An Update

Well I still don't have my laptop, but Erik found someone that can fix it- yeah! So hopefully I will be able to update the blog a bit better in the near future.  This past week was kind of bumpy.  I felt like I was all over the map emotionally.  But, I think I made a personal breakthrough, so that's awesome.  This life is pretty wonderful when we learn and grow new things :)
**Several hours after posting I always check it for typos I missed (oh the typos!).  When I saw that I wrote that "growing new things makes life wonderful" I thought it was too funny to change. haha it sounds like I need to make a trip to the dermatologist!

The other thing that has been all over the map is the weather.  Every several days there is a really great random weather day and the rest are freezing (and contributing to my downer mood I'm sure!).  After Jackson's birthday, it was a great day weather wise, and Jackson was keen to try out his new roller blades.

Anna was pretty excited to be outside too!

I realized that almost every picture of me is like this one, up close of my head with one of my kids (there's even a few in this post)  I need to branch out with my pics.

It's always fun playing with new toys after a birthday.  Legos and a really fun rocket he got from the Madsens.

Can you see it way up high?

I also got my 2012 blog book.  This always makes me feel like my blogging efforts are worth it, because the kids and I have so much fun looking back at past years.

Haha see? Too many self portraits

So I've been reading a parenting book by Merillee Boyback (? I can't remember if that's her last name actually- and actually I've been reading the book for the past 2 years. I'm just not in the mood to read a parenting book all that often).  Anyway, I do like it.  It's basically about teaching and training your children to work so they will grow up confident and ready to be independent at 18.  There's a list of age appropriate jobs and I thought it might be fun to one Saturday each month teach the kids a new one.  So Wyatt learned how to make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  As you can see Jackson wanted in on the action too.

Good job Wyatt!  Erik taught Jackson how to scrub toilet.  Good times! :)

After all of the chores were done I took Wyatt and Jackson to the roller rink.  Jackson was excited to bring his own roller blades.

And the third one!

Fourth!

haha Wyatt's ketchup face cracks me up here.

random picture of Anna with her painting page.

And I found this picture on the camera.  Jackson must have gotten a hold of it sometime :)

So I guess this makes more since to be it's own post, but whatever.  On Sunday we did our own interpretation of a Chinese New Year celebration.  We ate dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, edamame beans, and oranges.  Oh and of course fortune cookies!

I made my own red envelopes.  I googled the Chinese characters for Happy New Year, so I guess I'm not totally certain what it says!

Since it is the year of the snake, we made some out of clay and baked them.  Then we had "fun" painting them :)

I know I seem like a crazy person trying to make a celebration out of anything.  I think this the kind of thing that Erik was so shocked at when he married into my family.  He would hear someone say "You got a new job?  What are we going to do celebrate??"  To me, it's just what makes everyday life a little more sparkly and fun.  Also because it's just with my little family, any "celebrating" I do is pretty hodge-podged-thrown-together kind of thing!