Some Cute Shots and My Word of the Year

It has taken me FOREVER to get back to life, our schedule, normalcy, and finally...this blog.  We had a whirlwind Christmas of unexpected changes in plans and an 11 hour road trip back to my old hood...NORTH CAROLINA.  Oh, how I have missed that place.  As many of you know, the Hubs is from NC and is true blue Tar Heel.  I went to college in NC too and that state has been in my heart ever since.

We had not been back in 4 years and we were so excited to be there for Christmas.  According to the girls, Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house ROCKS!

Sadly, ever since Christmas, we have been up and down with sickness with all the weather changes for our humidity adapted bodies. And then last night Ella cracked her chin open jumping in the bathtub (after telling her to stop for the 3rd time...sigh) sending us to an after hours clinic to get her sealed up. I about fell out on the floor seeing my child's fatty tissue inside a gaping hole under her chin but that story can be for another day...yet I think that picture in your mind should suffice. So that is a sum up of the last few weeks.

Here are some highlights from our Christmas...

 Bikes for the girls!

We were loaded up with suitcases (and bikes) with 5 hours into the trip to NC.

We had our first ever Christmas Eve dinner at McDonald's and then got into jammies.  

It was a surreal moment when I ordered a Number 1 meal on Christmas Eve.

 We don't have many leaf piles in FL so Ella was beyond excited to jump in a huge pile on our first day there.
I also thought you all would appreciate some Ella smiles.
It does not happen often in front of a camera.

 "My Paw Paw is so silly in his hat."

 This face melts my heart.

 This one too. :)

Cati is a true blue animal lover. 

 I love how Cati is looking at her Paw Paw in this pic.  

The girls are just crazy about their Grandparents.

 

 Cati loooooooooooooves the snow.

 This was Ella's first time ever playing in the snow. So magical and precious.

No, I did not get her right between the eyes with a snowball.  

She did that when trying to lick the snow by bending over.  Oh, my Ella.

 Daddy is so cool to pull Cati on this sled!

 He even sprints to make it go fast!

 WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

 Family pic in the snow!  

We Floridians had our 2nd White Christmas as a family. YAY!

(2 years ago we did in NJ where my Dad lives)

 Paw Paw collected some snow from outside and made...

 SNOW CREAM!

 Yummy!

 My FIL (Paw Paw) is a dentist so the girls wanted to visit his office and sit in his fun yellow chair.

Then it was back home to play with the goods.

Cati taught herself to hula hoop in a day.  So cool.

 How funny that we were in snow a few days before and in shorts and t-shirts a few days later?

Now for my WORD.

I confess that I never make New Year's resolutions but I am completely digging this one word that people come up with to be a theme for the new year.  At first I thought it was going to be HEALTHY.  I really am not as health conscious as I used to be and being smack dab in my mid thirties, I need that to change.  But I needed to broaden that word a little and I realized the word I was seeking for my theme in 2011 is NURTURE.

Here are some synonyms...grow, develop, feed, educate, train, cultivate, nourish, the act or process of raising or promoting the development of...

I want to nurture my family, my marriage, my girls, my extended family.  I want to eat healthy, train for another 5K and actually do it, be a godly wife and mother, teacher, and most of all a woman who seeks the heart of God.  This word fits all these categories so perfectly and it is my hope that this year is one where I nurture the life I have and all that God has given me.


If you had a theme what would it be?  I smile every time I think of mine.  It just fits and I pray your New year is filled with new beginnings too.  Seriously.  I just prayed for you.  For reals. :)

P.S.  I have a new giveaway coming up. Just got it in the mail after being asked to do a little review.  One for me and one for one of YOU!