The Traditionally Belated New Year Post

After the blogging frenzy of posting all of the December happenings it always takes me a few weeks to come back to getting this stuff down.  It seems like every December I spend hours (I really don't want to know how many so I don't count) getting all the birthday and Christmas hoop-la up and I start questioning whether or not I should be spending this many hours on something so trivial.  But in the long run I think I'll be glad that I did, and really I just need a blogging break.  :) So...break taken, back at it!  This afternoon I sat down and uploaded 2012 to start the blog book...and it will have 1, 141 pictures.  Whoa.  That's a lot of pictures..and blog posts.  And lots of memories... So now, onto the NEW stuff.  

We started NEW Years Day with some smiley pancakes, blueberry streusel and the Coppernolls, and followed it with some playing outside in the snow.



We have a NEW fish and a NEW snail (because Harry and Marv bought the farm already)  Here's Grant spending some QT with Trixie and her new pals, Max and Cleetus (the snail....whom I think may have also bought the farm today but it's harder to tell with a snail)

We have a NEW Little People Nativity from Uncle Bob and Aunt Lou which is seein' a lot of action.  And only Grant would be using the Nativity peeps to whop each other.  Also NEW in Grant's repertoire, a hissing sound he uses when he's mad or to scare you...I call it the gila monster.  Look out.  This kid is somethin'...a somethin' that's frequenting time out more often.  

Also NEW and notable...our  consistent attempts to mold Grant's manners.  He's learning to ASK for things instead of demand them.  Good luck to us.  I mean look at him!  (head shake)  On the positives, he's saying his own prayers these days which is precious...he always is thankful for Goofy and/or Shoota Why (Super Why) at the end.   He's also totally in undies...with minimal accidents even overnight!  Woot-Woot!  And he's back in the 3s room at church on a regular basis and not sitting through the service with us. (again, minimal tears upon departure...not a joyful drop off, but I'll take it)  

We started a NEW semester this past week at school and I used powdered sugar donuts as motivation to get the boys up.  It worked!  

Landon's almost independent enough to get totally get himself ready in the morning.  I have to get the milk and get his breakfast, but he gets dressed and brushes his teeth...and he WOULD comb his hair if I'd let him, but no one can tell he's done it so I can't let that go yet.  ;)  He CAN tie his shoes now though!  That's huge!  And kind of NEW in the bathroom is the two time daily drama involving who's standing on this chair to brush their teeth first.  Ah, I love the sound of bickering in the morning.    

Hey here's something NEW....Landon voluntarily played in the mud this weekend...and of course had a shadow.  Love this picture!

Landon checking out Mason's vertical.  Lol!

Grant showing off his mad basketball skills

I'm ending this post with Landon doing the Gangnam Style dance which isn't his NEW favorite song, but is lingering.  I'm sure there's some kind of clever correlation I could make here between the New Year and Landon's Gangnam Style dance, but frankly it's 6:30 on a Monday night and the life and creativity has been sucked out of me....hey, and that's NOT anything NEW.  Boom!  

Creative ending yes?  Eh.  Mediocre at best...but it's all I've got.  :)