2010 was good to me

All in all, 2010 was an amazing year for me. This will truly be a monumental year that I'll never forget- my first as a mother.

To celebrate tonight, hubby & I picked up carry-out sushi & I'm as happy as a clam. You can have your over-priced, over-crowded ameture night parties- I'm quite happy here at home, thank you!

I saw this poll on another blog, so I thought I'd give it a try. Feel free to copy & paste! Have a healthy & joyous new year!

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
Gave birth- and without so much as an aspirin, at that!



2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t even think I had any last year…I make resolutions for myself year-round, so this isn’t a once-a-year type thing for me. Currently I’m working on getting negativity out of my life (not that I have a lot, I just really don’t want ANY).



3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

My dear friend Katie had her baby Jake in September.



4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not unless you count Ron Santo. We’ll get the Hall of Fame next time, buddy! And the Cubbies will take it all in ’11 in honor of you!

5. What countries did you visit?
None- sadly. Who knows when international travel will be on my agenda again. Probably not for a long while. (Although Bart did tell me right after I had Hayden that he was going to move up that Italian Tour I’ve been dreaming of…)



6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
Given the economy & state of our world in general- I can’t say my life lacks for anything of true importance. I’ve been blessed with a beautiful family & many people who love me!

But…if Santa wants to bring me a Keurig or some amethyst studs next year- I wouldn’t complain.



7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
February 12- the day my precious daughter was born.



8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Giving birth naturally was a HUGE accomplishment for me. I’ve never felt so empowered in my life.



9. What was your biggest failure?
WOW. That’s a heavy question. Maybe not exercising? (like, at all)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Does the 24-hour flu count as “illness”? That was a rough night- I think it was in October.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Without a doubt, my Canon t1i

12. Where did most of your money go?
Besides to making the mortgage payment, it went towards Hayden!



13. What did you get really excited about?
Taking an amazing photo of Hayden, seeing the look on her precious face when she tries something new or gets excited about something, and making trips to JoAnn Fabrics to feed my creativity!



14. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Probably “Secrets” by OneRepublic- I can’t get enough of that song.



15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

– happier or sadder? Happier.
– thinner or fatter? Considering I was nearly 8 months pregnant at this time last year…definitely thinner!
– richer or poorer? Financially poorer, but richer in spirit.



16. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Cuddling with my baby. Not that I didn’t cuddle with her enough- I just could always use more!



17. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Worrying- without a doubt.



18. How did you spend Christmas?
Gleaming. With those I love most.

19. What was your favorite TV program?
Modern Family. Pretty much the only show I watch these days.



20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Does “Parenting Magazine” count as a book?

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

Anything Ingrid Michelson



22. What were your favorite films of the year?
“Valentine’s Day” was pretty good. I also enjoyed “Babies,” “Eat, Pray, Love,” & “Food, Inc.” (All for very different reasons, of course.)



23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 30 this year. I don’t think it has hit me yet that I’ve entered my third decade of life. WOW. What did I do? Stayed home with my baby.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Honestly- nothing.


26. What kept you sane?
Hayden’s smiles. My hubby’s hugs. My ND Gal Pals.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010.
Sometimes it’s just better to keep quiet. Also, that you can’t change how others act, but you can change how you react to them.

Hayden's 1st Vacation!

This was a post that I had written back in JUNE but had never "published". Better late than never!

Last weekend was Hayden's very first vacation! We went with my mom, my step-dad & his three boys to a lake near Saugatuck, Michigan. I absolutely LOVE this area and I've been fortunate enough to visit there a few times now. We stayed on Lake Hutchins- a gorgeous spring-fed lake that my dear friend from high school also has a house on. We rented a precious cabin with a firepit and hottub. It was a picturesque weekend!

Bart had just bought me my new Canon Rebel that I had been wanting forever, so I went a little snap-happy with my new toy. Here is a mere sampling of the things we did...



I won't bore you with all the antiquing photos, but here is my fav:





I think this could be one of my best photos yet...for so many reasons. I mostly just really get a kick out of it:

This says it all:


The "Modern Family" spoof:

Post-Christmas-ness

I see a pattern here...I skip a few months and I start out every blog post about how I haven't written in so long, because it only seems apropos, but this time, I'm going to skip the monotony & just jump right in...

Hayden is 10.5 months old & she is livin' high on life...so because of that, so is her mama. She's cruisin' on the furniture, pulling open drawers, & loves to have you chase her through the house, squealing as she crawls at her fastest pace. My gal is amazing-- and every day with her is more enjoyable than the next. I know that might be so cliché & cheesy, but for me, it's pure truth.

Christmas was so different this year, for many reasons, but mostly because I had so much I hoped for Hayden's very first Christmas & it all came true. You can't repeat the first Christmas...I mean, there are no do-overs for that type of thing. You just have to do it right, and we sure did. We had the Christmas songs bellowing through the house for the entire month of December, the shopping trips to the mall, the ceremonial unwrapping (read: tearing paper) of the presents, we had the Christmas morning caserole with mimosas (none for Buggie, of course), & the numerous family gatherings all packed into two days. Oh yes, we had it all.







Grandpa sniffing his fresh-baked Gingersnaps, courtesy of Aunt Barbara.





Mission accomplished. Now onto a glorious Winter Break from teaching to be at home with my babe!