January

Right after our Pismo Beach weekend, my mom came down for a visit.  I was still in the middle of first trimester sickness and exhaustion, so she was a huge help.  We did all our regular routines that week, but with the treat of having Grandma with us! The first few days she was here, she had one of her dogs with her, which was going to a new pet home (as opposed to a show home) in No. Cal.  The people seemed really nice, but it was hard on my mom to see the dog go.  
  

Mom helped us rearrange our living room.  (Which we'd been meaning to do for months.)

Saying Goodbye

Although we didn't get any pictures, Ryan and I were also treated to an overnight in Century City without the kids.  We were able to go to the temple, eat out, and stroll around Santa Monica.  Thanks, Mom!
  
During the visit, my mom kept suggesting that we really should get our fridge looked at.  We had started to notice moisture on the wood floor just under the front of the fridge, and finally decided to pull it out and check the back a day or so after she left.  Apparently, the ice machine water line had split, and had been dripping constantly for months without our noticing.  This picture doesn't do credit to how bad it looked - the whole floor was warped and rotten.  It took three weeks for the hardwood floor people to come repair things, but we were finally able to move the fridge back where it belongs.  The ice machine is now permanently disconnected (we never used it anyway.)
  

  
Every January I measure my kids' height on our growth chart and take a picture.  The chart then goes into a box in the garage until the next year so it doesn't get wrecked (it's only made out of foam board.) 
  

Ages 6, 4, and 23 months

  
One morning we did an activity with magnets that involved making cork sailboats and moving them around with a magnet underneath (there was a thumbtack on the bottom.)  Evan had to be partially excluded, since he only wanted to spill the water.