The New Year

Before the new year we finally made it to the Christmas Village with the family.  I had gone earlier in the month with friends, but wanted the rest of my family to see it.  We finally did and it was fun.

And look, we finally got an outside night shot.

We started our New Testament scripture study on December 31 with Family Home Midday.  Later while Jeremy was at work, I gave the kids 15 minutes quiet time so they could do some personal scripture study.  I intended to read from the illustrated New Testament Stories book to Lucky but when I came into the living room I saw someone had already beaten me to it.  YES!  That's what I like to see in my home.

Then to start the new year off right, Nichole and I went out on January 1 on a birding fieldtrip.  It was sooooooo cold (single digit temperatures) but it was sooooooo worth it.  We went to several different spots.  I finally got to see that Anna's hummingbird in the Winter in Utah.

It's always fun being out with other birders and of course we saw a lot of birds for the first time this year.

 
When we got home we needed to thaw so we put on a movie, Nichole used her rice warmer and I soaked my feet, and we enjoyed some hot chocolate (thanks, Jr., for making hot chocolate for me) to warm us up.

Then I took a nap and couldn't believe how easy it was to fall asleep again that night.

We also finally toasted the new year with sparkling cider. Lucky did NOT like the taste of it.  He apparently tasted it before the rest of us clinked our paper cups together so he didn't bother with that part.  He also didn't like the taste of the Apple Shasta.  Oh well.

Today it was Jr. and Daddy's turn to go out birding.  They also got an early start in the cold and got to see a bunch of new birds for the year.  They went to some of the same places we went and saw some of the same birds but saw some different as well.  They did have some good bonding time just like Nichole and I did.

This is what I found while Jeremy and Jr. were out.  Yay again!

Now we're doing this.  Fun while cleaning up the Christmas tree.

And since January 2 is Science Fiction Day, we'll probably watch a science fiction movie or two.