{Carpe diem?}

Here's to a Happy New Year!

Now get out there and make it great!

Resolutions

It's that time of the year again. Out with the old and in with the new. Time to start fresh and try something new or just try to do something that you told yourself you were going to do last year.
That's right, I'm talking New Years Resolutions. Do you have them? I know the people that say, "I don't do resolutions, I just set goals year round." I totally used to do be that person, but I think New Years is a perfect time to get your bum in gear and do some work on those goals!
Last year was my first year to actually set a New Years Resolution and follow through with it...I should actually say, Mr. T and I set the resolution. We added up all the mornings we went out to grab coffee and decided that staying in and making our own coffee would be MUCH cheaper and faster (I know, you don't have to tell me how brilliant we are...it might go to our heads). So we did just that and this year we make coffee every morning at our own little coffee bar at home. My mom rewarded us with a new Keurig coffee pot, which is the answer to all your coffee problems, especially if your impatient and ADD....a.k.a. Me!

So this New Year, I am starting my training again. After Halloween I have basically taken off from running to enjoy sleeping in and giving my body a much needed break. Now I am ready to kick it back into full gear and since I have gotten into the mother ship, it's really time to run hard again. Mr. T has already bought our plane tickets to Boston and we  have Gaga and BopBop coming to stay with Izzy (they are her grandparents, not creepy muppets like their names would have you believe). So, I have some pressure motivation.

Still smiling at Mile 17.

Sister, myself and dad after the Nashville Marathon.

We are also setting a New Years resolution to say, "goodbye!" to this:

No, not the cute baby (although I have threatened to turn her back in a few times around 2am when she is ready to party), but the pacifier. It has become a staple for her, it wakes her up at night when she can't find it, it's annoying to constantly bring it everywhere we go and "clean" it every time it drops (me putting it in my mouth constitutes cleaning it right?) and we always seem to lose one. So the thing has got to go.

I know it's going to be really rough for a few days and may lead to a few nightmare nights, but we are willing to take the challenge. Plus, who needs sleep? Oh that's right...I'm going to be training for a marathon and Mr. T's schedule is going to be really busy. Again, I know we're brilliant.
If it's too rough we might just send the pacifier with her to college.
Here's to a great New Year!

A Christmas to remember

This Christmas was a completely new experience for us. I don't want to say, "It was a terrible Christmas" because that might be a tad bit sacrilegious. I will say I didn't have a blast on Christmas day. Saturday night, Mr. T started complaining of stomach cramps. After taking some pepto bismol, we decided he had just eaten too many Christmas cookies.
About 30 minutes later, he was praying to the porcelain toilet. About 2 hrs later, Izzy woke up covered in throw up. After giving her a late night bath all while Mr. T. was rushing in and out of the bathroom, my stomach started cramping. The rest of the night was a circus. Izzy was puking in our bed, we were changing sheets... all while tag teaming the toilet. Merry Christmas to us! 

That morning, Mr. T and Izzy woke up feeling a little better, while I was still crampy and drained. Isabelle was the biggest trooper! She would chug water, laugh, open presents,puke...then repeat. It was sad and hilarious at the same time. Without the water puke, you would have thought she was perfect! Thankfully, it less than a 24 hour bug so it was over quickly. I am also glad none of my nephews got it...I know they would be mad if they thought Santa brought them a stomach virus instead of a new football helmet. 

Thankfully, the first part of Christmas week was great. We celebrated me and my sisters birthdays by driving around in a pink hummer looking at Christmas lights, we went out for a little two steppin' (Christmas isn't complete without that!) and we did a lot of laying around and watching Isabelle and her cousin Carter (a.k.a. Bubba) wrestle and play together.

How sweet is this guy to let her crawl all over him?

Right before he wiped the icing off her boobs...Also before his Elf, Freddy, met Barbie.

My Birthday Wish..To look like poo and not wash my hair. Check, Check.

My Nashville Family

Adorable cheerleader complete with chocolate face and Christmas tree pretzel in hand.

The Cheerleader decides that football is way more fun than cheering.

This sassy little picture just makes me laugh

Hanging with her dad and her grim reaper Uncle.

Trying to keep his presents away from Isabelle

You can see her lips yelling, "BUBBA!" They live 700 miles apart, yet still act like siblings.

The Daredevil standing on her rocking chair without hands.

After Puking rally, she got to open some presents from her Cousin Allie.

Dora!

And because no blog is complete without the Glowing Christmas Tree Pic.

Christmas day might not have been perfect, but then again is it ever? The Christmas season was great. I am always sad to take down our decorations, put away Christmas clothes, and start feeling guilty again for the extreme Christmas goodie gluttony but I still wouldn't trade the season for anything.

How was your Christmas? 

Merry Christmas!

From our Family to yours.

{Christmas Season}

Then and Now

Mr. T and I did the norm Christmas activity last night...watched old home videos. It felt like Christmas vacation where Clark is stuck in the attic and he bundles up in old clothes to watch old videos. We were only missing the fabulous mink coat he wears (even when I was little I dreamed of owning and playing dress up in his outfit). Anywhoo, we watched videos from just THIS YEAR and felt nostalgic. We said the words, "Oh my gosh, I remember that so well! It seems like that just happened!" Then we would laugh at each other, because it literally did just happen!
In just a few short months, my tiny baby became a wild toddler!  She's so much  fun, but it just seems like sleep deprivation killed my memory and that tiny baby is so hard to even recognize.
Last year:

This year:

Sister parties on chairs now! She always knows how to have a good time.

What a difference a year can make and can you believe Christmas is only 5 days away? My favorite day of the year is right around the corner...so it's time to embrace it.
Coffee all day and making delicious treats with my little elf (that can actually help this year) are calling my name.

Christmas in Texas

You know when you were little and you always thought, "Divorced families are awesome! You get twice as many presents for Christmas and for birthdays!"? You didn't think that? Maybe I was a tad materialistic when I was a young lady. My parents just celebrated their 40 year wedding anniversary, so I never got the chance to have twice as many gifts. Dang them and their successful marriage! I kid, I kid. A little. Mr. T DOES come from a divorced family, so now that I'm old I get to celebrate 3 Christmas'! It's a pretty sweet deal.
This weekend we headed down to Texas for our Christmas with his family. His sister just had a baby, so it was so much fun to catch up with them and let Izzy play with her new baby cousin.

He is so sweet. And sleeps through the night. And doesn't fuss. Ever. We asked him to put in a good word for us with Santa because this guy has been a GREAT boy!

This picture makes me laugh. She's loving him and he's terrified.

Isabelle loves her BopBop

We also went to a cute little Christmas festival in Grapevine, Texas. Now, I am all for Santa, but I understand kids' terror when it comes to sitting on his lap. Think about it...it's very creepy. So I have no idea who thought this Santa would be less frightening:

So naturally, we had to have our daughter take a picture with them.

If she were capable of giving me the bird, I have a feeling I would have gotten it after this one.

We made up for torturing her with a pony ride with her BopBop. He got called her, "dad" a few too many times though..grossy.



 The weather was perfect. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. It was 60 degrees and sunny without a single cloud in the sky. I am not one that needs a white Christmas. I don't even need a Christmas where you can see your breath. Call me crazy, but I don't love bundling up to walk outside, or having to sprint from your car to the grocery store in order to keep your legs from freezing off.

Trying out her new Tom's shoes. She loves them...she's such a tiny humanitarian.

So there's another Christmas down in the books. Two more to go and if they are half as much fun as this one was, then it will be a Christmas miracle!

Christmas Light Extravaganza!

There's something very cool and "Christmas-y" about sharing the same traditions you shared with your parents, with your baby. After you become an adult, Christmas can become just something to add stress to an already stressful life.

I'm not saying that to make it sound like Christmas is insignificant, because it definitely is. It's a time to celebrate the birth of my Savior and celebrate His message of love for one another. I just feel that as I have gotten older, I can recognize how commercial and selfish this holiday can get.

Take for instance, Hobby Lobby. I looove me some Hobby Lobby, but this time of year, that store makes women crazy. I have gotten more dirty looks and more judgemental little eye's from woman in the past month than I have all year. I don't understand that. We can throw money into the bell ringer's bin and then immediately push one another out of the way to get a favorite nativity scene for 50% off? This is almost hilariously hypocritical.

 I am not trying to sound bitter, because if you really know me, then you know I am a crazy Christmas lover. I love the celebration, the music, lights, presents, family time, traditions and having a child's eyes to look through again brought back my sheer LOVE for this holiday.

We took Isabelle to Rhema Bible college a local (you guessed it) bible college in town that does an AMAZING display of Christmas lights. It started in the 80's, when I was just a tyke, with 60,000 lights. It now has over 2 million. It's beautiful!

We picked Isabelle up some hot chocolate from Starbucks before we arrived, which is a must. Their kids hot chocolate is not hot enough that you have to wait for it to cool down and it tastes like melted chocolate. It's amazingly rich and the way hot chocolate should taste. To a 16 month old, it tastes like heaven.

Isn't that the cutest little cup? It looks like a shot glass in Mr. T's hand and a Large in Izzy's hand (or a venti for all you Starbucks aficionados).

After she had her kids crack  hot chocolate in hand, she was ready to hit the lights. As soon as she saw the first twinkle, she was in love.

No, that's not a booger on her nose. It's a scrape. This is what happens when you run everywhere instead of cautiously walking, like most toddlers.

She sprinted from light to light and yelled, "Wow!" every step of the way. Mr. T and I could barely contain our excitement just watching her excitement.

This is Flash...Aka Isabelle.

Some of the lights are synchronized to music which led Isabelle to do a few spontaneous booty shakes in the middle of the bible college. Hallelujah! The girl didn't get momma's dance moves! Girl can break it down! Can I get an Amen?!

Showing a little daddy love

It's so beautiful to see the world through Isabelle's eyes and to be reminded to embrace life and even the craziness that ensues Christmas. I don't want her to grow up to be a grumpy shopper or think that gifts and lights are the true meaning of Christmas.

 I want her to remember that all this craziness is for His birthday party.

The most important birthday party in the world.

The birth that saved us all.