Weclome 2010!

Even typing 2010 looks really odd to me. Does it you? Anyway happy 2010!! We spent New Years Eve out at a party which was tons of fun for us. It felt like Grand Central Station trying to get all dolled up to go. Hope was wailing while I was even trying to get ready, and it got to the point that I held her on my lap in the bathroom as my mother fixed my hair. My mother did my hair in an updo-I felt like I was going to the senior prom! It was fun to get dressd up and as we were saying goodbye to the kids, David said "Mommy Princess!!" Talk about a heart melter....I do not think I will ever forget that!

At the party, it was fun to see acquaintances and friends all dolled up without children. We all mostly watched the Hokie game on a huge screen that I was drooling over for my own house and talked about our kids! I met a blog reader at the party. I introduced myself to this sweet gal and she said "I read your blog!" Too cool. We made it at the party way later than I ever dreamed we would. Hope slept in my mothers arms the entire time I was gone, and Pops was in charge of the boys. We got home in time to watch that crazy man jump over that bridge in his car and watch the ball drop with the boys.

2010-I cannot wait to see what is in store for this family. I hate the word resolutions-too much pressure! These are the things that I would LOVE to see my family work on over the next year:

Eating more fruits and veggies and less fast food.

More reading all around.

Mike and I to exercise more consistently. We do great for a while, then life takes over and we lose our momentum. I really want to train to run a 5K in May-that is a HUGE goal for me right now after just having my third baby. In May there is a local 5K run and 1 mile swim that I could do if I just would train consistently.

Less focus on stuff and more focus on people. That is a hard one because I spent all NEw Years Eve watching the VT game on a 74 inch screen-I could just visualize it in my home. This awful economy has reinforced to me the concept of living below our means because you just do not know what is around the next corner. That is so easy to type, but sometime very hard to live out. We all love new stuff and it is so easy to get caught up in aquisition:) I have to be honest-I got a little sick to my stomach thinking of all the stuff my kids got for Christmas and how there are children out there with nothing.

Getting and staying organized. This is such a challenge for me:) Mike and I have spent Christmas break cleaning and organizing our home, so we are starting 2010 less cluttered!

I love the idea of a fresh start. May 2010 be a year of growth for us all as we try to deepen our walk with God and love on the people that He has put in our path:)

Random Facts and Pops Update

I first want to start this random entry off with some good news-I think. The doctor FINALLY called my parents late tonight and the results show that the big nodule that was taken off was benign!! But, there are some smaller places that came back as Papillary Carcinoma. This is the most frequent type of thyroid cancer, but Dad's are small. He will now go visit with his endocrinologist to determine if it would be appropriate to do the radioactive iodine (radiation). The control freak daughter in me says yes, because this type of cancer can spread. I will keep you posted:)

Dear blog friends and family, you have no idea how thankful we all are as a family for the love and concern that has been showered on sweet Pops. He is healing nicely and we are all so appreciative of your prayers. Mom and Dad remained peacefully optimistic the entire time because they relied on their faith in the Great Physician and His plan for Pops.

Here are some random pictures that we have taken since we have been homebound with sweet, sickly Hope.

Here is David's official game face for the big bowl tomorrow night. He tattooed both of us earlier this morning and thankfully I took mine off before heading out to Walmart:)

Hope was finally well enough to try out her new Princess ride on that she got for Christmas. She looks and feels so much better:) David insisted to "spot" her!

We broke out her high chair this week and Kyle even fed her some little puffs. she hated them:)

Here is a picture of little princess in her new to her high chair:)

David is so good with Hope:)

Mike and I are off to a New Year's Eve party tomorrow night. Mom and Dad are coming to watch all 3 kiddos, so thankfully the party is just 5 minutes from our house. We have never left Hope at night. It should be interesting-we might be home at halftime of the game!

The party is a dressy event, which is fun to think about dressing up. Tonight I went to Walmart with sweet potatoes all over my yoga pants, so tomorrow night should be a welcome relief:) To keep it real here on my blog, my outfit for tomorrow night was $5. Yep, I bought a new silvery top thing from Old Navy and I am pairing it with dressy black pants or a skirt that I already have with my high heel boots. I am so tempted to play high school and call a girlfriend over to check it out, but I will resist and feel confident that it is okay:)

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to try to be more real and authentic in my relationships-blog included. How can we encourage each other if we are pretending that we all have it together all the time? No one is Super Mom, Super Wife, Super Soccer Mom, etc.. so lets give it up and just be real and authentic. Raising David has taught me this lesson first hand and I am so thankful:)

Okay, I warned you this post would be random, but thanks for loving on my sweet Dad, and caring enough about my family to read this long and random post:) Happy New Year sweet blog friends and family. May the Lord shower his blessings upon you this upcoming year.

Gunk

Poor Hope-she is pretty sick and fighting terrible gunk. She is now on an antibiotic and round the clock breathing treatments to treat this latest gunky infection. Bless her heart...this was her best shot of the day-she has gone downhill considerably since I even took these pictures:( Her sweet big brothers keep sharing their germs with her and it is hitting her pretty hard. If she is not better in a few hours when the doctor opens, then I will be taking her back. Her cough is terrible, she has a runny and congested nose, and this nasty green stuff keeps coming out of her eyes. After she wakes up, we have to take a warm cloth to her eyes so she can even open them. Pitiful.




Life sometimes throws things right at our gut, often taking the wind out of us. We have heard some sad news tonight and as I am up with Hope tonight I just keep lifting these people up in my prayers. We are still waiting on my Dad's pathology results, and a friend of ours just recently had some serious and shocking health news that has worried us. We have also had some news in our extended family that has worried and broken our hearts. It does seem that bad news comes in waves and my prayer list tonight as I rock sweet Hope Madeline is very long. I would certainly rather be asleep than be up with a super sick baby, but I have had some quiet prayer time with the King of Kings.

I love this time of year, and hearing and seeing the word Emmanuel-God is with us. On nights like tonight when the prayer list is long and heavy it is so comforting to remember that we have an Emmanuel-God is still with us today. He hears my prayers for my Dad, our friends, our family, and our little Hope. He knows the burdens of my heart and his promises are still true today. That is such comfort to me as I humbly approach His throne with a sick baby and a long prayer list tonight.