our christmas.

this needs to be said. so i will say it and then we can move on...i planned on writing on thursday. never happened. then i planned on doing it on friday. never happened. now it is saturday morning i am here. sitting at my computer feeling a little tired and overwhelmed by the current condition of my home. not sure where this pressure comes from. this idea of..."i have to blog or i need to blog." i said that last night at dinner and justin said..."you seen discouraged. do not write then. that's okay. you are tired. be tired." so last night after we put ava to bed i fell asleep in my clothes on the living room couch. i never do that. i prefer comfy clothes and my bed. all that to say is that i am catching up. i am getting back into life here and sometimes a week away sets me back a bit. but i am on my way...

so it is new years eve! a time to celebrate what was and what is to come. more on that tomorrow. for real. my heart is full. but today does not allow for the time i want to spend reflecting a bit on 2011.

we are not that cool when it comes to new year's eve. we like to celebrate but pretty low key. we were planning to head out of town to see friends but last minute we decided to stay home. stay out of the car for a bit. sleep in our own beds. what's better is that our last minute decision to say home turned into our good friend's josh and ally coming for the night to bring in the new year with our little family.

i loved being in kentucky for christmas. we saw a lot of people. slept a few different places and it was full. full of family, love, food, gifts, and simply being with some of the people we love the very most in the world. 

her first movie. appropriately happy feet 2. she did not sit still for more than three minutes and ended up in the very front row running around and dancing. the 12 other people there did not seem to mind.

glasses were a bit of a theme this trip.

 

 christmas morning with roma.

 

 

a little blurry. but the joy. oh, the joy.

christmas day at the uncle tommy's and aunt sara. we walked in to there house and immediately started exchanging gifts. i did not even get a chance to take pictures. the day was so mild that we spent the afternoon outside. not your typical christmas weather. the love ava has for her cousins...there are no words. i am so thankful.

 

day after christmas with my immediate family.

 family rules from the grandkids and drake's cute little belly.

 opened and immediately tried to ride it. girl needs one a little more her size.

***

 putting together ava's new kitchen.

i love christmas. i love what it means. i am sad it is over. i think i am feeling a little down about it all being over. like all events so much gets missed and so many moments are not photographed...especially since all my pics come from my iphone. 

to my family. who we love so dearly...thank you, thank you, thank you.

a little christmas eve dancing video for you.

enjoy your new year's eve. be safe and have fun. i am excited to kiss my husband at midnight.

ava is yelling...mommy, mommy, mommy...in sweet desperation. have a good saturday.

don't waste this year. much more on that this whole next year.