Friday, December 31

One last hoorah..

for 2010!  I don't know about you, but 2010 was less than a fantastic year.  I am very happy to say good-bye to this year and say Hellloooooo to 2011!  I am looking forward to all the possibilities that 2011 holds. I know there will be good and bad and great, can't wait to see what all that is.

But today was about enjoying the last day of 2010.  What better way than Indoor Skydiving?  Yes, REALLY!  Thanks Bac and Tina for including us in your families day of fun!

It is a long ride to Eloy, AZ.

But a beautiful morning.

Abby looks a little worried.

Andy was first

Here goes Abby...

And her cute cheeks in the wind!

My cheeks flapping in the wind,  not as cute as Abby's.


Amy's turn.


Abby again.


And Amy for the last time!

Has anyone else noticed how many activities we participate in require helmets?  Hmmmm, what does that mean exactly?  Tomorrow's activity also requires a helmet.  Stay posted!

Wednesday, December 22

It sneaks up on you...

Christmas and everything that comes with it has a tendency to sneak up on you.  You think you are moving along just fine, getting done what you need to get done.  And then, wham!  Just like that it kicks you in the bootie and says, "Did you get presents for so-an-so?  Don't forget you need to get that yada-yada in the mail if it is going to reach them by Christmas day.  Did you remember the butter to make Christmas cookies?  What about all the people at work, what are you gonna do for them?"

So, I thought I was doing great, and then, not so much.  Finally, today, I am listening to my horoscope and using this day as a relaxing and do nothing day.  Besides, have you looked outside?  This is a perfect "sit on the sofa with a coffee, wrapped up in a cozy blanket, watch old movies all day" kind of day.

But first, I want to tell you about my new nephew who I went to visit at the beginning of December.  Oh, Lucien, the little light of this family.  So sweet and so tiny.  Were my kids really ever that little.  It seems so far away now.  But I know they must of been.  (I did not give birth to 90 pound preteen girls.  Thank heavens for that.)  You think you are going to remember those days forever.  Because at the time your babies are babies, the time seems to move so slowly.  They are tiny and you want them to sit up.  They sit up and then you want them to say their first word.  They say their first word and their second, and you want them to crawl.  They start to crawl and you want them to walk.

You get the picture.  So, you sit there and wait for your tiny babies to grow.  And what do you know, they grow and get bigger and learn to do so many things and then one day you ask yourself, "What happened to my baby?"  They are still there.  Even if at 12, they don't want to be a baby anymore, they will always be your baby.

But, I got off track and just wanted to show you some super cute pictures of the little guy.  Here they are.








Oh and I started another project too.  Like I don't have enough already, I started a one a day photo blog.  Every day, I will post one picture and then at the end of the year, take all my photos and what I write and make into a book.  I am using Blurb and actually doing each day in my book as I post it on my blog.  We will see how long that lasts!  Read about it here, or better yet, start one of your own.  I am really excited about this.  I know it is going to be a huge undertaking, but so worth it in the end.  I hope you will join me, and if you do, comment and let me know where I can find yours.

Wednesday, December 1

O' Christmas Tree

Like most people, my favorite Christmas decoration and tradition is our Christmas tree.  Ever since I was a kid, we put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving.  And, so it continues with my family now.  Abby wouldn't have it any other way.  As soon as she wakes up the day after Thanksgiving, it is all about "when are we going to put up the decorations?"  She is in love with the holidays.  All holidays, actually!

But I'm getting off track.

When I was a kid, it was all about cutting down our Christmas tree.  We would go to the forest service and get a permit and so would begin the hunt for the perfect tree.  Where I grew up, there was almost always snow on the ground, so it was usually pretty cold.  We had to go out into the forest, wherever the forest service was letting people cut that year, and it was almost always at least an hour just to get there.

Now, we couldn't just find our tree on the side of the dirt road, because really that would be too easy.  So, we would meander off the road as far as we could drive, until we could drive no further.  If we still hadn't found "the one", we would start hiking.  Sometimes forever it would seem.  Don't forget, when we do find that tree, we still have to carry it back as far as we came.  We always found the tree, and luckily for us, my lumberjack daddy would cut it down and haul it back to the car.  We would strap it on the top of our Subaru, and head home for the decorating.

Sometimes, that perfect tree, was just a 'tad' to big.  You probably know what I mean!  I think one year, we had an 18' tree.  That's okay, but we only had 12 - 15' high ceilings.  There was always a bit of trimming required when we got home.  And, do you know how many lights and decorations it took to dress up a tree that big.  To say the least it was a process.

Anyway, I know this sounds like one of those good 'ole days stories, like walking to school barefoot in 2 feet of snow, uphills both ways, but that is truly the way I remember it.  And it was always for me the best part of the holidays.  These are the memories I cherish the most.  Not, what I got from Santa, in fact I only remember one or two things I ever received.  It was these moments that I cherish the most.

Fast forward a couple decades, and we have our own family traditions.  We know longer hunt for our own tree in the forest, in fact we don't even have a live tree.  I guess that is kind of sad in a way, that my children have never found their own Christmas tree in the woods somewhere and had to ride for hours and hours before finding the perfect one.  But we do have our tree.

Oh, how I love the department store trees, with their monochromatic color schemes and perfectly themed decorations.  But, those trees belong in the stores, because my tree is covered in love.  Okay, total cheese, but I am serious.

 This little stocking was a gift from my first grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, a long time ago...
 Abby's decorated snowman.
 Our new ornament from last years "Tacky Christmas Ornament Party"  Thanks Bac and Tina!
 Another kid decoration.
 And another...
 And more...
 And the decoration from Amy's first Christmas.

There is a sampling of what you will find on our tree.  No, it will never grace the cover of Martha Stewart Living or Better Homes and Gardens, but it is all about our family and I love our tree.