Ok. So it is the last day of 2009 and I am sure a lot of people are trying to come up with their New Years Resolutions. You know lose 10 pounds, eat better, stop smoking etc. Well I have come across a few blogs that suggest that instead of making a resolution that you will probably ditch by Valentine's Day you pick one WORD that you focus on throughout the year to help you accomplish goals, become a better person, focus on what is important etc. For example, I read on one blog that instead of having the "resolution" to "Get Organized" you instead focus on the word "RELEASE" to help inspire you in a bigger way than simply "Get Organized" does. It helps you "release" more than just physical clutter and get rid of other non-physical things that may be holding you back. Anyway, I sort-of like the idea so I am going to give it a try. I have thought about a word and I have come up with "PRESENT". Not as in a gift but to be "PRESENT". As Webster's defines it: now existing or in progress; being in view or at hand; ATTENTIVE. In other words, to be "PRESENT" where I am at that moment and enjoy it. Too often I find myself somewhere but I am thinking about my NEXT stop or the NEXT task I have to accomplish instead of being "PRESENT" where I am. I need to live more in the moment and not always be focused on what I think I need to do next that may or may not be as important as what I am doing right NOW! Come to think of it, if I can be PRESENT more, it will be like giving myself and those around me a "PRESENT" or gift of my undivided attention and I think I will enjoy things more. So, that is my word of the year. I am going to try to be more "PRESENT" in the things I do. Of course, I still need to look ahead and stay organized so that my laundry gets done and my kids get to school but when that stuff is taken care of I will try to focus on being PRESENT as much as possible. Sorry for the rambling. Good Luck with your resolutions or focus WORD.

The Simple Things

AAAHH! The Simple things in life. Just plain old Play-Dough kept Hadley and Brett busy and happy for over an hour. They made all sorts of stuff and I didn't have to download, recharge or hear any noise from any device!

Close-ups

Me attempting to get some close-ups of some of the kids. These are just a few. I think I'll keep trying.

Digging in the dirt

Whit loves to play in the dirt. He tends to take taste tests as he digs so he ends up with a lovely dirt mustache. You know what they say about dirt- you have to eat a pound of it before you die- Whit is well on his way to filling his quota.

Playing on the trampoline

The kids love the trampoline. Whit has even started to like it but he needs Carson or Reese to go on with him to play his favorite trampoline game we call "Run-Run" or as Whit says it "NA-NA". When he wants to do it he goes looking for Carson and convinces her to stop what she is doing so she can come and play with him. She can't resist his cute little face!

Many faces of Whit

Here are some photos of Whit outside in his hat. He actually kept it on for a change. I guess he realized it was too cold to have his ears exposed. Speaking of cold- What's up with this weather? It is usually in the 60's here at Christmas! Instead we are having record cold and I don't like it one bit! I think this whole "Global Warming" thing is a crock! I wish it was WARM!!!!

Christmas Day

Another Christmas has come and gone. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing Christmas. It poured down rain in the morning which actually helped keep everyone in bed until 7:30 (late for us). We opened our gifts and than got everyone playing with their toys for a few hours until we went over to Gram and Grandpa's for pancakes and more gifts. Then it was home for "quiet time" and a much needed nap for several family members who were up half the night coughing and sneezing. After naps it was more playing and enjoying all of our new stuff. Everyone seems happy with their gifts and I am happy that I had time to un-decorate my house so all is back to normal and I don't have the dreadful task of taking everything down next week!

Christmas Morning 2009

Favorite Gifts of 2009:

Griffin: new XBox

Carson: laptop

Reese: laptop

Hadley: Nintendo DSi

Brett: Leapster 2

Whitaker: anything that wasn't his

Snowflakes

The only way we are going to have a white Christmas is if we make our own snowflakes. Although, it might be fun to have snow I am happy that it is 60 degrees here today!

Pretzel snowmen

Yesterday we made pretzel snowmen. They looked more like ghosts but they still tasted yummy. We made a whole bag but needless to say they were all gone by dinner.

Baby it's cold outside!

Yes we southerners are all WIMPS! It is a bit chilly down here (50's) so we had to break out the mittens and hats- I really don't like it when the temp dips below 60! I know all of you up north are buried in 2 feet of snow and would probably be running around in shorts if it was 50 degrees but we like it better when we can run around barefoot in December. Here's hoping that the warm stuff returns soon!

Paisley's Parka

Ok, so the girls are convinced that it is sooooo cold outside (55 degrees) that Paisley needed her parka on. The poor thing didn't know how walk with that thing on but she was warm!

Whit's version of "Jingle Bells"

Here is Whit singing "Jingle Bells".

Fireman Santa

Santa on the fire truck

Every Year Santa comes to our neighborhood on the Irmo fire truck. They turn on all the lights and play Christmas music and Santa throws candy out for the kids. They love it and Whit was so excited and waved to Santa as he drove by. Now he will probably expect to see Santa on all passing fire trucks.

Tea Party

Hadley

Carson

Reese

Girls with Gram

The girls went to a Grandmother/Grand-daughter Tea party on Sunday. They got to get all dressed up and go do crafts and eat lots of goodies.

Little Gray Donkey

Here is one of Brett's songs from his Christmas program at school. He did a good job singing and doing all the hand motions unlike Whit who just yelled NO!!! the whole time his class was singing!

Advent Ice cream cone trees

Another easy advent activity! We made Christmas trees out of ice cream cones. As soon as the kids were done making them they all asked if they could eat them but I convinced them to keep them around for a few days as decoration and they agreed.

Basketball vs. Orangeburg

Griffin had a game vs. Orangeburg-Wilkinson on Thursday. The team is looking better each time out and seems to be working together more as a team. Griffin had a great all-around game with lots of hustle on defense- several steals and a taken charge plus he scored 16 points to help the team get another win. He has a break from games until after Christmas but they have lots of practices scheduled so they don't get too rusty over the holidays.

DINOSAURS!

Ride'em Cowboy

Oh my! Dinosaurs!

Today was Brett's "real" birthday (finally!) so we went with Gram to the State Museum to see the Dinosaur exhibit. The boys seemed to enjoy the dinosaurs despite their movement and roaring (the dinosaurs, not the boys). We enjoyed the rest of the museum as well- a good way to spend the morning.

Brett @ School

the birthday boy

Mom & Brett @ school

At pre-school Brett got to bring in a special birthday snack. We brought mini funfetti (I love that stuff-easy and cute) cupcakes. They were a hit with all his classmates.