It is with great pleasure that I welcome 2011! I am so excited for this New Year. As we celebrated New Year's Eve with our friends, I was reminded what a difference a year makes. Last year at this time, there was so much stress in our lives, and now, as I look back, I am so thankful for all of God's blessings. He protected us and provided for us beyond anything we could have imagined! I am most especially thankful for a healthy father and for TJ's new job! I pray that this year will be equally as blessed, with a little less stress. :-) After all of our family left last week, the kids and I enjoyed some time together. They were so used to being entertained and to having a full calendar of events each day, that every morning they would wake up and ask me what we were doing or where we were going. I tried my best to keep them busy, but I also needed some down time to recuperate from all of our fun Christmas guests and celebrations! I think I took a nap with the kids each day last week, which is very unusual for me. We went to the library one day, ran errands and played with friends. TJ had Thursday and Friday off again, so on Thursday, we took the kids to a jump house and then out for lunch. It is so fun to take TJ with us to the jump houses because he is so much better than I am at getting in and playing with the kids there. I just like to watch. The next day, it was clean-up and clear-out day. We all went through the kids toys and filled a box to give to Goodwill. We reorganized our toys downstairs, so it is much easier to clean up and put everything away. After 3 hours of cleaning and organizing, TJ took the kids out to lunch so that I could clean up the house and go for a run. Our friends, the Guerards came over that afternoon for what has now become an annual NYE celebration. They bring their two kids and we feed the kids, light sparklers, watch a movie, then put them to bed, so the adults can eat a better meal and celebrate the New Year. This year, the Guerards were in charge of the sparklers and boy did they deliver. The sparklers were as big as the kids and went through three rounds of varying sparkler displays! We must of lit the grass of fire at east 30 times! It was quite a site to see, but the kids loved it! Since the Guerards were not spending the night this year, we put Trip and their daughter, Turner down for bed in separate rooms. They were not happy with this arrangement and proceeded to act like two teenagers sneaking into each other room and talking across the hall to each other. It was hilarious! Probably a sign of things to come. On New Year's day, my parents came back down along with my brother and his family, so we could exchange presents with them. Trip and his cousin Nicholas are so funny together. Every once in a while they will just stop playing and start wrestling. I just don't get it! And, sweet Nolan is getting so big and is always just so cute and happy. On our last night with TJ before we get back on our normal routine, we had a family movie night. We put on our pjs, popped popcorn and watched Toy Story 3. I must commend TJ for participating in this event, as the Packers game was not quite over yet and we weren't sure if they'd get the win. So glad they did, especially since the Bulldogs and the Badgers had already let us down! We all saw Toy Story 3 in the theater and I balled my eyes out that time. But, I guess since the theater was dark, the kids didn't really notice my tears. Not the case this time! Mady turned around to see me crying and said, "Mommy, what are you doing...what is happening with your eyes?" Then, Trip saw that I was crying and started crying too. He is so sensitive. When I finally pulled myself together and told them I was just sad to think of them going off to college, Trip was quick to reassure me that he would always live with us, even when he is a football player for the Badgers. :-) We'll see about that! It has been a wonderful few weeks, full of great memories with family and friends. I have loved having the kids at home, but I am looking forward to some mommy time this week. So, bring on 2011!
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