It has been too long!

Malia throws as many toys as possible into her crib so that she can be entertained before (and after) she actually sleeps at nap time. In this severe case, I removed some items so she would have some place to lie down. I am not ready to move her to a big bed! It is so nice to have her contained, and she still loves her crib.

Here are the sock monkeys I made for the kids for Christmas.

Here's Malia playing with her doll house on Christmas day. It was just as much a gift for me as it was for her. Luckily she loves it!

Damon loves the vacuum! Even while it is on! Here he is chasing it.

Malia is a good kitty mama. She likes to make sure Nya has blankets and a pillow so she can go "nigh nigh".

Malia loves being a princess. Thank you for the outfit, Liz!

I love watching Malia interact with other little people her age. It's so fun to see her play with friends.

Here she is trying to catch some snow on her tongue.
The kids love playing in forts! (Damon just dismantled one in this picture.)

Poor kitty...

More fort fun!

This was our first snow shoeing trip as a family of four. It was fun to get out!

Yes, we had to bust out the soother. It was a weak moment. But look how happy she is!

Fun times at the zoo.

This bird let us stand within about 18 inches.

Other fun tidbits:

-Last week Malia busted out with "Jingle Bells", except her version was "Tinkerbell", pronounced "Dingabell".

-Damon is getting into everything! He finally started crawling this month and he has really taken off. Malia will sometimes cheer him on and say "You're doing it Damon! Good job!". I love the look of satisfaction he has on his face while he's on the move.

-A couple of times Kurt has put Malia to bed (after saying a prayer with her), only to have her cry "Mama!". When I come in, she asks "Mama, can we have a prayer?". So I say a prayer with her, and then kiss her goodnight. On one occasion, I heard her say her own prayer after I had left the room, listing some things/people she is grateful for (including her favorite nursery leader).

-Yesterday I almost had to take one of the kids out of sacrament meeting because they were making each other laugh. It's hard to get mad about that!

-We've been talking about Damon's upcoming birthday. Malia insists that he needs a birthday hat. Stay tuned for pictures of his birthday!