Kicking Off 2011

A new year! Yay! I can't wait to see what this year holds! We just sailed right on through 2010.
I'm not flattering myself in thinking you care about the details of our lives, but for my journaling sake, I wanted to kick off my year in blogging by documenting kind of what's going on with every one... seems kind of fitting for closing a year and starting a new one.

Ryan and I sent 2010 off with a bang, while we may not have come close to touching midnight (oldtimers!) we made some great memories that included laughing our hind ends off while trying to push Ryan's 15 year old car up our inclined driveway in the pouring rain at 9:30 on New Years Eve. So agenda numero uno for the new year... a new car! That's a pretty fun way for daddy bear to ring in the new year.

First time for us to have a brand spankin' new car- it was kinda a big deal =)

Sadie Pie's new thing for the new year is walking. Sort of. This girl, I tell ya... no one is going to convince her to do something she doesn't want to. She is capable of walking. She was standing on her own and taking a couple steps before Christmas. Then she just stopped. Now she is up to it again and has several times taken 4-5 steps, but she will not do it prompted. It is strictly on her own terms. She's stubborn like that. Wonder where she gets that from, eek! I have a feeling my parents are going to get big kicks out of her horror stories that the years ahead will no doubt hold. She sure is sweet though, just don't let yourself be fooled. She is smart and sneaky. I have a feeling the next year with her is going to full of challenges and even more full of laughs. She is my junk food junkie, snuggle bunny, jabber walkie, flare for the dramatic!, stubborn-smiley-sassy little bug. She has convinced herself that no on has the right to tell her "no". Be well advised- you won't get one past her...and she WILL butter you up!

 Mixin' in the buff.

 Sometimes we get tired of trying to keep her out of the trash can scavenging for food. So one night when she was trying to scrape the bottom of a thrown out tomato sauce can we decided to make her life a little easier and just poor the remains in a bowl. Yeah, straight Hunts tomato sauce right here...

Bennett is keeping up with the "new" theme by getting a new do in the new year. The other night on a whim I took the clippers with a one inch guard and went over his whole head. I laughed so I didn't cry. Don't get me wrong I like it, he just looked so grown up. When his hair cut was finished he very accepting-ly told me that he did not like it but that maybe he would like it tomorrow. In the past year he has evolved from toddler to full blown boy... alllll boy. He is a ball of energy- a serious ball of energy and as his grandma likes to point out-- he has no off button. The boy is not only energetic, but intelligent and inquisitive. Never short of questions. Never short of words. He is constantly tapping me on the shoulder ( or wherever it is that he can reach at that moment) and saying "mom! I tell you question...." He has recently taken up acting and his award winning performance goes to his fake cry. Not kidding... I have heard him trying to teach it to Hannah Grace... "No Hannah like this, you have to cry like this...." or Ryan's favorite-- "Hannah be quiet! I'm crying!" being yelled from his room over to hers after they had both been sent to their rooms for trouble. He is an affectionate boy. Watch out when you are least expecting it he may just ram into you and wrap himself around your legs. Not a shy bone in that boys body I tell ya. I have a feeling he is going to keep every day of 2011 interesting and full.

Hannah Grace is keeping up with her eldest sibling responsibilities to a tee. Right now she has two babies in her care- Baby Hannah and Baby Bennett that she cares for day and night. They have also recently added a puppy-"Princess" to their clan that also requires her care. If I were a baby doll, I would hands down want to belong to Hannah Gracie! She is learning how to write and is constantly impressing me with that. I am loving watching her become her own person with her own likes and interest and her own style. She is a sweet little thing who loves to please and loves to care. One of my favorite things is listening to her "read" books out loud by herself or overhearing her sing a song when she doesn't know you're listening. This year I hope to get her involved in some lessons and activities. It is hard to watch your kids grow up, but so fun and exciting. Her being our first, charting every bit of new territory with her is an adventure. And what a special girl to share those adventures with!

Hannah Grace loves dressing up and the other night requested to put on her cousin Khylie's Chinese New Year outfit. I told her okay as long as she let me put her hair in two little buns. This is the best we could do =)

As for me, I am so thankful for the past year and another year of abundant blessings. God has seen fit to give us a very peaceful chapter in our lives (busy, but peaceful). I am not a creature of habit and I tend to look forward to change. Mixing things up for me keeps things interesting and exciting! But for now, I am finding myself truly content. I'm not sure I've reached final verdict on that, but I am pretty sure it is a good thing. Content not complacent? I'm not aiming for change, but improvement. I would love to see myself using my time more wisely and more effectively- expecting more of myself as mother and as a wife, relying more on the grace of God on the easy days and the hard. I want to use this season of simplicity to focus on things that matter. No real resolutions just a general goal. Yeah, I'm looking forward to the new year.....