Raising Rascals: 2014 week 1

The kids helped set up for the Jones Christmas party, and they were all wearing headphones. We had been listening to Pandora, but they all wanted to listen to different things, so one after another they all got their own music. They all pretty much like the same artists, but Bev prefers Adele, Christian listens to anything Rock and Drew likes Imagine Dragons.

After dinner we played our latest favorite game, Head's Up. Thanks, Ellen. And thanks to Karen for Mike's new adorable Ute scarf.

Grandma and Grandpa are still able to make it out to the parties. It just wouldn't be the same without them. Mike's parents pull into the garage and they enter the house from there. It wears them out, but they are troopers.

The fam.

Mike teaching Jessi how to use her new Spirograph.

Katie and Courtney took the kids sledding.

Mike's birthday is New Year's Eve. We got him some clothes, sunglasses and Apple TV. He never asked for the Apple TV, but I had been reading about how great it is, and sort of wanted it, so, yay.

Later that day, Mike took the kids to my parent's house and we had our traditional New Year's Eve adult party. It's always a great time with fun games and good food.

Charlie is the coolest cat ever. We just adore him. If he is just lounging around, chances are his little tongue is sticking out.

I won this fun BYU hat as a White Elephant gift at Mike's work party.

Jessi is making elastic bracelets like crazy. Most of the elastics end up as bracelets, but a lot also end up in the vacuum.

If you sell a cat shirt, I will likely buy it.

When they were born, my mom made each kid a flannel blanket. They still love them, but they are small. My aunt Michelle made us a flannel quilt for our wedding. It is everyone's favorite blanket. Bev and Drew had been taking turns with it, so I decided to make Bev one of her own.

Kitten is a beast and would not leave the project alone. I would get it all spread out and even then he would back up and run into it like a vacuum. Then he would just sprawl out on the fabric and watch me pin it.

I taught Bev and Drew how to quilt it. We watched Cupcake Wars while we worked.

Then Kitten decided to use the quilt on the frame as a trampoline. Thumb tacks were a'flying.

The little kids went back to school before the big kids, so Mike came home from work early and took them bowling.

We went to the Ice Castles at Midway. They were amazing.

Apple TV has been so much fun. Jessi is obsessed with Frozen, so she looks up Youtube clips on the iPad and we watch them on the tv. I love that we can listen to any music from the computer on the sound system.