold weather and dreary skies! I was thinking about how busy the month was and thought I would have tons to blog about, but when I got looking through my calendar, it wasn't as bad as I remember it. I think I just have a bad attitude this time of year or something, because I'm ready for a change or something!The boys got these puzzles for Christmas and now that we have ONE O'CLOCK church, I have to get a little creative about Sunday approved activities to entertain them. These puzzles took a good portion of our morning, and had me scratching my head more than a few times. I want to get a few more of these sized puzzles since they fit perfectly in a cookie sheet. It's easy to move them, put them up somewhere, or even work on it in a car. Addison had obviously just gotten out of the tub, but wanted to be included in the puzzle picture.

The first Sunday of the new year-I had Damien snap a few pictures of the kids WHO JUST WON'T STOP GROWING!
After church Damien, a.k.a. Best Daddy Ever, let his girls do his hair. He was blinking back tears every time Adds pulled one of those tiny ponytails through! :) We were glad we were able to attend McKenna's (Megan's little girl)
4th birthday party! She chose to go to Leo's for pizza and playing. It was lots of fun. Addison and Gabe (the little boy I watch) had fun in the big jungle gym thing, well Gabe did anyway. Addison still gets a little nervous in those situations, even with all those helpful cousins around! We played in the arcade part for a long time and loved seeing Grandma Baldwin and Kate hit the jackpot on tickets!
These girls loved the little cars and trucks and Eden liked to sit on it even when it wasn't going!

I know this is a blurry picture, it is one my mom had taken with her hit-and-miss camera then scanned in by me, but I wanted to post it anyway. Eden loves her big sis so much and has really started copying everything she does! This is a great moment to capture. I love my little girls!
On Monday, the 17th, there was no school for Martin Luther King Day so my sisters and mom had planned on taking everyone rollerskating in Pocatello but McKoy and I were feeling a little under the weather. They were nice enough to take Addison and Carter with them though and they were lucky to go to Johnny B Good's afterwards. Looks like Addison and Ledger really enjoyed their shakes!
Some of my mom's sisters (Geraldine, Linda, and Ruby) came to visit one Sunday when we all happened to be there for dinner. It was fun catching up with them-they are hilarious and very fun to talk to! Eden really took to Aunt Gerry, as you can see from this picture and actually feel asleep on her while being held! Seriously, I could count on one hand how many times she's ever done this, so Aunt Gerry should feel very special-she has the touch!

Eden is OBSESSED with getting the toilet paper out of the bathroom. I have TONS of pictures just like this-it's actually a daily occurrence in the Smith household. And we all die laughing when she balls it all up with her chubby little hands and blows her nose! (well, I laugh AFTER I count to ten and remind myself she's little and that I should have shut the bathroom door again...)

Just a couple funny snapshots of my cute kids-they were eating big marshmallows (I know-super healthy, huh) and being super silly. I couldn't get Eden to hold still long enough to catch her cute little face, hence the blurriness surrounding her!
We got sick during the month of January! I mean, s.i.c.k. It started with poor little McKoy, who could barely lift his head from his pillow. Then I got it BAD, and felt for sure I was going to die. It was strep throat, but I think we had a strand of flu too or something, because it was seriously bad! Thankfully, I had sisters who brought me dinners and stayed with me when my husband had to stay late for stuff-Marie even cleaned my bathrooms! (I was so embarrassed but super grateful when I came to and realized she had been at my house for a few hours, feeding my kids and cleaning!!!) Addison got it next, followed by Eden, and this all happened within the same few days. It's really hard to take care of four kids when you can barely get out of bed, by the way.
Poor sick little buddies-they layed next to each other watching Beauty and the Beast and hardly moved at all. It's sad watching your babies not feel good.
Oh, and yes, I feel just about as good as I look...
Carter had his Pine Wood Derby this month. Damien helped him cut it out and Carter did a great job painting it. We really didn't know what we were doing, and since Damien had a basketball game in North Fremont, I felt some pressure to make sure my son's confidence didn't get crushed. I don't know who was more nervous, me or Carts, but he sure had fun and thought his car was sweet!


Yeah, so Carts didn't win a race, not one, but he sure thought getting "Best Chrome Job" award was sweet! He was lucky enough to have Grandpa Baldwin, Grandpa Smith, Tammie, and Colter come cheer on his car, which helped the sting of not having his dad there.

Another thing that happened this month was we had to get our van fixed! Back in December, Damien hit a deer, messing up the front driver's side. We had decided to just drive it like that, saving us from spending the $500 for the deductible. Well, the day of Carter's Pine Wood Derby, I was driving to my mom's to meet Marie who had car weights and graphite to use on his car, when the hood somehow unlatched, slammed up into the windshield, shattering it and denting the grill. And instead of it costing us $500, it cost us $750, because they made us file two separate claims, even though the 2nd accident happened because of the 1st one. Fun stuff!

I had to snap a picture of these two before we went to one of their dad's games. I know I'm A LITTLE bias, but aren't these the cutest sisters ever?!?!? And sporting their blue and gold...love it!
Basketball season is now over. They had a great season, ending up 14-9. The team made Damien a quilt and gave me a nice thank you note and a gift certificate for a pedicure. That was nice of them to recognize the time we put into making their season great! Here's some pictures of Senior Night, there last home game. My brother Nicholas and his family came, as well as Damien's mom, Karen and her friend Mike, who drove all the way from Utah and then back again that night. Damien loves coaching, and does a great job at it too. He did a nice job on his little impromptu "speech" when he was handed the microphone, too.

Addison is LOVING being a Sunbeam. She got a chance to give her first talk this month. She did a GREAT job and spoke loud and clear. I had to speak in Sacrament Meeting the same Sunday, and she thought it was pretty cool both her and her mom had to "give talks".
I guess we had more going in January than I first thought. I am thankful we are able to stay busy and that we are all healthy now. Hope you enjoyed the update!