Whew...

The past month in a word- whew! It was full of fun, busyness, and big events for our family. First off this little shot of Ivy smiling, I tell you, I've never had a kid who smiled so readily or so soon. When well rested and fed she's so fun to make faces at. Lauren probably gets the most smiles from her, although just tonight she gave a a few giggles to Cody, so adorable. Seeing this picture I can forgive her for nights where she's up every couple hours, almost. :) She still sleeps best in my arms or the pouch as Noah calls it. "No Mom, don't wear the pouch, put Ivy in her bed!" He knows there's no rough boy play when the pouch is in place, and he does love to wrestle and get wild. Thank goodness for Dads who can take the abuse right?

Christmas was so much fun here. Cody redeemed us after I spilled the beans about Santa last year- what's a Mom to do? Anyway, the girls were believing again in Santa this year. Mainly because of some silly website Cody found Christmas Eve that tracks where in the world Santa has been spotted. If it's on the internet it must be true I'm sure. It's funny how I'm always surprised at what I think their favorite gift will be and then what it actually is. The girls have been playing a lot with their digital pets and cameras. The Wii has been a big hit too, don't think Cody could survive without some gaming system around. I'm still pretty inept at video games, but maybe I'll get there. The girls have him to thank for their abilities there!

Yesterday Lauren and Chloe were baptized and confirmed. It was such a beautiful morning. We just had a small crowd with family. I knew I'd be emotional about the whole affair and I was. Chloe said the night before that she didn't feel as excited as she should and I was suggesting she might feel more of a quiet and calm excitement rather than I-won-a-million-bucks excitement. But when they were changing into the white clothing she started jumping up and down telling me how excited she was. We have a new stake presidency and they did a great job. The president even retrieved some batteries from his truck for me for our dying camera. Sometimes it's hard to pull it all together and get out the door with everything I need, any moms relate?! As I went back to help them change into their white dresses I was overcome with thankfulness, for the choice they made, for the beautiful, helpful, kind daughters they've become, and mostly that I'm their Mom and have the opportunity to share all their milestones with them. My hope is that one day I'll be helping them change into their white dresses at the temple when they're married. But that can wait, they're already growing up so fast. I'm so proud of each of them!

So I think I'm ready to kick off a new year, thinking of some resolutions, trying to keep it simple and doable. Happy 2009 to you and your families!