Last blog of the year!

 2010 coming to an end....really? Already? This year has been full of good things and great times, and I can not belive it's already coming to an end! This year holds so many memories I'll forever cherish. Some of the bigger events are that Elliana has went from being a 6 month old drooling, bobbling baby to a walking, talking toddler running wild! Our family moved from Clarksville, TN back to Bryant, AL for Bryson's new job; and last, but not least, our precious baby Kade has joined our family! It's so amazing to now have both a daughter and son! This time last year I would've laughed out loud if someone would've told me I'd have a 3 month old a year from then. Kade has been such an amazing addition to our family. I'm so very thankful to God for blessing me with such a wonderful family!
 I hope 2011 brings good things as well. I know the cliche thing for New's Years resolutions is to lose weight. I've never been one to jump on that bandwagon. However, now that I have two little ones I realize now more than ever that I NEED to get healthy. I have extremely high cholesterol that is mostly a hereditary problem, though I know getting fit and losing weight would definitely do great things for my cholesterol as well as help my over all health. I went to the doctor this past Tuesday because I suspected an umbilical hernia which I had noticed shortly after giving birth to Kade. My suspicions were correct. I have a small hernia that I'm consulting a surgeon about next week. It would also be beneficial for me to lose weight as far as the hernia is concerned. I'm not sure if the surgeon is going to recommend surgery yet, since we are not sure we are finished having babies. Anyhow, the point is I have many very important reasons why I need to get healthy. I'm to the point where I'm truly embarrassed to go out in public because of the fact I'm 50 lbs overweight! I'm tired of being disgusted with the way I look. Most importantly I want to be healthy for Bryson, the kids, and myself. I want to teach my kids how to be healthy by example. I truly hope that Elliana nor Kade ever struggle with self image the way I have. Growing up, I was never taught healthy eating habits or really how important staying active really is. I don't want to be the mom who's too fat to go hiking with her kids, and who always feels bad and tired because I choose unhealthy foods and don't exercise properly. So, having said all that it looks like 2011 will be my year to jump on the weight loss bandwagon. I truly hope I can make a real life change that will stick with me for the rest of my life. I have no one to blame for the condition I'm currently in and I am the only one who can make the change. I pray God helps me to stay focused and determined.
 On a lighter note, Christmas this year was fantastic. Waking up to a winter wonderland was amazing. It was so beautiful to see a white Christmas, something I've never seen before. Sure, there have been dustings in the past and maybe some left over snow, but never a fresh bountiful Christmas snow! It was also Kade's first Christmas, which is specail as well. I know he nor Elliana will really remember this snow, but I have lots of pictures that I'm sure they'll enjoy when they're older. We had such a great Christmas spending time together as a family opening presents at our house first. We then went to Chris and Marianne's and later that night to the Whetzell's. Christmas Eve was spent as usual at Nanny and Pap's. We got to see all of our close relatives (except Chad and his family since they are in China :( ) We missed them very much, but had a blast seeing the rest of our families. Oh yes, and I got to see Amy's baby Isaac for a second time. He's a month old now and so precious. Bryson, Elliana, and Kade met him for the first time while they were here for the Christmas break. I can't belive Christmas has already been and gone, but it was definitely a great one. I am looking forward to next Christmas already!

Loving Christmas time

 I love this time each year. It's especially fun now that we have two babies! Elliana is very into all the pretty lights and singing Christmas decorations. When she sees a manger scene she says, "esus!" It's too cute. I aim to teach her at a very early age what Christmas is truly about. I want her to know first and foremost that it's about Jesus and his birth and there would be no Christmas without the gift of Jesus. Sure I want her to enjoy the Santa thrill (until some jerk kid at school ruins it for her when she starts school ;) ) and presents are always nice too, but I want her and Kade to both know why Christmas is Christmas. Kade of course doesn't know that anything special is happening this month, but Elliana is fun to watch already. I can not wait until Christmas morning to see her reaction to her new things, and just to see her in all the family traditions and the excitment that goes with it.
 Speaking of traditions I want to carry on a tradition from when I was growing up. Our family used to always gather around in the living room the night before Christmas and read the Christmas story from the Bible by candle light. Seems like a different kid read it each year. It was really neat to take a few minutes each year and hear, once again, the wonderful story of Jesus's birth. I hope Elliana and Kade will one day look forward to it as much as I did. I'm thinking about maybe baking a birthday cake for Jesus with the kids too. Maybe we could do that instead of making cookies for Santa. I think it would be another way to ensure that they remember the true meaning of Christmas ( and we can always tell them Santa can have a bite of the cake instead of cookies, haha). I also think doing a family trip to Rock City or Ruby Falls each December would be a fun tradition. We are actually going to Rock City tomorrow and I think Elliana will love it. I didn't realize that Ruby Falls had a Christmas thing as well until I saw a billboard the other day. Anyhow, maybe we'll switch out from year to year and do both.
 In other news, Kade is trying to recover from a virus. I took him to the doctor yesterday because he just hadn't been himself since Monday. He was a lot more fussy than normal and had a low grade temp. too. I was afraid he might have an ear infection, but his ears were clear. They did bloodwork to make sure nothing major was up, but that came back normal and they said it was likely just a virus making him feel yucky. Bless his heart. I hate to see either of my babies sick, but it's especially pitiful when they are so young. He does seem to be on the mend today though, so that's great.
 Elliana is amazing me with her learning here lately. It seems like she picks up so many new things everyday! She's saying all kinds of words now and even saying short sentences such as, "mere" for come here and "there it is!". :) It's amazing how she'll watch someone do something just once and then she copies them perfectly. She has her 18 month check up on the 27th and that's when we are going to start good old potty training! Oh boy oh boy, I can't wait. ;) I hope she does well with that and learns quickly. It was be WONDERFUL to have her out of diapers. Two in diapers is no fun at all.
 Bryson has been getting to work more and more 4/10's here lately and I love it. Today is his Friday and we'll get him for a 3 day weekend this week, yea! He has a really good boss with this job. She is really down to earth and understands that family comes before work and doesn't give Bryson any grief about needing time off here and there for family things. I'm very thankful for that. Some people are just way too into work and put it before anything else. Coming from a family where my dad had to work 16 hour sifts and travel out of town often, I know just how important it is to put family first.  My dad had 7 kids to support and working over time was pretty much mandatory for him. It just sucked not having him there often. He really missed a lot while we were growing up.
 Well I have a little girl who is past due for a nap and it's really showing at the moment. I better get her to bed pronto!