Happy New Year, everyone! I hope that 2008 was a great one for you, and that 2009 brings even more wonderful things your way. I was a little sad to see 2008 leave us, for it was an awesome year. After all, I did have a baby! I'm very optimistic that this will be a great year.
Seems like I've started a trend of having long absences from here, then showing up, out of the blue. I have to admit, that I've been bitten by a bug.. and obsession of sorts... called Facebook. For those of you who are on Facebook, you know exactly what I'm talking about. You know all about the addiction. All about the periodic checks during the day to see what your friends are up to. You know all about how much fun it can be to catch up with those friends in your past, as well as other people you knew, "way back when." It's a virtual reunion of sorts. It's a lot of fun, and yes, I am addicted. For those of you who are not on Facebook, I highly recommend that you give it a try. Even if you don't want to participate in all the fun little side games that are available. There's always the ignore button.
So we just finished up the holidays. We had a wonderful Christmas. It was pretty low key, compared to past years, and I'm starting to really enjoy that. Even though there's something about some of the craziness that I like, being able to breathe is important. I had every intention of getting all my shopping finished early. I was off to a great start, too. However, the week before Christmas, 4 of the 5 of us fell sick. Hannah was the lucky one who stayed well. Thankfully, we did not have a stomach bug, like many around us, instead it was all cold symptoms. Steve had pnemonia, I had something viral, and Rebecca and Amanda the same. We are all well now.
Christmas Eve we were lucky enough to spend with dear friends of ours. We've come to know this family over the last year and a half, and enjoy them so much. They opened their home to us, and others, for a quaint Christmas Eve gathering. We only stayed for a couple of hours, then we headed home for our traditional Christmas Eve happenings, but enjoyed ourselfs greatly while we were there... even if Amanda Joy did break a wine glass :( Sorry Donna! Christmas Day we spent with Steve's Dad and his wife, and the day after we spent with my family at my Mom's house. The festivities continued on Saturday at my Aunt's. It was wonderful to see the family, for we don't see them nearly as much as we should.
Of course that brought us straight to New Years. We opted to stay home so that Amanda could get to bed at a decent time. I wasn't so sure she would make it to midnight, and was also afraid that she'd be extremely cranky. So we skipped the party and made one here at home. Our friends, Rick and Heidi, came by for a few hours. We always enjoy their company. We rang in 2009 with the Jonas Brothers (on Dick Clark's Rocking NYE).. lol The girls spilled into the street, screaming and blowing horns. Then, we called it a night :) Nice. Next year, watch out! Donna, we're coming!!! ;)
We've had a fun break. Moving at our own pace, instead of that set by school and work. It's been nice. Steve was off for just about 2 weeks. We've worked on our kitchen remodel, TRIED to keep up with housework and laundry, and even have started on Weight Watchers again. To boot, we've pulled our our Wii Fit once again, and are trying to make that a daily part of our lives. The diet is going well so far, though we're both rather hungry! lol Both girls have started their indoor Field Hockey leagues, and are loving them. I'm thinking it's very likely we'll do it again next year.
Next thing on the agenda is Amanda Joy's birthday. Can you believe the little princess is turning a year old already! Crazy! I've got the invites sent, now I just have to work out the planning. She is such a wonderful little baby. I can't believe she's just about a toddler! She's a speedy crawler, can climb our long flight of stairs, is cruising the furniture at record speeds, and can stand on her own. She eats just about anything (thank you God!), and communicates beautifully! She now says, "Mama", "Dada", "BuhBuh" (for Becca), "Haaa" (for Hannah), "Pup Pup" or "Woof" (for puppy), and "BaBa" for 'Bye Bye'. She's got a great sense of humor, as well. I just love her so much! Oh, and did I mention that she's into EVERYTHING! lol