See Ya 2010!

2010 was a good one for us. We have great family, great friends and jobs. We have jobs. We have so much to be grateful for. I learned some things about myself this year. Maybe, I didn't so much learn them, as much as just admitted them to myself after a little introspective thought.

#1- I'm not a fan of staying up till midnight to ring in the new year. I'm just as happy to wake up at midnight to the sound of fireworks, roll over and kiss Shane. I'll tell him I love him and wish him a Happy New Year. But as for partying till midnight.....New Years is so not my style. I might even be awake still. But I'll already be in my pajamas with teeth brushed. Every party has a pooper. This is mine. Happy New Year!

#2- I want to watch Duck Football at home, totally focused, in front of my own t.v. I love to gab. Chit chat and catching up with friends is totally my style. I just can't do it on game days. Either I'm going to watch the game inside Autzen, screaming with the masses, or at home with total focus. I think this change came with the birth of our kids. At home I know where they are and what they're doing. When we're not at our house, and my kids aren't in my sight, I don't know how much access they have to knives and electrical outlets. When I'm sure they're in your bathroom guzzling poison, I can't really watch the game.

#3- I like my job, and I can be a good mother. Both are possible. Did I mention how fortunate I am to have my job?

#4- I know now what people meant when they used to hold my infant girls and say how much they missed when their own kids were new babies. I can't help but remember looking at them as infants and recalling with fondness what that time was like for our family. But, this new stage gets better and better all the time. The girls can be reasoned with. They're starting to see the world and ask questions. They're noticing things that we haven't pointed out to them. When we were in Bend for Christmas, Libby went to the movie with Grandma Margie. Peyton cried that she couldn't go to. When I promised her that she could go when she's a little older, she protested, "But, I love it sooooooooo much!" She also tells us, "I love you so much." Melts me every time.

Happy New Year family and friends! May it be filled with love, good health, and laughter....

and

....Go Ducks!