New Year's Weekend Recap

Nana and Papa arrived on New Year's Eve, albeit a few hours later than scheduled due to some weather issues in Newark. Their bags were not so fortunate, and didn't arrive until almost noon on New Year's Day. We made it work though and postponed the 2nd Christmas just a tad :) We weren't really planning on doing much in the snow but we got some fresh powder that week and it was too good of an opportunity not to take advantage. On New Year's Day, we went for a snow hike in Dimple Dell. There still wasn't much snow on the ground but we enjoyed the fresh air and a nice walk. The kids are happy to pose for a snowball picture.
Here's the whole family, minus Rudy since he held down the fort at home, or more likely enjoyed the time without his torturer (aka Callie).
Keely recieved a very favorite present from Nana & Papa for Christmas, a pair of pajamas she had spied at the American Girl Doll store in NYC with a matching set for her doll. She wore those things non-stop once she got them until she went back to school after the holiday break (or so it seemed). They were more like lounge wear anyways so she would wear something else when we went out and then soon as we arrived home would change back into her lounge wear :)
We also took what seems to be a traditional trip downtown to the Gateway for some shopping and some ice skating at Gallivan Center. Only Keely and I partook in the skating as Keely had been bugging us for some time to get on the ice. She is actually a pretty good skater and we went around numerous times. She said it was the bestest time she'd ever had in her life.
Keely showing off on the ice...
On Sunday, we went snow tubing. This has also been a favorite activity for these visits but we'd never tried this hill at Gorgoza Park which is closer to our house than our usual haunt at Soldier Hollow. It was about the same honestly but not quite as serene since I-80 traffic is whizzing by.
We all enjoyed the tubing during the 2 hour session...notice Keely is relaxing in her tube almost like she's tanning herself :)
Keely liked getting pulled while on the line for the tube lift...can't say I blame her!
I had to post this photo to show where Keely spent most of her free time while on break from school. Notice she is in her lounge wear...but the more peculiar thing is that she's sitting in the corner of the living room sandwiched between the wall and the relocated coffee table (due to presence of tree in living room) sitting on top of a heating vent and watching her favorite movies on the portable DVD player. Her choices included Marley & Me, Up, Home Alone and Love Actually. Even more funny is that she doesn't watch any of those movies as a whole, just skips to her favorite parts and watches them over and over and over...such a funny girl :)
Now for some funny ones....me and Quinn being silly.
And an exhausted Nana with her buddy Rudy. My dad will try and try to be his friend but Rudy will pick Nana's lap a lot of the time....
And not to be left out, Callie curled up with a sleeping Papa...what a nice 50 lb lap dog
So that was the high points of the visit from Nana & Papa. This year was certainly unconventional but I know we Utahns had a great time and I'm pretty sure I can say the same for our guests!

Reflections on 2009

We have entered a new year and I have been thinking back on 2009. I always get excited at the beginning of a new year thinking about what it will bring to me and my family. The excitement always lies in good things though when the year will bring with it good and bad times. I had no idea when the calendar turned to 2009 that within 6 weeks I would be unemployed and searching for a new job. That initially was a bad thing but it would turn out to be for the best. As my loyal readers know, I was only unemployed for 2 months and have an even better job now...good pay, low stress, working from home one day a week, and a secure job for at least the next 6-9 months. 2010 may bring another job change for me but at least this time I will know ahead of time and can prepare. In 2009, we had a lot of fun times. We traveled to Denver, Las Vegas, North Carolina, Washington, D.C., Blacksburg, New Jersey, and New York City. Quinn started 2nd grade and Keely started official school in Kindergarten. Quinn continued playing soccer and Keely started her first season. Quinn had his first birthday party and the kids both enjoyed a few sleepovers. I'm sure there is more, but my memory is lapsing as usual.

We already know a few things about 2010. We will travel to Florida next week (!) to meet, cuddle, adore and attend the Baptism of the newest family addition, Adelia. Quinn will participate in a monumental Catholic sacrament of First Holy Communion in May. Keely will enter 1st grade in the Fall, her first year of a full day in school. Quinn and Keely will both be enrolling in soccer for the spring season. What else will 2010 bring for me, James and the kids? I don't know but I am excited to go through it with them. I am sure it will have its ups and downs but there's no other people I would rather be with through them and for that, I am grateful.

Scenes from Christmas

This was a first for us...Christmas as a family of four. We have never been "alone" on Christmas, yet we never felt alone this Christmas. The kids woke up about 7:30 AM and explored the bounty under the tree. While we snuck in a few extra minutes in bed, I overheard their excited talk. One of my favorites from Keely: "Quinn, I am so glad we were good this year!" :)

We took turns opening gifts from under the tree. The kids each received new shoes from Mom and Dad, and quite a few toys and fun things from Santa, Grandma & Grandpa, and aunts and uncles. After presents we enjoyed a lovely breakfast of eggs, bacon and English muffins. Quinn got to work right away on what was his favorite present, a Bionicle dinosaur and figure that sits on top. James got a couple of books, cologne, gift cards to Macy's and iTunes, and a Keurig coffee maker. I received a book, The Office Season 5 on Blu-Ray, a Hokie shirt, perfume, and a robe (much needed since my old one was not only ugly but 13 years old!).

We also discovered the wonder of Skype. We talked with Lois and Ryan for 1.5 hours, finally getting to "meet" baby Adelia. She is so cute and precious and now I am even more excited to travel to see her in person next month! Then we talked with Nana & Papa and all the extended family who were enjoying Christmas at their house. It was nice to see everyone and be a part of their celebration even though we were 2000+ miles away! It is hard to be away from family but the inventions of modern technology are making that a bit easier.

So without further adieu, I prepared this slideshow of pictures from Christmas morning (well, Picasa prepared it since I was too lazy to upload these photos again and they're already on Picasa). Enjoy :)

Merry Christmas to All...

Since most of our family and friends did not receive our card yet, here's what it will look like when it arrives. And we wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

33

I had a birthday this past Saturday...33 years old now. As I've been telling family and friends who call to wish me happy birthday, I feel every bit of those 33 years! I love being in my 30s, it's great. I do not long for my 20s or anything younger. But for the first time in my 30s, I am starting to feel like my body just can't do the things it used to do. Aches and pains abound from simple activities and they don't heal as quickly as they used to. Heating pads, ibuprofen and Icy Hot have been part of my daily routine and they may become regulars. I feel the need to stretch more often at the gym -- I used to work out without any stretching. Yes I know that stretching is good for your muscles, yada yada...but I just didn't need to. Now I can't do 30 minutes on a stair master without a nice 5 minute stretch afterwards. Well, enough complaining. I am happy to be alive and well to celebrate another birthday.

I was so happy that my birthday was on a Saturday this year. It was also the first regular weekend we have had since before Thanksgiving. So it was nice to sleep in...interrupted only by my sweet children wishing me a happy birthday. Quinn even made me a homemade card without prompting :) We did the typical Saturday stuff (gym, Sam's) with some Christmas shopping mixed in there. We went out to a lovely dinner at one of my (our) favorite restaurants, Bohemian Brewery. Then we walked around the mall and did a little more Christmas shopping, mostly though to walk off the big yummy meal! I got a great birthday present from James and the kids -- an iPod shuffle that I have had my eye on for months. It is super tiny so I can clip it on my shirt or pants at the gym and it can hold 500 songs. Can't wait to try it out!

So I had a great birthday, and look forward to my 34th year. :)

Smart Cookies

Last week when I picked the kids up from school one night, Quinn grabbed me right away bringing me over to the gym lobby to show me his newest achievement. Each week the students have a "Math Counts" competition where they have to answer a certain number of questions as fast as they can. If they get them all right in under 2, 3, or 4 minutes their name is put on the board in the lobby. Quinn and a few other children in his class achieved the 4 minute mark for the first time this year! He was quick to tell me that he's aiming for 2 and 3 minute marks soon, but honestly those are all 3th to 6th graders so it may be a ways off. He loves math and zooms through that part of his homework, so it was not a surprise. But it was fun to see him so excited about his good work :)

And while I am on the subject of smarts, we have had two other achievements this week as well. James passed the PE exam (Professional Engineer) and I passed the CQA exam (Certified Quality Auditor). Not totally surprising, especially James and the PE -- I just knew he would do fine on it having taken it myself 6 years ago. Oh, and not to leave Keely out...she has been working on her math skills also and is now counting without any effort to 100 by ones, fives and tens :)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

I promise I will get back to Thanksgiving shortly. But in the meantime, the Christmas season is upon us. December has been a whirlwind so far and it's going to continue for another week. After that, the month seems to settle down and I hope to be able to relax and enjoy the season a tad more. Amongst the "busy"ness....the house is decorated. The tree is up and decorated, even complete with a new star on top. There is snow on the ground. The temperatures are bitterly cold. The first batches of cookies have been made and eaten...sugar by James and chocolate chip by Callie. Yes, my counter cruiser is at it again. And we have once again proven that chocolate is not deadly for dogs. There is still much to be done before the big day...shopping, Christmas cards, baking, and I'm sure more that I am not thinking of right now. But December is upon us and this little girl would not let us wait much longer to get the festivities started. She has even invented new uses for Christmas decorations :)