Cheryll Turns 37!

We had so much fun celebrating Cheryll's birthday.  The girls came with Justin and Kerri and we all ate and played games.  A perfect solution to a Saturday night.  We always try to get pictures of the girls together but it didn't really work too well.  Connor had a blast playing with her cousins.  She loves them so much!

 

Caroline's First Birthday

We had so much fun at Caroline's birthday party. The girls played together while the adults sipped on wine and chatted. It is really neat to watch them interact with one another. They seem to "get it" now. (If there are random letters in this post, it is because Connor is helping me type). Caroline got great gifts and Monnie did a great job decorating for her Winter ONEderland theme which I thought was a super cute idea. I am starting to think of ideas for Connor's birthday. I cannot believe that it is two months away!

Connor's 2nd 1st Birthday party!

Today is Caroline's birthday party!  She is going to be one on the 21st and is celebrating this afternoon.  It is so hard to believe, and I don't really like to think about it too much, that "the little girl" is going to be one in two months. When I was rocking her last night I was thinking about the past 10 months and how she has changed and grown.  I want to see her get bigger but I don't want her to grow.  Does that make sense?  I just cherish all this time with her.  And to think that I am finishing with school in two weeks; I will be spending so much more time with her.  Can't wait! 

Pictures to come from Caroline's birthday party.  So much fun!

A Boat Load of New Years Resolutions...

I recently found a blog that I LOVE! Her name is Kelly and I find that we are a lot alike. Anyway, she has suggested we blog about our New Years resolutions and that is what I am going to do! Here goes nothing...

1. I want to work this year on being a better wife to my wonderful husband and a better mommy to our precious baby girl. I want to give them more hugs and kisses and tell them I love them more.

2. I want to be a more loving sister and daughter. My family is the most important aspect of my life. Without them, I would be nothing.

3. I want to be a better friend. I want to spend more time letting those that are close to me know they are special. Whether it be a card in the mail or just a phone call to say hello.

4. I want to be a better teacher. I want to make sure that all my students know that I truly care for them and will help to make their lives more complete.

5. I will get back to my pre-baby weight. I am not going to specify how; just know that I am determined.

6. I am going to continue to eat healthy; I will just work at being more creative with what is prepared. :)

7. Now that I am about to finish grad-school, I will devote more time to myself (if that is possible with a 10 month old). I will read more, now that it will be for pleasure.

8. I have to work on being more sincere. I am pretty good at it but it could use a little tweaking.

9. I want to save money this year. Last year was tough because of the addition of our precious little girl and Justin not having a job but that doesn't mean that we can't do it this year.

10. I just want to be a better person. I want to live my life in a way that doesn't have a closed door in sight but has a fence for me to lean on. I want to offer that to other people too. I want to be encouraging and someone who others look at as a kind, considerate, caring, wholesome and trustworthy person.

This is a new year and a new me! I can't wait to tackle 2010!

Oh How We LOVE Blackbeans!

That is all we have to say. Connor has black beans pretty much every night. We would not be surprised if she turned into one. The only time she doesn't have black beans is when Justin or I feed her chicken, pork or beef from our plates. The drawback is that they are SOOOO messy! She doesn't like for me to feed her. She has to feed herself...

Connor's 1st Haircut

Justin thought that Connor's hair was getting a little out of control. With Cheryll having been a hair stylist and continuing to cut hair, we asked her to do the honors. With a little help of the puffs we were feeding her, we love the results! We didn't cut any length off; we just trimmed the edges to calm them down a bit. Her "comb over" that was once in the back of her head is no longer there which is cute. That hair is now curly so we will be interested to see what happens!