i hate january

Have I mentioned this before? It's cold. And not very sunny. And there's nothing to look forward to until......Easter? I feel all the life being sucked out of me as I'm trapped inside, surrounded by.....my nice warm house - which I'm so grateful for because it's been really cold & tonight it's windy - so really I have nothing to complain about.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who feels this way? I clean & dejunk 2 or 3 or 4 times a year, so it's nothing special to do it in January. I hate resolutions but am trying to rethink that. Blah blah blah. I've even thought about being pregnant just so I could have the nesting instinct kick in.........and so people would make me dinner and bring it to me.....and then I came to my senses and the thought passed.
So that's why I haven't done a Christmas post - I've been too busy not being busy. I just looked for the camera to upload the pictures & don't know where it is......so that'll have to wait.
My mom & dad came down a few days before Christmas & helped me out so much because I was SO sick! It was the worst cold/sinus something-er-other/sore throat I've ever had, and I was wiped! There were so many things I wanted to do/make/bake, etc while they were here & for Carson to make his Christmas fun & I just didn't feel up to it. Maybe that's another reason I feel so lame - I was so anxious for Christmas & got excited & tried to be prepared early & it all........didn't happen how I planned. I like to think I'm flexible, but I'm not really.
Christmas was still really fun. We all went to Seiter's for Christmas Eve day & then that night Mike & Sharon came over here & we had shrimp & steak. Opening presents the next morning was really fun. Carson really got into it this year which made it really fun. (I just used the word "really" at least 12 times.) Everybody got spoiled & it was so fun to have my mom & dad here.
My parents left the day after Christmas & some of Mark's family came into town the next week. We spent New Year's Eve together sharing funny videos and emails we'd seen & spent the night laughing - it was really fun.
The shop's been busy for the last 3 or 4 weeks, so between that and scouts and basketball, we haven't seen much of Mark. I spent the first 3 or 4 months of Carson's life mostly alone while Mark was gone on installs & it didn't seem like a big deal, but I'm out of practice & it's different with two kids. We're all adjusting.
Carson's still loving preschool. He's a pretty great big brother most of the time and can be a really good helper to me. He's 3, so he gets a little crazy sometimes, but he's awesome. A few days after Christmas he was getting into trouble because he didn't have anything to do & I told him to go play with all the new toys he got for Christmas: "But I didn't want all these toys. All I wanted was a scooter." "Oh. So should we send all your toys back & just keep the scooter?" "No." "Ok then. Go play." He's a very animated story teller with facial expressions & hand gestures that look a lot like my dad's. He's been going to Sunbeams & has done so great. They tell me he sits & listens & raises his hand & knows some of the answers!
Burke is....the best. He's so easy going - though he knows when to cry to get my attention when Carson's being a pill. He's so bow-legged & laughs so easily & has the biggest cheeks that I have to scoop him up & blow on his neck at least 20 times a day. He understands so much & does what we ask - except when he teases and runs down the hall instead of into his bedroom when it's time to change his diaper. He's repeating more sounds - Muhmuhmuh for milk & nuh for chicken nuggets. When I say "hot" he says "hhttttah."
I've been reading a lot whilst in the midst of my January slump. Or maybe I'm in a slump because I read too much. Hmm. I read "Mary and Joseph" by Robert Marcum. It's historical fiction - a love story, obviously. I highly recommend it. I didn't want it to end & bawled once I finished. This last week I read "The Diary of Anne Frank." Quite a remarkable young girl. She had some pretty profound things to say on human nature and life in general. You can watch as she develops and learns more about herself. I definitely didn't know that much about myself at her age. Or now, for that matter. I found myself drawn to it even though a lot of it is trivial things in the secret annex and her adolescent rantings - we've all been there. She would have been an amazing woman had she survived. She's partly the reason I'm blogging tonight. What if she hadn't written anything down? Maybe the Spirit whispered to her before it said the same thing to President Eyring: "I'm not giving you these experiences only for yourself." And so, I blog. Dismal as it may be. Today I picked up "Letters" by Marjorie Pay Hinckley. I usually try to pick something educational, and I'm hoping she'll have some wisdom for me.
It's after 10 & I have to get up at 5:30 to run. I did 3 miles on the treadmill the other day & I thought I might go crazy......"give me land, lots of land under starry skies above......." Tomorrow's my last day to run outside for a while so I'm going to enjoy it!
What's a post without pictures? Here are some random ones!


Carson's program at preschool was a "reindeer training camp" They stood at attention & did jumping jacks & said their letters & sang a bunch of songs - so cute!