Time is ticking....

...and it will be 2010 tomorrow! Time to establish those New Year's resolutions! Popular ones include weight loss, to quit smoking/drinking and to get organized. Studies show that almost 80% of resolutions fail as early as mid January and reaches 95% by April! Wow!


One article suggests applying SMART goals when setting your resolution this year. Your goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time bound.

After much thought and realistic consideration, I hope to have a clean kitchen every night before I go to bed. It's just so much nicer to wake up and start the day without having to worry about catching up on cleaning dishes or wiping down cabinets.

Of course, I am also on the "get fit" bandwagon as I am every year. I hope to eat less and exercise more and hopefully lose about 15 lbs to return to my pre baby weight.

What is YOUR new year's resolution??

Swing set

When football season ended (early Nov) Jarrod needed to find something else to keep him occupied. So, he decided to build a swing set for the kids! He is quite the carpenter and it looks great! After many trips to and from Lowe's, lots of cutting, drilling, measuring, leveling and sanding it looks GREAT! What a project! Below are a few photos taken of the progress.

Our backyard offers plenty of space so the enormous masterpiece fits nicely. He still needs to paint it and add swings (and eventually monkey bars) but it is now able to use. Emma loves the big yellow slide and can't wait for the swings! Now we just need little people to come over and have fun!!

Growing Owen!

There is no extra special reason for this post, just wanted to share some cute new photos of my favorite son :) Tomorrow he will already be 10 weeks old. He is going through a growth spurt this week and I am trying my best to keep up feeding-wise! He is getting very close to growing out of his 0-3 months outfits but size 1 diapers are still roomy. He still has very little hair and it is very light. We are eager to see whether or not his blue eyes will remain blue. Emma's were darker blue but eventually turned brown like her daddy's. Here are some pictures of Owen enjoying some of his Christmas loot. He is just barely big enough to sit upright in his Bumbo chair. He has excellent control of his head and neck muscles and this will help them become even stronger! He also has a new activity gym and has had little "conversations" with the critters hanging from above!

Christmas morning

Christmas morning is something Jarrod and I look forward to every year! We always do our little family thing in the morning and then make the rounds that afternoon. Jarrod & I always make a sneak trip to Toys R Us and enjoy picking out things for the kiddos.

Emma is at such a fun age for the holidays. She loves the lights, TV movies and even learned a new song (Jingle Bells). She finally grasped the concept of the big jolly man leaving presents. On Christmas Eve she told me several times that Santa was definitely bringing her FIVE Barbies. I was pretty certain he was only bring ONE and felt absoutely sure that he wasn't running back to Target ;) It seemed like Emma unwrapped gifts ALL month long with a birthday just two short weeks before Christmas. Our house is overloaded with toys...and we are very blessed! Emma cheerfully volunteered to open Owen's gift this year but was a sweet big sister and told him everything he got!

Christmas Cards Idea

If you are like us, you receive an abundance of Christmas cards from friends and family near and afar. I always enjoy reading the newsletters and seeing photos! I hate to just throw them away at the end of the season and came across a great use for them and wanted to share! Keep the cards and use them as prayer cards. The photos help little ones see exactly who is being lifted up in prayer. You can even create a mini binder and jot down specific prayer requests that pertain to different people. If you sent us a card this year, know that we are praying for you!!

Check ups

Owen - one month

Tummy time

Yesterday we had 3 year and 2 month check ups. Emma was such a big girl and cooperated fully with the nurses. She weighed 34 lbs and is 36 in tall. She is in the 50th percentile and Dr Flippin says she looks great! Owen weighed 11 lbs 2 oz and measured 22.5 in long. He is in the 30th percentile so he is a petite guy right now :) Dr Flippin said he is doing an excellent job holding his head up and said that we can start "tummy time"! He is smiling and mimicking us a lot more now! Emma was happy not to be the one getting shots yesterday. Owen did get four immunizations. Those shots don't get any easier for me to handle, and I was relieved to have Daddy on duty for that! We are so thankful for such healthy smart kiddos!!

Santa's Wonderland

We are really enjoying Jarrod being home with us! Last night we enjoyed Santa's Wonderland, just six miles south of College Station. This was our second time and we had so much fun! If you haven't been before, I highly recommend it! We hope to make it an annual family trip. From the moment you arrive you feel as though you have stepped into the North Pole! One main highlight is the Christmas light display. There are over one million lights and many amazing displays such as the nativity scene, Santa's workshop and an Aggie football game. We took a hayride through the lights and Emma loved it! Christmas lights are a big hit with her this year :) Other attractions include Santa's Town with live music, fake (cold) snow, big screen holiday movies, a petting zoo, cute shops and so much more!! For the second year in a row we enjoyed some dutch oven peach cobbler. YUM!