JANUARY

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016!

Wow another year begins.  There is so much for us to look forward to this year as a family - Kasen's baptism, our new baby boy, Jed turning 35 & celebrating 2 yrs out of residency, Ava starting her last year of elementary school (5th grade), Kinsley starting her first year of elementary school (kindergarten),  and our 13th anniversary to name a few!  Can't wait to see all the wonderful things this year has in store... 

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NEW YEAR'S DAY - It was nice spending New Year's Day at home this year.  We slept in and had a late breakfast.  We spent most of the day in our pajamas playing board games and then later in the day we went to a movie.  

 WINTER BREAK  - Since New Year's  Day was a Friday the kids only had the weekend left before they went back to school.  We didn't do too much.  Here are a couple of cute pictures from the last few days of winter break.  Kinsley liked wearing her Christmas pj's that matched her baby.  Kasen utilized his remote control car & truck to send us notes.  One was about how he better not go to church because he wasn't sure which classroom he would be in & the other was a note tattling on Ava.  Ava spent some time with her chemistry set from Santa.

VISITORS - Grandma & Grandpa Erickson came over a couple of times in January.  One time was for Republican stuff and another time was for a horse racing banquet/awards ceremony.  We celebrated Grandpa's 75th birthday with the Ball family.  The kids love their grandparents.  Even though John wasn't feeling his greatest,  (He and I were both huffing and puffing everywhere we went.)  he always plays and teases with the kids.  He always makes sure to bring chocolate milk and doughnut holes too.  Grandma is so great to talk to each grandkid and ask them questions about what is going on in their lives.  She even joined in a basketball contest one night.  On January 19th, my sister Sydnee had her fourth baby.  A baby girl they named Dantzel Odena Rasmussen.  She was a few days early and looks just like her big sister.  The pictures they sent were adorable. My sister is a great mom.  I can't believe she has four kids under 5 now!

SUN VALLEY CONFERENCE - The last few days in January Jed had his annual Idaho Podiatry Conference in Sun Valley.  This year we left the kids with Tresa for a few days and went without them.  It was a very snowy year so the skiing would have been great.  Obviously we didn't do that though this year with me being pregnant.  The other downer was that the huge pool that feels like a hot tub was too hot for me to get into while pregnant so we couldn't do that either.  Luckily, a baby is worth the trade off.  Since Jed's partner is the president for Idaho he felt obligated to attend every lecture.  So I had a lot of free time on my own.  At the last minute I had picked up a book from the library so I was able to pass the time that way.  I also splurged and got a prenatal massage that was heavenly.  We were treated to a few meals from some reps which was nice too.  One evening I was so bored I went to a movie at the Opera House by myself.  It was the 7th Star Wars movie and I thought it was pretty good considering I knew nothing of the back story.  When I came out it was snowing these huge flakes and was so pretty. Looking back we should have done some snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing, but we were pretty lazy.  Luckily, this was the last year Jed's partner was the president so we are hoping to go to a different conference next year.  While we were gone the kids had fun making life-sized art work.  Kinsley made herself, Kasen made a jedi knight, and Ava made a human body cross-section showing all the organs inside.  She also made a huge cross reference sheet of Greek gods. :)  It was a bit warmer in Boise than it was for us and the kids got to help Jeff do some chores outside too.  We really appreciated Jeff & Tresa watching our kids for a few days.  They are so busy with their own stuff and with Tyler, but they took great care of our kids!

FHE - We have still been going strong with our Family Home Evenings.  It is something I'm really proud of.  One week we did a lesson from the Friend magazine about self confidence and everyone had to make a list of things they liked about themselves.  Here are the kids' lists:

• Kasen - I like my Mom & Dad.  I like how I play sports.  I like that I'm blonde.  I like that I have a big imagination.  I like that I'm really athletic.
• Kinsley - I like that my body moves.  I am healthy & strong.  I have good ears & eyes.  My hair is yellow like the sun & curly.  I like that I'm friendly.
• Ava - I like that I enjoy doing art.  I like projects.  I'm a good friend.  I'm a good student.  I like my eyes.  I like that I have a smart and creative mind.  I like the highlights in my hair.  I like that I enjoy reading and going to the library.  I like the way I swim.  I like the way I think.  I like basketball. 

 2015 LEFTOVERS - I had a few pictures that I didn't get into the blog book for 2015 so I thought I'd add them here.  I finally got a team picture of Kasen's basketball team.  The other pictures are of my cute girls I love so much.