Happy New Year!!!!!

Decorations are down... Attic is cleaned out... Kyle has a deer in the back of a truck... Addie and Drew are at Ninnie and Poppy's... and we are getting ready to say good-bye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

What a year 2011 has been! 8 years of marriage to my best friend... 7 years of kindergarten teaching in the books... 7 years of law practicing... two children growing and thriving... birthdays celebrated... friendships nurtured... first dance recital... Traveled to a new city... someone learned how to swim... Someone learned how to walk... survived a family trip to the beach... faith grown... and so many more!

I love this new year... 2012! Sometimes New Year's Day is a slump day for me... I usually put up the Christmas decorations (which I do not like) and watch football (which is ending for 9 months) and dread getting up for work the next day. But this year I just feel happy to start fresh. I really don't know why this year is so exciting to me but I am really looking forward to 2012. I have so many things I want to do better this year. I really do not feel I did these things poorly but I just want to strive to be better every day this year. Better for God... Better for Kyle... Better for Addie and Drew... Better for my family... Better for my children at school... And better for myself. So here are some of my goals for 2012... in no particular order.

1. Cook more... I am shooting for four meals a week that are not sandwich based:)
2. Read more (for myself)... I am not going to put a number out there but I want to do more than last year... which you could have called me a "seasonal" reader. If you count children's books I am in the hundreds:)
3. Be more appreciative of Kyle... he does so much.
4. Be a friend more... I think of myself a good friend but I want to do more for my friends to support them and love them.
5. Visit the gym four times a week.
6. Grow beautiful children with patience and love.
7. Enjoy the little things because they always turn into big things in the end.
8. Write more thank you notes and cards.
9. Show more gratitude to my Father in Heaven.

HaPpY NeW YeAr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Questions and Answers with Addie Reese....

Last week, we got together with some friends for a holiday play date. Addie is always excited to visit friends and I am not going to lie, because I get pretty excited myself. As always, the hostess with the mostess had a very cute idea for the children to do. She gave each child a notebook with questions. The children were suppose to draw answers to the questions. Addie's notebook has a lot of random drawings in it, but the answers are very funny and interesting.

Addie's thank you note to Stella for the notebook. Before you think "oh my her mother is so good to instill the goodness of thank you notes in her children's upbringing", this was only done because Stella sent a thank you note to Addie in the mail and Addie wanted to do the same. I love thank you notes but if it were my idea, it would have never been done, so thanks be to Sommer and Stella:)

So here are the answers to the questions in the notebook. The first few pages have pictures of Addie, our family (which has Rapunzel as a member), and our house.

Question #1 My favorite book is the Bible.
Question #2 My favorite toy is dollies.
Question #3 My favorite animal is a giraffe.
Question #4 My favorite food is chicken.
Question #5 The coolest place I've ever been is Aubree's house.
Question #6 If I could go anywhere in the world, it would be the beach.
Question #7 If I could meet anyone, it would be Ariel at Disney World.
Question #8 When I grow up, I want to be a dog walker.
Question #9 The best thing about Christmas is the presents.
Question #10 The best gift I've ever gotten is Mr. Bear and blanket.
Question #11 The grossest food I've ever eaten is (after a pause to reflect) I don't know... Everything I eat is good.
Question #12 The best thing about being a kid is going to Ninnie and Poppy's house.
Question #13 The worst thing about being a kid is crying about leaving places.
Question #14 My mom's favorite thing to do is take pictures.
Question #15 My dad's favorite thing to do is nothing.
Question #16 My brother's favorite thing to do is play with socks.

So that's a little q and a with little Miss Addie Reese. I absolutely love this little notebook. Who knew something so simple could be such a memory maker.

The girls of the play date having lunch and trying to keep Drew off of their plates.

The only cutie pie boy I could get a pic of this time...

What a Christmas it was....

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

he is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:10

We have celebrated Christmas to the fullest extent and what a Christmas is was.

We loaded up my four door silver bullet to capacity with luggage and presents and headed off to Lexington on Thursday. Ninnie and Poppy gave us their first present that night with a baby sitting offer. Clint, Kristen, Kyle, and I headed to Jackson for a double date. I cannot tell you how happy I am to enter a restaurant without my children... Don't get me wrong, I LOVE them, but it just makes the company and the food taste that much better. After dinner, we made some stops at some shops for some last minutes gifts. I was excited to find an advent gingerbread house on super sale for next year. We spent the night with Clint and Kristen so the boys could go hunting in the morning. I enjoyed sleeping in till... I still cannot believe it 9:00... and two cups of coffee uninterrupted. All thanks to Ninnie and Poppy.
Later that afternoon, we opened up presents. Ninnie and Poppy spoiled us all.

Can you tell she is just a little excited about the presents?

Drew's favorite present?
His rocking horse of course... giddy up cowboy!

Addie received a lot of dress up clothes, two mermaid barbies, clothes, and some Pet Shop things. She loved the dress up clothes and started modeling them right away.
Addie as the Queen of Hearts.

Clint and Kristen... what a sweet couple!

Poppy always gives the boys a Case knife for Christmas but this year he brought out a big surprise... his knifes. Clint and Kyle split the knifes for their collections. Don't worry they were nice and did not use the knifes.

Poppy having some fun with Drew Boy.

Christmas Eve morning we go to Nanny's house (Kyle's paternal grandmother) for presents, lunch, and a game of dirty Santa. It is always fun to see the girls play together. Morgan is the oldest and so good to the little ones. Addie, Maggie, and Claudia are all four and are peas in a pod. And Drew is just a long for the ride being the only boy. This year we definitely had anxious little ones ready for Christmas.

Maggie trying to wait for presents... it is taking everything she has.

Claudia loving her dolls...

Addie trying to open the box...

Morgan... the clam reasonable one.

Maggie loving her LaLaLoopsys we gave her...

Girls playing with their dollies...

Toy love at first sight...

Christmas Eve night is spent at Ma's house. We had a great time visiting, eating, opening gifts, and playing Dirty Santa again.

Nothing but closeness for the Woods Family!
It brings new meaning to Move Your Meat... Loose Your Seat!

Everybody watching Ma open her presents... this year she got a big suitcase. She said she wanted to go visit LA and watch the Price is Right.

Kyle and Ma
32 Christmases together.

Mia checking out Kristen's Dirty Santa gift...

Drew getting in on the guy's Dirty Santa Game...

Drew modeling the glasses Kyle got...

After leaving Ma's house, with a very full car and two sleepy kids, we got home to put away things, and get ready for Santa.

Addie's side of the tree.

Drew's side of the tree...

Our new picture ornament for the year...

Silent Night, Holy Night!
All is clam, All is Bright!

Cookies and milk for Santa...

Kyle and I got in bed around 1 o'clock in the morning. We were awaken by Addie around 8 o'clock. She was so excited that Santa came and "made all of my toys that I asked for."

Addie checking out the cookies and milk. She was a little confused when Santa left one whole cookie. She said, "I guess I should have left carrots. He had a belly ache." Don't you love that reasoning???

Checking out the doll house, American Girl Doll, and Ariel Necklace.

Opening the Princess books from Mommy and Daddy...

The line up...

Opening up my big gift from Kyle...
A NICE pair of cowgirl boots!

Kyle closing his eyes for his present. He got a painting of the courthouse in Charlotte.
The painting was done by one of our friends.

Around 9:45, we finally decided that Drew was going to sleep through Christmas morning, so we went to get him out of bed. Our 1 year old could hold his own with some teenagers when it comes to sleeping.

Drew checking out his car track...

This is one HAPPY boy...

After present time, we had some breakfast and started preparing cupcakes for Jesus' Birthday!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Mr. Bear has a new friend...

Opening up stockings and waiting for LiLi, Papa, Jason, Kelli, and Hayden to come!

They are HERE!!!!!

Showing off the new toys and loot!

Present time one more time...

LiLi trying to make a path through the mess...

The "old man" looking through his pictures. He was worried when he thought all the gifts had been opened and he had not gotten a calendar.... I was just holding out:)

Kyle gets the feeling he is hard to buy for????

Kelli and Jason

Trying to get a cousin pic...

Hayden as Santa...

LiLi and Poppa got the kids chairs for movie nights...

They are a hit!!!

LiLi, Kelli, and Hayden

Hayden and Kyle taking in a good book...

Merry Christmas to all...

and to all a good night!!!!