Happy New Year!

I don't know if it is just seeing the 1/1 of the new date that makes me feel like I have a clean slate when in reality, my life is no different now than it was last week. Whatever the reason, I love the feeling of looking back at the past year to see how far I've come and to look forward to accomplishing things in the new year.

I am happy to say goodbye to 2008, but I'm not sure why. Sure, it wasn't all rainbows and puppy dogs, but it wasn't all that bad either. But, for some reason, more than most years, I just want to shake it off and put it behind me. I think the problem is that I just seemed really out of sorts this year. When I was single and living in my one little room, I was a super organized person and I've been wanting for years to get back to that. I think I was just harder on myself this year for not getting there because it was easier to make excuses the other years when I was moving, getting married, sick with my pregnancy, had a new baby, etc. I think last year I just felt so overwhelmed with how behind I am, that I just avoided it all together.

But, here's to 2009. I have successfully written the correct year on the 2 checks that I wrote this week. So far, so good. I have of course some very ambitious resolutions for this year. Most of which are the same as last year, and the year before, and the year before that. I have no delusions that I will keep all of these resolutions, but at least I have a whole new year to try.

So, good luck with your fresh start, and if you haven't started yet, there are still a couple of weeks before the Chinese New Year.

Best. Christmas. EVER.

Christmas really is so much fun with kids. I may have to give up my days as such a Scrooge for the sake of my family. Boo. Not putting up Christmas decorations is so much easier. We did have a tree with lights on it though, so that's some progress I guess.

Daisy had no idea what was going on, but she did not want it to end. We had breakfast upstairs with Grandma Bunker. I made my Mom's eggs benedict. I did not do it justice, but it turned out alright. When we went downstairs to open presents, we showed Daisy her pile of unwrapped gifts first, and she would have been perfectly happy with just those; except for the clothes and shoes which she promptly tossed to the floor. It took us awhile to get her to stop playing with her Fridge Farm and open some presents. She could not have cared less about actually opening the gifts. As soon as she opened a present, she wanted to play with it right then. It took forever and by the time she had clearly had enough of me trying to coax her to rip the paper off, she still had a couple of presents under the tree that she just could not be bothered with.

She got a new baby doll that she just adores.

Here she is enjoying her Princess table and Chairs and her tea set.

Here is a video of her opening her big kitchen. We could barely get her to look at Troy to take a picture. She loves this thing.

We had dinner with the Bunker/Sampson side at a church that evening and were all worn out by the end of the day. Christmas could not have been better this year and we are so grateful to have gotten to spend time with our families and our friends.