Why we go to church

On the way home from working at my folks' house last night I told the girls they needed to get right in the tub as soon as we got home, so they could get to bed.  (It was late.)  Jacey agreed, saying that we needed to get a good night's sleep so that we could go to church in the morning and learn about Jesus. 

Londyn said "Nuh-uh." 

Jacey:  "Uh-huh Londyn, (in a sickly-sweet voice) we need to go to church so we can learn about Jesus."

Londyn: "Nuh-uh."

Jacey:  "Uh-huh, that's why we go to church, isn't it Mommy?"

Me:  "Yep, that's right."

Londyn:  "Nuh-uh."

Me:  "Well why do you think we go to church Londyn?"

Londyn, emphatically:  "We go to church to have snacks!"

Meet Ellie

Heather and Ellie, my newest niece, came over on Saturday for a little photo shoot with Corby and me.  Unfortunately, Ellie made it quite clear how she felt about me and my camera.

Despite the fact that she clearly was not interested in having her photo taken, I think we still managed to get a couple of cute shots. 

She seriously reminds me of a little porcelain doll.  Heather and Scott have three girls now, and all three of them have been such beautiful babies.  Ellie makes 5 grandbabies on the Robins side - all girls.  Good thing Grandma has a closet full of princess dress-ups!

How we spent January

Having carrot parties in the living room.  It's kind of like a tea party . . . but with carrots.

Making our sparkles dance in the sunlight.  (There are sparkles on the front of her shirt.  She discovered they dance when she wiggles.)

Playing with cousins.  We've had a few sleep-overs since Christmas - it's always fun for the girls to have those to look forward to.  We welcomed a new cousin into the Robins family last week - baby Ellie.  Pictures soon.

Drawing pictures.  This is a family portrait by Jacey.  She informed me that everybody is holding a lollipop, except me.  I'm holding a Dorito.  (She's on to me.)

Humoring mom and posing for pictures.  This isn't necessarily January-specific.  It's more of a year-round thing. 

I have made no secret in the past of my dislike for January.  We pretty much hole up and wait for it to pass.  Last year we did pretty good about keeping the TV off, but this year it's been on a lot more often.  We seem to be going in cycles with this.  I get fed up and box all the DVDs away, then they slowly trickle back until they're all out and we're watching too much TV again.  I need a better system.

January actually passed a little more quickly this year.  Probably because of a few things: 1 - Will's busy season hasn't been quite as bad as years past.  Still busy, but not insane.  2 - The weather hasn't been bitter cold for weeks on end.  Cold, but manageable cold.  3 - I've had my folks here to keep me company and keep the girls from getting stir crazy.

I am starting to feel that hopefulness for spring that February brings.  I'm trying not to get too eager though - last year taught me not to get my hopes up too high.  But the snow has been melting and the rain has been falling and it's hard to not start looking forward to spring.  This February is a little different for us - it's the first year since Jacey's been born that the kids and I aren't heading to Las Vegas for a little busy-season break.  I can't decide yet how that will influence my patience for Spring.  The weather in Vegas is always so nice (compared to here) in February, and I can't decide if going down there made it easier or harder to endure the rest of the winter in Utah.  I'll assess and report when spring comes.