that about sums it up…

So, along with a few other pictures that were on the camera card, that about sums up 2011.

This year has been a crazy one.  New house, new stress, old stress, overall we are healthy but have had a lot of little things go wrong along the way this year.  A sign that we need to make a few healthy lifestyle changes, eat better, exercise more.  As of this late December day, my body is trying to tell me nicely, one could say somewhat subtly (considering what it could do to tell me - it could hit me over the head with a metaphorical hammer), that I need to do better in this area.  So I need to listen to my body and realize that no one is going to make me do it other than me.  There isn't going to be any dramatic movie moment with music in  the background when I realized I needed to change my life.  It just needs to happen.  So, here's to that.  Let's hope I can do it.

I hope you've enjoyed the updates this year.  I enjoy giving them to you.  And I leave you with a few final pictures:

Halloween

I wanted to be sure to get a couple pictures of Halloween in from this year.  We went to a party at my friend's house that weekend and then trick or treating.  I had fun with makeup this year!

even Cody dressed up for the party

skeleton makeup!

princess makeup.  At first I did her eyebrows which made her look like a drag queen.  She looked at herself in the mirror and said, "I look like an evil queen!" ha ha ha.

trick or treating

fun with makeup and light

Halloween party

dia de los muertos

Suki

My blog books will be a little late this year.  Sorry moms.  It is the one thing I had to put on the back burner this Christmas.  I realized there were a couple posts I had skipped over and I feel they are important to include.  So fear not, the blog books are coming, just not yet.

Gratitude

This year I am grateful for so many things. 

I continue to be grateful for my children and their health.  I am happy to have normal, healthy kids who drive me crazy with their whining, fighting, begging and stalling.  Two beautiful children who make me laugh and inspire me to try to be a better person.

I am grateful for my husband.  He is the one I have, the one  to go through everything with.  The one who laughs with me and cries with me, or sits with me while I cry, letting me do it.  There have been ups and downs this year, as with any.  Times of stress and times of joy.  I am reminded again this year that we are so much alike.  We can’t really play games like checkers or tic tac toe, or even rock paper scissors – because it always ends up in a tie.  We are too well matched.  There’s no one I’d rather face this world with.

I am so grateful that my parents came to see our new home and be with us for this wonderful time of year – for Burgundy’s birthday and Thanksgiving.  I am grateful for everything they have done for me in this life.  And to have them here with me and my family is a wonderful blessing.

I am grateful for Cody’s parents and family.  They are my family on this side of the country.  I have always felt loved and have nothing but love in return.  And though people are scattering themselves throughout the country and the world, I am grateful that they are finding their homes and am looking forward to seeing them all again.

I am grateful for my good friends.  I have experienced this year that what you think are good friends may not actually be so.  And it makes the genuine friendships all that more obvious and sweet. 

There are so many things to be grateful for.  Our new house, our new dog, my sister and her amazing family, food on the table, precious memories, hopes for the future…

I wish for you the very best for the coming year.  Know that you are in my thoughts, and I am grateful for you.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving and fun activities with my parents.

Finn & Papa build a table.

Tepanyaki

Thanksgiving dinner

All day Thanksgiving, Finn kept bringing up games from the basement and putting them on his new table.  As I was busy with other things, I didn’t do much about it.

It turned out to be a great idea.  He was adamant that we would play games after dinner, in “centers” like they do at school, and we would rotate through three station when he rang the bell. 

We had Candy Land

Jenga

and checkers.  It was the best part of Thanksgiving.  Way to go, Finn.

cupcakes

A few days later, Papa & Cody worked hard to get the kitchen ready for the stove and microwave.

and decorating for Christmas.

Happy Holidays!!

The Princess turns 4

There is a little girl in my house that we call Baby.  We’ve all called her that for so long that for a while she thought it was her name.  She recently told me that she will no longer be called Baby, because now that she is four years old, she is no longer a baby.

But she will always be my baby.

This year we are lucky to have Nana & Papa in town.  The first morning they were in town Burgundy insisted on having a tea party.

A princess party was decided upon.  Held at the Treehouse Museum which was absolutely perfect.  And look, the room even had a castle mural.  Perfect.

We did the participlay, which was Cinderella, and Burgundy, although she was dressed as Cinderella, decided she would rather play the part of the queen.  Just like real life.

And Finn played the king.

The time came for cake.  I was looking into her eyes and singing Happy Birthday.  And she was watching me the whole time.  When the song ended she jumped into my arms with a huge embrace.  It was silent except for murmurs of “Awww” from the guests.  It is a moment that I will hold in my heart until the day I die.  It is a moment that reminds you why you do the things you do, when the joys of raising a headstrong 4-year-old are more apparent and crystal clear.  It made me feel like a mom.  In a good & wonderful way. 

There were far more presents then any twelve 4-year-olds would ever need.  She opened presents from the moment she woke up until the moment she went to bed.

She wanted quesadillas for dinner so we went to Garcia’s.  Grandma & Grandpa joined us for that, too.

And here are a few things about Burgundy:

She is completely sure of herself and she knows what she wants.  Once she decides, there is no changing her mind.

She is super smart.  She can count to 100 and knows all her letter sounds.  Today she told me Antarctica is a continent and there are 7 continents.

I’m pretty sure she is a miniature version of me.

She loves to sing.  She will often be playing by herself and when she does she is always narrating with a song.

She has the coolest hair ever.  Like seriously, ever.

Happy Birthday, Burgundy.  You’ll always be my baby.