Getting there...

The Ardry house is getting back to normal. Sean and I both have a bit of a lingering cough and Ben is still hacking up a lung but he's getting there. One good thing has come from this illness and that is the fact that our 4 year old son goes to bed without argument, stalling, or negotiation! Who are you and what have you done with my Ben?!

In other news.....We are in the midst of a pretty serious Pirate phase. I am confident in saying that this was brought on by a recent gathering of small, giggly swashbucklers high on sugar! We now spend our days searching for buried treasure and hijacking unsuspecting sea vessels. I draw the line at a parrot. P.S. Pirates don't see their dentists on a regular basis.

I will now leave you with a video that will have you making extremely funny noises out of your face. Disclaimer: I will not be held responsible for the wetting of pants, the spitting of beverages on computer monitors, or any type of choking due to watching this video while eating snacks.

Charlie bit me!

I wonder if I could teach Ben to speak with a British accent?

Bronchitis is in the Hiz-ouse

In terms of illness this winter, we've been rather fortunate. However, we are all feeling pretty cruddy at the moment. Sean is finishing a round of anitbiotics and Ben & I are beginning ours. I've been disinfecting the house pretty regularly and we're all pretty good about washing our hands but this is a pretty strong bug! Needless to say, we'll be laying low for a bit.

Tribute

Such sweet tributes to such an amazing man! Gordon B. Hinckley, 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away last Sunday. Our fond memories will include his sense of humor. He will be greatly missed.

BYU Tribute/Slideshow

15 Pearls of Wisdom

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be "meetings."

3. There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness."

4. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

5. You should not confuse your career with your life.

6. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

7. Never lick a steak knife.

8. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

9. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we observe daylight savings time.

10. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

11. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

12. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above-average drivers.

13. A person who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person. (This is very important. Pay attention. It never fails.)

14. Your friends love you anyway.

15. Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of skilled professionals built the Titanic.

Amen.

Date Night

I'm excited to share the news. Sean and I actually get to go out and have some married-couple-time tonight. Ben's Aunt Cindy volunteered to babysit while we go to dinner and a movie. It's been quite a while and I'm hoping we remember how to order a meal without a toy in it or making sure there are crayons and a paper placemat available.

This is why we don't have a cat.

What a Christmas!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is over! So much preparation and anticipation. I'm so grateful for my family and Sean's family. I'm especially grateful for the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We saw several Nativity scenes this season and it was great to discuss the significance with Ben. I think he gets it.

We left cookies for Santa and carrots for his motorcade. Because we have no chimney, we left a special "Key" out for Santa. Benjamin didn't think Mr. Claus would fit down a chimney anyway.

Among his favorite gifts is a remote control T-Rex from Grandma & Grandpa Burris. He now puts it in his back pack and takes it wherever he goes. He also loves his Hungry Hippos game and his remote control racetrack. We received two snow sleds from Grandma & Grandpa Judd and can't wait to hit Mt. Lemmon to try them out!

It was really great to get together with my siblings and their kids at my parents' home. It was cold and windy but that didn't stop us from burning up the ping pong table. Jace and Randy were talking some trash and I think Janelle let them both have some humble pie.

This little guy had a really great nap on his Mama's lap and is such a delight.

It was fun watching my nieces playing. It definitely brought back memories of my dolls and dressing up.

I hope everyone had a warm and wonderful Christmas. We're looking forward to the New Year and all it will bring.