January Re-Cap

Sticking to my goal of posting every day for a week, I went back through my pictures and realized just how unusually eventful January was. And so, I feel compelled to re-cap. 

The first few days of January my parents were still here and we were still busy partying (planning to post those pics tomorrow), and then just a few short days after they went home I had my grand television debut:

The weekend after that I hosted a first birthday party for sweet Ashley's adorable son, Talmage:

This was so fun for me. What's the point of having a big house if you can't fill it up with people?

I wasn't responsible for any of the darling decorations. I can't craft or decorate worth a darn, but Ashley is ridiculously talented in this way:

Wouldn't you know it, cake time was also nap time! 

Nothing a little sugar couldn't take care of:

Then there was the week Will had both a book report and a science fair project due. Brandon's Will's project is moving on to the district science fair, actually. It's nice to know all his hard work paid off. (Will's work, that is.)

Can't forget the weekend I had the throw ups and Elizabeth--sweet Elizabeth--made me some real tea with cream and sugar to help my tummy feel better: 

She's been a little domestic goddess lately, always wanting to help me out in the kitchen with both the cooking and the cleaning:

Then there was the Power of Mom's "Dare, Dream, Do" special event with Whitney Johnson. I was lucky enough to go to dinner with the presenters beforehand, and our conversation about dreams got me thinking about how I'm actually living many of mine! We had a great turnout:

With Tiffany Sowby and Taunie Reynolds. (Not related, but we may as well be. All three of us.)

This was the first time we got some of the many contributors to the POM book together in one place:

I stayed there WAY too late on a school night, admiring the view from the Eyre's apartment in downtown Salt Lake:

And laughing my head off at Saren's car that was covered in bird vomit. (Or was it poop? I can't remember now.) Hope she doesn't mind me posting this:

Just two days later I headed to L.A. for the full blown Power of Moms retreat and also had some good times with Brandon's family:

I always love to see this picture of my cute teenage husband on the wall at my in-laws:

In a matter of hours, I went from this: 

To this:

I got home super late after a delayed flight, so I didn't see my old high school friend, Eric Sarno, until the next morning when he showed up for breakfast at the counter with my kids. This picture just cracks me up for some reason:

He was in town for a work conference and, happily, decided to come see our family. He's a drug rep and actually sells some urologic oncologic drugs that Brandon is familiar with, so they have "talked shop" many times in the past. I made him tell my kids his story, so in this next picture he is showing them a news segment about his amazing recovery following a massive stroke. He's a triathlete (started the Quad City Triathlon--the area where I'm from in Illinois/Iowa) and was having back pain so he got an epidural. Unfortunately, it punctured the spinal canal and caused brain fluid to leak which then caused a massive stroke. He had several brain surgeries as a result of brain swelling, and now half of his skull is artificial and he also has a permanent shunt. (Which he made me feel on the side of his head--yowzer!) He should have died about 4 times, but--miraculously--he's back to competing and working and being a dad. He's a true inspiration, and just about one of the funniest people you'll ever meet in your life:

He stayed with us on Sunday and Thursday nights, and we stayed up WAY too late on Thursday (Brandon, Kate and Will too) laughing our heads off over the VHS video I dug up from the basement of our senior year Homecoming when we were both on the Homecoming court. My kids couldn't get over how similar it was to the whole Napolean Dynamite vibe. (Especially the show choir in their cummerbunds performing, "I Sing the Body Electric".) It really was something special. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Class of '89 alumni:

Eric also had some "words of wisdom" to share with each of my kids before he left. He said he's been waiting a long time to corrupt the children of Allyson Waddell. (You should know I was the only LDS kid in my rather large high school class, and no one was more vocal about giving me a hard time than Eric. He was constantly razzing me for being a prude, and all the rest of it.) Some of his choice advice included his message to Kate to use her artistic skills to create her own tattoo and put it between her shoulder blades because her parents will love her no matter what. And that's Eric for ya. 

Since we were up so stinking late on Thursday, Kate was a little late for school and "Uncle Eric" wrote her a note: 

Twinsies:

And how could I forget that we also painted the entire living room and kitchen the second week of January? Well, a guy named Dan painted them. I've done more painting in my life than my carpal tunnel can handle. And I would probably get myself killed trying to paint the walls in the living room. The only problem is, I was kind of rushed to choose a color, and after 3 no's I finally decided on one, but I think it was just because I was feeling rushed and like I was wasting this guy's time--I'm not really sure if I like it. Aaaaah! Too late . . .

A couple more snow pics:

And this is just for fun. Because it's so darn funny: 

(Not YOU. I don't want you to shut up. I want YOU to make a comment!)