All last week it rained and rained and rained some more. I almost forgot what it was like to live amongst so much moisture. I tried to capture just how much it was raining, but with a not-so-state-of-the-art camera, it doesn't do it justice (do you just love our view of the 90?). But after a few days of it, I began to realize just how much I've grown accustomed to the sun. I really missed it! And couldn't wait for it to come back. There were also a few things I learned about myself while stuck inside: I'm not very good at coming up with creative projects for my kids to do (any ideas would be welcome); getting up at 5:30am to work-out and being pregnant do not mix well with me (sorry Christa!); I really enjoy having a front yard that my kids could go out and enjoy; I love not having to wear socks with my shoes; and I really, really enjoy nice weather!
(disclaimer: this in no way lessens my love of Portland. I still miss it and everyone in it.)

So what to do while it pours? Cheap entertainment of course!

I'm very sad to report...that Clark has started to refuse naps. He may nap 1 or 2 times during the week, but that is about it. After much frustration, I've come to grips with this new phase. I was anticipating him napping for at least another year (especially since Grace napped until she was 4!). But alas, he is definitely not like his sister. The hardest part of it all is that between the hours of 3pm til bed time (7pm) he is VERY cranky. So until his little body adjusts to this, we'll all just have to endure and enjoy our ever-growing little guy.

playing catch up

I have been meaning to post about our christmas vacation (not restful one bit:) to utah. But this last week, i've been dealing with 3 sick people (very good excuse, i think). But now that they are getting all better, I have no excuse! And since our batteries died one day into our little trip and never replaced them, our pictures are few...but proof, that we were there.
Some of the highlights were: meeting my new nephew (3 months) Brody, and new niece (1 month) Hadley. So adorable. Seeing the rest of the family. Catching up with good friends. Eating way too much. Staying up way too late. Announcing baby #3. Working-out with my sisters. Going to see the lights on Temple Square. Freezing our butts off!

(pictured above are all our nephews and nieces)

We wanted to have our own little christmas here at home. So we didn't leave for Utah til christmas day around 10:30am. We arrived in Salt Lake after 10pm. The kids did great (thank heavens for portable dvd players!), the traffic wasn't bad, and the weather was perfect!

(no, Clark's forehead is not dirty...just the remains of a goose egg)

And here's my attempt at getting pictures taken of the kids after church (just had to throw that one in there:)

Happy New Year!