It's a brand new year!!

Okay... Lately my postings have been random. Today I have reflected on some of the things that have happened over the last month since Charles has been home. Most of these I haven't even mentioned on here. I'm gonna give a few highlights and have Charles post some pictures for me.

After we returned from California, Cody's teacher asked Charles if he would come and speak to a room full of kindergartners! She wanted him in full uniform and all. I was the one that had actually put the uniform idea in her head! Charles was super bugged about it. He was trying to figure out if he had all the crap he needed to put his uniform together and of course he didn't. We walked over to the school the day before the break and he was completely out of army regulations! I told him not to worry since we were in the middle of Utah and nobody would know what a proper uniform would look like. Especially a room full of 5 year olds! They didn't really care what he had to say and most had no idea we were even STILL fighting a war.

Charles had no idea what to say to a bunch of little kids since he hasn't been around too many in a while! They sang him some patriotic songs and I think I had the most fun of all! Cody was just glad to have his dad home and Charles was just glad to get the heck out of there!

We had some family pictures done outside a couple of days after Christmas and it was FREEZING! We all had watery eyes and red faces! You can totally see in the pictures how cold and miserable we were.






We did get some good ones though and we have amazingly gorgeous kids! :) Can't complain.

Charles got a new video camera for Christmas and we've been getting some good videos on it! Like the one today of Cody snow tubing. We were at Lomond View park and there are 2 sides to sled down. The less steep hill was crowded so ALL of my boys went to the steep side to go down. Charles loaded up the safe sled with Charlie, his brother Matt and himself and headed down. Cody thought it looked pretty darn fun so he went right behind them on his little saucer! Well Cody got to the end of the hill where it dips and he flips off of his saucer into the air and lands face first on the ice!



Poor kid got a bloody nose and scraped the crap out of his cute, little face.

Charles ran over to him to see how he was when he noticed all the blood and had to figure out what orifice the blood was coming from. He cried for a bit but was ok and braved going down the safer hill once again. After his 5th or 6th time down, after his accident, he slid down and was standing at the bottom of the hill when another sledder took him out and accidentally knocked him to the ground. This time it was his head that got knocked and he was definitely finished after that!

Yesterday I put my domestic abilities to use and baked some homemade bread.

I used to make it all the time but put a halt on it when Charles left. Something had to go and the bread was it. But...my skills are gonna get started again. It turned out fabulous and it made me feel good since I really don't like to cook (I do like to bake though). I was reading a blog the other day and the person was writing about how they love to cook and they had made some squash soup and a lemon fritatta. I felt a little inferior but quickly realized I have 5 males that would NEVER eat that even if I did make it. Good for those people that love to cook like that and be adventurous! Oh yeah...today I made some delicious oatmeal peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that didn't require flour! I got the recipe from my friend Rachel. They were tasty. I haven't decided if I should slap her or hug her for that recipe!

We rode the frontrunner to temple square on Monday night this week. That was fun! On the way back to the frontrunner station, on the TRAX and after the lights, there was a homeless man on the TRAX train. He totally had a joint hanging out of his mouth! He was barely awake while riding the train. He got off at the frontrunner station, smoked his joint and got back on the TRAX after he smoked it. Doesn't have money for a house but had money for marijuana! But who am I to judge?

Anyway, this posting is seriously long so I better stop writing. I just had some reflecting I was doing and wanted to write it all down. There's more that has gone on in our last month but those were some of the fun highlights of the last 2 weeks. I love my family and we have had so much dang fun since Dec. 5th. I love being the only chic in a house full of good looking boys!