holiday traveling

over the holidays we visited lots of family. right before christmas H and i went and saw my family in oklahoma (doug was TDY and didn't get to go). i was so pleased that H was old enough to remember and enjoy all his grandparents and aunts and uncle. he played and played and ate up all the attention. i also got to see a lot of my good friends that i miss so dearly.

christmas eve we all three flew to california to see doug's family. huston makes this easier, he is a good little traveler (see below)



he did really great on the plane and made sure everyone around us loved him too. it amazes me how he isn't scared of anything and everyone is a friend to him. i hope this is something he will keep with him.

although he loved seeing his grandparents and aunts and uncles there too - he REALLY loved seeing his cousins.

on the drums with cousin aydin:



playing in the tote with cousin jazzmin:



piano with cousin aydin:



budding musicians:



tubby time:



he also LOVED his uncles robert, sean and paul (which the poor grandmothers both loved and hated)

all in all it was great to see everyone. way too short but so glad we were able to go.

2011

Not really a resolution maker, but here are a few thoughts of things I would like to do better at. I’m going to skip the “eat healthier, work out more, save money” obvious things that we all should do anyway and get to the good stuff.

1. I miss reading. I really want to find some new authors that I like and make a point to read at night. Doug usually watches some tv before we go to bed and I just play around on my phone. I figure once I get going it will be hard to stop me because I used to love it so much. My biggest problem is I will stay up all night to finish a good book and I’ll need to pace myself.

2. I am going to start taking time to use all my Lancôme face washes, toners, moisturizers, etc every night. I am. I do not want to be wrinkly. Ever. I buy the stuff but just can’t make myself do it every night. Oh but I will….

3. Balance. Now that I’m back at work all balance in my life has gone out the window. I really want to keep growing personally and take more classes, try new recipes, beautify our home, enjoy time with friends. But I also have a husband, son and job that need me. I need to find a way to make time for all without any of them feeling neglected.

4. Since we moved here I have said that I want to find a church for our family to become involved with. It was on my “things to do by 35” list and I didn’t achieve it. I really want to find a place that all three of us love and give Huston the introduction he deserves. I think it will also be a nice family tradition and be important as our lives become more hectic if we have that one day we spend together.

5. Make a baby. I resisted listing this first. It is by far not the most important thing. We are happy with what we have, we are truly blessed. But I want another baby so bad. I am torn if I want a boy or girl, so I will be completely thrilled either way. I think Doug wants his little girl……and I would love to dress one. But I really really love my boy. I think I’m a boy-momma. Regardless, I want a chunky ball of wrinkles that is a perfect mixture of Doug and I, and I so hope it will happen in 2011.

6. Start my dream book. I used to have a binder where I put all thing things I wanted one day. My dream home, my dream wedding, my dream vacations. My tastes drastically changed over the years, and I’m not really sure what happened to it. When Doug retires and we settle down we plan to build a house and I need to start putting all the cool things I see together so I will know where to start.

7. I want to become more accepting of others. I have my ideas of what is right and wrong and it seems I push them on people too much. I have actually been told that I am “too moral”. I need to learn to take people for who they are and love them that way.

8. Go on more dates. Doug and I need to remember each other and not just be parents. It’s too easy to get caught up in life.

I planned to list 11 but it would just dilute the message if I stretched to think of more. I'm sure the list will continue to grow.

I hope you all have a wonderful new year and 2011 brings you everything you want!

fair weather shoes

my whole life i have loved flip flops. my whole adult life i have loved high heels. you rarely catch me wearing anything but flops and heels and you never catch me wearing socks.

that was the old me. ohio is not conducive to my flip flop, heel wearing ways.

so, for christmas i left my two loves and got these more practical (but super cute) shoes:


everyone has to have uggs, right? at least in ohio.....



my heels have been replaced by flats with a textured bottom....

now, i need to get several more pairs!

naughty or nice

We had a nice family night out at the Greene earlier this week.....we took pics with Santa, shopped a little and at the Cheesecake Factory (we even kept our phones in our pockets during dinner).

D is always a little uneasy about taking pics with holiday characters, he's totally against parents making screaming kids sit on a strangers lap for a pic. Last year H did with Santa and the Easter Bunny, but we still didn't know how he'd take it now that he is on the move. So I promised him if H wasn't into it, we'd just leave.

All that being said - we had the best experience!

They had a great little set up so that kids could play with toys while they were waiting (H loved the Radio Flyer plane) and the line moved really quickly. The minute he saw Santa he tried to run to him, but luckily I caught his jacket so he didn't jump in on someone else's photo.

Every new experience with H I am so amazed at how lucky we are! He is such a social little guy with so much personality. He makes my heart swell.

He was completly amazed with Mr. Clause and actually kept trying to go back after the pic.

lil' traveler

i just figured it up and my lil' traveler has flown 18,956 miles since he's been born (many more in momma's tummy!).

he is a good traveler and usually provides some inflight entertainment to those lucky enough to sit by him. usually we have a connecting flight, so he can run around in between flights.

we head out to california on Christmas Eve......this 4 hour & 40 minute continuous flight may be a bit of a challenge now that he's walking! hope everyone is in the holiday spirit!

this is my heart

jealous blogger

things have been a little slow at work this week, so i took the time to catch up on some of my friends blogs. i must say that i am a bit jealous! they do such a good job of chronicling what is going on with their family.

one thing i LOVE is diana's monthly update on her baby boy. how cool would it be for huston to read one day. i'm setting a reminder on my blackberry now to do this every month.

there are so many things i want to do better. doug accused me the other day of being lazier than when he met me. i've always been one to be able to do it all and it kinda stung. i now feel the challenge to start stepping it up a notch. this includes working with huston on words, reading, etc; cleaning..ick; blogging; reading books; and i still want to find a church we like. i feel my new years resolutions coming on!