My 2011 Resolutions

I can't remember the last time I made a resolution and kept it, but then again, how many of us can?

I have made my list short and simple this year, in hopes to actually achieve the goals I'm setting.

My 2011 Resolutions: 

1. A couple of the girls in our small group were talking about "handprint prayers" that they had heard about. Each year, you trace your child's/children's hand(s) and write a simple prayer or bible verse on it that you vow to pray over them each day. I plan to keep this in my Bible, get it laminated, and then one day put them altogether in a book for each child. Maybe when they all have children, at their wedding, who knows, I just know that it will be a very special gift for them to receive one day. I'm currently reading, Praying the Scriptures for Your Children -- not as a cover to cover read, more of a reference book. I totally recommend it to anyone with kids or if you know someone that will soon have them. Because Caroline is so little, it was a little difficult to come up with a simple enough prayer that will pertain to her, but yet meaningful enough to pray each day.
Here's what I've come up with for this year:

"I pray that Caroline would obey Mommy and Daddy and always make good choices." Its taken from the 10 commandments, but I didn't think the words straight from Exodus fit a 2 year old's character, so I just made it a bit more simple! ;)

2. I pray that I cherish each moment that Caroline has left as an "only child." I know Molly is coming quickly (I was reminded so today by the Dr.), and this time that we have with her is very special. In April we won't have a house with one child until someone goes off to college, many years down the road. C has NO IDEA what is about to happen, but I pray for a smooth transition into sisterhood and that she knows she's in NO way being replaced! :) I know she can't possibly, seeing how young she is, but I just want to make sure that every moment that we have left until April is spent having fun with her!

3. I vow to read more! I'm on Goodreads, and I have a ton of books on my "want to read" shelf. I need to do more reading and less putting books on the shelf! If you're on Goodreads, friend me, I'd love to see what you're reading as well! This is a hefty one seeing how Molly arrives in April and will consume a TON of my time, but I figure reading can be "my" time, and everyone needs that, right?

So there you go, I think these are 3 good resolutions that I can {and will} do this year. I tried not to put a number on any of them or make them to stringent, because if I do, I'll just stress about now achieving a specific goal. This way as long as I just "do" these, I will be achieving them!

What are your resolutions?

Cooking with Mommy!

To add to our "series" of Cooking With..., I thought I'd show you some pictures of Caroline cooking Almond Snowballs with me! I did the actually cookies, we just let her 'toss' them in the powdered sugar at the end. What a mess, but what fun!

Make sure the dough is nice and crumbly like the recipe calls for.

Mine didn't quite turn into the perfect round cookies like the bakers at SL Mag were able to create...

Then get your bowl of Powdered Sugar,

And a Little One who is Oh SO Excited about helping in the kitchen!

Can I do it now Mama?

Hmmmm....

Voila! I admit, I let them sit a while after the first round of Powdered Sugar, and then tossed them around again. The second time really coated them! 

I really liked them...a simple twist on your ordinary shortbread cookie!

Christmas Monkey, Christmas Monkey!

Everyone loves a Christmas Monkey!....at least you do if your name is Caroline and the Monkey's name is "George" as in Curious George!

 

We had a fabulous Christmas this year, Santa was WAY too kind and brought us everything on our lists! I have to admit though, having a child now completely changes Christmas...its so much more fun to see them enjoy all the gifts then actually getting them yourself. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed my gifts and am blessed beyond measure, BUT seeing C's face as she saw her Kitchen, her Child-Sized George, and Tent with Balls was awesome!

Daniel said we were teaching her young how to be domesticated...yet he's the one who LOVES to vacuum around our house! :)

We did Santa at home as soon as C woke up, then waited for my Mom, Barry, Eric, and Michael to arrive to do Christmas from them as well as Christmas Brunch. We started Brunch at our house last year of Mom's French Toast Casserole, Eggs, Bacon, and Fruit Salad, and I was super excited to continue the tradition this year! After C's nap, we headed over to Cappy's to do Christmas with her, Christine, and John and hunker down for the first White Christmas Atlanta has seen in 128 years! Unfortunately I forgot my camera at home, so I have no "real" pictures of Christmas at Cappy's. I have iphone pictures and I know Christine has a ton that I can upload later as well. Regardless, I have a lot of great pics from the morning that I'm itching to share with you!

 

Coming down the stairs...Whoa, Bed hair!!

I wish I'd had my flash on, but I love how she TOOK off for the kitchen!

She could've played here for hours!

 

ISH!!!! {Fish}

I know it's blurry, but the face is priceless! She LOVED her tent and tunnel with balls! She just kept shouting "Balls! Balls!" in her little Southern voice! Adorable!

 

Merry Christmas!

We hope you have a blessed and safe Christmas! 

Cooking with Cappy

Cappy kept Caroline for the night as a treat to us for Daniel and I's anniversary! During her stay, they decided to make a Gingerbread House. She's a brave woman, because the few times I've attempted to cook with Caroline, they've turned into a disaster.

I think a lot more candy ended up in someone's tummy as opposed to on the house, but nevertheless, it turned out super cute, and Caroline was so excited to show us the finished product when she came home!

Unfortunately, the Gingerbread House only lasted a few days....she kept sneaking into the kitchen and eating the gumdrops off the roof. As cute as this first was, the fits and tantrums that followed, not so much. The trashmen gladly took it off my hands one day during naptime....sorry Cappy!

PS --- How do you like the new "look" of the blog?

North Point's iBand

If you haven't seen this video yet, you have to check it out! This is the NPCC iBand -- if Steve Jobs and Apple don't use them in an iPad campaign, they are missing out! I am so hoping that we get to see them at the Christmas Eve Service this week!

Merry Christmas!

O Christmas Tree!

My how Christmas Trees change with kids! There's the ever growing ornament collection, followed by the ever growing list of broken ornaments, the "kid-only" ornaments, the ornaments that hang crooked due to that 'delicate' touch from the kids that just can't keep their hands off, and then there's our tree this year....

Pretty on top!...

But not on the bottom!

Our ornaments start FOUR FEET from the bottom this year due to someone in this household who's name rhymes with "Terror"-line...no pun intended, but kind of, due to the fact that when it comes to ornaments, she's a Holy Terror! She's crushed ornaments, thrown them, taken/ripped them off the tree, then sprinted away, so I finally had to resort to keeping most in their boxes this year and only displaying our favorites. We also won't be putting any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve and Santa arrives, which is really sad for me because I love seeing all the presents placed so perfectly for all to see! I just don't trust "My Buddy" to leave them alone. 

Since not all the ornaments made the cut this year, I wanted to show you a few that did! These are my favorites for many different reasons, and regardless of how few or how many are on our tree, these will always be somewhere for me to see! (In no way did I mean for that to rhyme!}

These were in Daniel and I's Guest Gift Bags. We had them in Red and Gold, I hang one of each on our tree ever year! They have our names and wedding date on the ribbon. I thought they were a perfect "take away" for our December wedding.

Our family Christmas picture from last year. 

I started a tradition last year with Caroline by taking her to ride Priscilla the Pink Pig. Last year, we bought the ornament that looks like the ride, this year I just got the one to show we did in fact ride it (well she did, I wasn't allowed due to being pregnant).

Another tradition I started was to buy Caroline a Wallace Sleigh Bell ornament each year, starting with the year she was born. I'll give these to her one day, and when we get enough, I'll probably put them on a tree in her room. I plan to do this with each of our kids.

A handmade ornament of Daniel's. Such little fingerprints!

My First Christmas Ornament

Caroline's First Christmas Ornament

Because I do LOVE NY!...

And Neimans!

And lastly because this one helps me remember why it is that we are celebrating 

Christmas in the first place.

The back of the box that holds the ornament says, 

"A little angel brings a star to us from above --

A Christmas message filled with peace, with wonder, and with love."

Do you have ornaments on your tree that hold special meanings to you? 

Time Flies!

5 years ago today, I married my best friend. I can't believe how fast it's gone by! We've owned 4 different houses and lived in 3 different states, but I wouldn't change a thing, and if Daniel came home today and told me we were moving again, I'd say, "Let's Go!". We have our Sweet Caroline and another Little Miss on the way to remind me each day of how much I love him. I am forever thankful to him for letting me stay home with "My Buddy," and I can't wait to see what God has in store for us down the road. I love you Daniel, and always will! Here's to many MANY more wonderful years together!

A few memories from Our Special Day!

Doesn't everyone take Jaeger Bombs with their Wedding Party Pre-Reception? ;) 

(There were so many more I wanted to share, but I've misplaced the Photog CD. These were what I had on FB. I may be calling him today.)

Thanksgiving Day

We only had TWO places to stop off at this Thanksgiving, and I think our stomachs didn't know what to do with all the extra room! Ha, I kid. We usually have at least two houses to go by for Thanksgiving Feasts {that many people love us}, but this year we stopped at two -- The Grandma's -- and left Friday for Daniel's Dad's house. I wasn't quite sure how Caroline would like all the Thanksgiving food just because its not something I make all the time, but she sure did seem to enjoy herself! She especially enjoyed the Chocolate Pie, but I guess she gets that after me! 

Of course she plowed through 1 {or 3} Crescent Rolls! I mean, who doesn't? 

And picked at the Turkey and Stuffing

But then went back to the Crescent Rolls! 

This picture was followed by MAJOR meltdown due. I'll just blame it on the Tryptophan and nothing else. 

After her nap, we headed over to Cappy's! And since the weather was SO nice, the kids spent most of the day outside. Praise the Lord! 

Sweet Megan all by her lonesome (this is where I'd choose to be too though!).

Caroline, Charlie, and Uncle Matt making a big pile just to destroy it moments later!

Taking a breather!

And back at it!

Look at those teeth! LOVE this smile!

So apparently this is a Toddler-Size Wagon as opposed to just a play one. Somehow Caroline managed to not only get in, but rope Uncle Matt into pulling her around the yard!

So Silly!

Sweet Girls!

I have just a few more pics to share from T'Giving Week, and then it's on to the kids' photoshoot with Claudia's Sweet friend, Amy! She did a fantastic job!! Love all the pics!

Oh and yes, my camera took the picture at the very top all by itself with the help of the trusty timer, and doesn't Caroline all snuggled up next to Charlie make your heart smile? It does mine!