Oh January!

Every year just after Christmas I start singing in my head, "I Cry the Day I Take the Tree Down" from the Forgotten Carols. I have always felt sadness as all the decorations come down and the streets are no longer lit up with colorful lights. Generosity from complete strangers and good manners seem to disappear and we all get back to the rat race.

Then comes January and all the lofty goals are set of losing weight, going to bed earlier, reading more, cooking more, or whatever it may be, and we are rearing and ready to go for the best year of our lives by cutting out all those bad habits and replacing them with new desirable attributes.

But wait a minute then comes January 15th, and we realize we are still waisting too much time watching TV eating Cheetos and Valentine's day candy and those exercise videos that were ordered and rushed to us for the beginning of the new year are still unopened on the TV console. That's when I start to loath the month of January and I realize I hate change... I liked me and my bad habits just the way we are. And besides last year wasn't so bad, and there always is another year just around the corner.

But then again the guilt starts creeping in and it's not just the bad habits that start to bug, it's the lack of being the person I know I can be and should be. A little more patient (especially with my one-year-old), and little less critical of people (especially those at church), and a little more thoughtful towards family members whom I take for granted day after day.

So this year, my new year's resolution is to not hate January so much but embrace the month of change and the opportunity for starting over again and again. So here's starting today, January 28th to making 2011 the best year of my life.

My attitude was somewhat changed when my husband showed me this video he shared with the teachers quorum last week. I will try really hard to not procrastinate this year and not get discouraged when somedays I do because I am completely exhausted from chasing around a very head-strong one-year-old! Thank you Elder Eyring for putting everything into perspective like you always do.

Merrily, merrily on our way to Grandma's House

We spent Christmas in Idaho this year. We were so excited to escape the rain for some brisk winter air:) Actually we do enjoy getting out of Southern California for a bit to experience winter--and Idaho was good to us this year with mild temperatures and very little snow.

Jack was in heaven for a week exploring Grandma's house and getting into EVERYTHING! He also thoroughly enjoyed the horses. He kept track of them all day long and loved to feed them.

He enjoyed being around all his cousins. Here's how our Christmas Eve broke down.

That morning he and dad enjoyed a good read of the Pocatello Journal.

After some good napping and lunch all his cousins came over for some Christmas cheer.

All of them were anxious to open their Christmas PJ's so we did not let a minute go by after dinner for them to rip into their packages.

We were then entertained with the nativity acted out by all the cousins. Jack is an Angel donning his new BYU PJ's.

We also were treated with some great music and a lesson. Jack thinks it is necessary to always lead the music wherever we are.

He was pretty tuckered out after the night's festivities. And Christmas morning was so much fun with him finally being able to rip open all the packages under the tree.

Even with all these new toys, we couldn't keep Jack out of his favorite drawer at Grandma's. He thought those pens, pencils, and keys were just fascinating.

We had a wonderful time with family again this year and wish we lived closer so we could be with everyone more often.