January

January's been pretty low key.  It always nice to clean up the holiday decorations and have a fresh start on the year.  We've had sunny days mixed with rainy days, which has made the landscape beautifully green.  I am always grateful for the rain, but equally grateful for sunny days when we can leave the doors open and spend the afternoon outside.

These kids love their daddy.

New Years

Still catching up on the holidays:

For New Years, we made the drive to Arizona to visit with three of Joseph's sisters and a bunch of cousins.  Usually the best thing to do with such a large group of kids is head to the park.

I love how Ruth and James are turning into little buddies.

This was a pretty innovative park.  We took this picture with Grandma and Grandpa Larsen in mind.  The kids were shouting, "Hi grandma and grandpa!"Hopefully this hello makes it all the way to South Africa.

We also managed a fun trip to the natural history museum.  I wish that I had photographed the kids with the huge dinosaurs.  They were so huge and realistic, that James spent most of our visit teetering between fright and intrigue.  David had fun wandering the jail cell.

Ruth and James really enjoyed excavating the T Rex outside.  They could've easily spent hours at this project.

Unfortunately, the most memorable part of the trip was bringing home the flu.  EVERYONE was sick by the end of the trip.  I guess the one good thing about getting sick is getting better.  I am SO grateful to be healthy again!

Today

James:

spends all day singing "yo-ho" and playing Pirates of the Carri "BEANS"

Later says, "mommy, will I be a grownup when you have babies?"
I reply, "no, you'll be 4 years old"
"But I'm already 4 years old!"
Hmm...  I guess he has some more things to think about

This is James' bed.  He spends a lot of time in the mornings making sure all the covers are pulled up tight and perfectly tucked in.  I've never seen a kid so meticulous about bed making.  David even admitted that he needed to take some bed-making lessons from James.

Ruth:

Sweet Ruth has been averaging atleast 2 timeouts a day.  I guess we're officially in the terrific twos.  She does still have cute moments, like today, when she fed snack to her baby.  I love having femininity in the home, such a nice balance.  Notice the new haircut; I am trying my best to manage her baby fine, super sparce hair.

The Loot

Santa Claus made it to Mission Viejo.  James received his castle.

He also received this CTR ring from his new primary teacher.  Now that he is out of Sunbeams and into CTR 4, he feels pretty big.

David received his Ninjago fire temple.

Ruth got some odds and ends.  The jewelry was given to her by our sweet neighbor Miss Lisa.  We are hoping that the baby furniture will come in handy when there's a real baby in our household (not for the baby, but so that Ruth can play along with her dolls!).

I surprised Joseph with a motorcycle helmet.  He has been through a training course and now searches daily on craigslist for his dream bike.  

Christmas Traditions

Still trying to catch up...

But, here are a few photos of some Christmas traditions that we enjoyed in December:

How could the holidays be complete without sugar cookies?

I should also mention that Joseph made some of his mom's famous toffee this year.  It was delish, and by the 3rd batch, absolute perfection!

We invited a family from the ward over on Christmas Eve for a ham dinner and nativity.  Ruth as Mary, James as a shepherd, and David as an angel and wise man.  Ruth was the most serious about her role; she'll be a good mommy someday.

Ruth + Pilot

One day, I discovered this scene: Ruth reading her pile of books to sleeping Pilot.

Once I pulled out the camera, it was all over.  The boys also had to get in on the fun.

end of 2012 randoms

Ruth's best picture of 2012.  Thanks, Grandma, for the pretty dress!

What Ruth enjoys most: perusing her books

Not sure if this is what David enjoys most, but thrilling for a parent to see..

Don't worry, dad, someday you'll have these boys well trained.

Almost ready for an upgrade.

James as a ninja turtle

Break dancin' David

Thanksgiving

Instead of heading out of town for Thanksgiving, we decided to stick around this year.  I am so glad we did.  It turned out to be a relaxing, productive weekend and the weather was gorgeous.  This first picture was a runner up for our Christmas photo.. gotta love the camera timer.  If I had millions, I would buy up the property behind us.  Native California landscape is actually quite beautiful; sadly, most of it gets eaten away by development.

I love watching the kids trail behind Joseph.  We did have an exciting encounter with a rattlesnake on this path.  I stepped off the trail to have Joseph take a picture of me.  As I was waiting, I heard rattles under my feet.  Joseph yelled, "snake!" and everyone, including me, ran full speed screaming down the path.

The best part about kids is how well they undermine your efforts to clean the house.  This was cute, though.  They lined up all their toys for a "Thanksgiving Feast".

Just prior to Thanksgiving, David's soccer season wrapped up (finally).  I got to help with the post-season party where the kids all recieved their trophies.  I am glad that David had a good time, but it is sure nice to have our Saturdays back.

We were sad to say goodbye to James' sweet sunbeam teachers, Kathy and Mike Bergen, who have always been a staple in our ward.  They were  the best teachers.  Mike would play the harmonica during class and show the kids magic tricks.  Kathy was super energetic and creative.  One time they had the kids "park" their handcarts around a campfire  and roast s'mores.   We were sad to see them move.

Road to Recovery

After months of pregnancy sickness and then two weeks of the flu, today is the first day that I actually feel like I have some energy.  I have lots of catching up to do, so the next few posts are an effort to make up for lost time.  

I should add how grateful I am for my sweet relief society friends, who have been helping with kids and offering meals.  It is humbling when you finally get to the point where you ask for and accept help. 

As winter was approaching for the rest of the country, my backyard looked remarkably like the garden of Eden.  The lemons, oranges, and wintertime flowers are always a welcomed sight as fall ends.  I might add that this year was our first crop of lemons.  Somehow 5 made it!