Happy New Year!

Wow! So, 2009 is upon us! That is just so hard to believe! It seems like it was just yesterday that we were scared of Y2K and all that jazz! Where does the time go?

Well, we ended up 2008 with a really great Holiday Season. I am not sure why it felt so wonderful to me this year, but it was just a great time of spending time with family and enjoying all of the many blessings that God has given us. I am usually sad when Christmas and New Years are over….I don’t really get depressed, just sad. I just hate to see it all end. But this year….I wasn’t happy to see it go, but I wasn’t sad either because it was just a great time!

Umm…we hosted my MIL’s side of the family “Family Christmas” at our house again this year…that was nice. It is always nice to do something like that because my house has never looked so good! LOL We remodeled our main bathroom (thank you Dad!), Scott repainted and redecorated our back bathroom and he painted our laundry room. Oh, he also painted all of our new doors (we have had them for a while, but just never painted them) and bought all new door handles for them! I am telling you…my house looks great! Oh, we had to buy new furniture too…we got a couch and loveseat (buy one get one free offer) and so that led to a new rug and new curtains and new footstools! LOL So, our house looks really great….and that was our Christmas present to each other. We didn’t get each other anything else because we have just spent so much money on our house here lately. But anyways…..so we had his whole family over….about 45 people! That went really well. We moved a bunch of furniture around and it just worked out great and I think everyone had a good time.

Umm…Christmas Eve was at my Mom and Dad’s house and then with all my Mom’s family at my Aunt and Uncle’s house. It was just a wonderful day all around. I always enjoy time spent with my family….and this year was no different! We went caroling to a few houses in their neighborhood and I LOVED that. We used to do that all the time when we were kids…..so it brought back some very sweet memories and it was fun to see Isaac and Faith Anne having so much fun with it too. Of course, we told them it wasn’t like trick-or-treating, and the first house….they came out with a plate full of cookies. LOL But that was really fun! And I got a Vera Bradley purse from my cousin, so what could be better than that? LOL It was just a great, great time with my favorite people in the world.

Christmas Day was fun…with one exception…but the kids had so much fun opening their presents and playing with their toys. They got some really great things….and a lot of really great things. We had both of our families over for breakfast and that is always so special to me….to have everyone together. Chaos…but like Mandy said, good chaos. After everyone left, we had naps….HEAVENLY….and then we went over to my MIL’s for dinner and games and then over to my parents for snacks and games. It was just a very fun day!

The one exception to the day....my FIL. He is just a POW (which stands for Piece of Work). He and his wife were late coming over on Christmas...so we didn't wait for them to eat. Then they still weren't there by the time the kids were itching to open their presents...so we handed them out and were just getting ready to open them when they walked in. He was upset that we didn't wait for him...whatever. THEN! Scott was showing him the bathroom that my Dad and Scott worked so hard on to remodel and he says it is nice....but asks why he didn't replace the hinges because they were rusty. WHAT? We have new flooring, new toilet, new vanity, new sink, new medicine cabinet, new paint, new door, new door handle and you point out that the hinges are rusty?!?!? THEN......he gave my kids a few small toys....he gave Scott $40....he gave both of his daughters $40.....he gave his other grandson (my nephew) all kinds of toys.....and he gave my SIL's "friend" $20 gift card..........He gave me.........NOTHING. Yep, NOTHING. Now, I don't want or need anything from that man, but to come into MY house....and to disrespect me like that....what a POW!!!! Needless to say, Scott hasn't spoken to his dad since Christmas and I don't care if I ever speak to him again. My MIL says it was probably an over-sight....but it is now 2 weeks after Christmas. Don't you think he would've found it by now if he just forgot my present? LOL Oh well....just chalk it up as one more thing about that man that makes him a POW. LOL

The day after Christmas was nice because my Dad offered to keep all three kids so that my mom, Jodi and I could go shopping! We had lunch and shopped and that was really fun…we stayed away from the big crazy stores….just went to a few small ones. That was really enjoyable and a nice time with them!

Let’s see….so then New Years Eve, we ended up having everyone over to our house because my Mom was really sick. So, we had my family (the cousins and one aunt & uncle) over to our house. We had so much fun playing games and just being together to celebrate the New Year! It is so fun for me to see Faith Anne and Gracie play with Abbey and Katie and then Isaac with the boys because it just brings back so many memories from our own childhoods. We all got a good laugh out of the girls playing dress-up with real dress-up clothes and not my lingerie….inside joke. But it was just so much fun – as always – spending the evening with my favorite people (except some of them were missing). I am so blessed to have family that double as my best friends and I genuinely love them and love spending time with them. Isn’t God great?

So…those were the major holidays! The other days…I was on vacation, so they were just blissful! LOL I had a lot of time with the kids each day….a nice reminder of why I am a better Mommy because I work! LOL Just kidding…kinda. My kids just fight a lot. They actually would play really, really well together for a few hours….but they would fight a lot for a few hours too. So, that was annoying. But it was just nice to “be”. We had a lazy schedule and they got to stay in their PJs for as long as they wanted to and play with their toys or watch movies or just hang out. I read some books….saw some movies….it was just a really, really great vacation!

Ummm…but now back to reality! I didn’t do great with my eating plan while I was on vacation. I pretty much just ate whatever I wanted. I did go to the gym every day – actually more than I normally do! But I still gained weight…not much, but enough to kick my butt back into gear. I would like to hit my goal and lose 28 more pounds this year. I would like to be a WW leader or at least in the training program by the end of the year. So, I have to get focused and I really need to jazz up my exercise routine to help with my problem areas! It is so neat to be able to buy clothes at whatever store I want to now! But I need to lose more off my top half so that I can fit more comfortably in those clothes! LOL My momma cursed me with a big chest, so I am not sure how to get rid of that…but I am going to work on it! LOL

Other goals for 2009….just to live each day to the fullest and be positive. There is so much in my life to be grateful for and I often lose sight of that. God has blessed me beyond my comprehension…..and He always provides. He has blessed me with a husband who loves me…and although he gets on my nerves sometimes, he really treats me so wonderful and does so many little things for me that I too often take for granted! He has entrusted me with three beautiful children….and I don’t deserve them…that is for sure. We have a home, we have two cars, we have all of our basic needs provided and we have the promise that He is coming back for us one day soon….God is so good and I don’t say that or think about that often enough.

One more note….Isaac is going to be baptized…probably this Sunday. We have to meet with Stew to make sure that he is ready for this….but he has been asking us for a few months now and to hear him explain what it means….oh my gosh. It is so precious. He “wants God to take the yuck out of his heart and replace it with good stuff.” He knows that “all of the yuck won’t come out…and more yuck will come in….” but he wants “God to live in his heart and help him take care of the yuck.” So precious. How ever did I get so blessed?

Have a great day! Love and hugs to all!!!!