Putting myself out there.....: new years

I have this friend that I adore and we don't live near each other so every now and then I'll pick up the phone and give her a call to say hello. An hour after I've said Hello I add my only additional words of the conversation which are something like this, "well it was so great to talk to you, we'll talk again soon, take care, Goodbye". Yes, she talked the whole time and I didn't get a word in edgewise. It's okay though, I know this about her and I like to hear what is going on in her life. Do you have friends like this? If not, then you are likely that friend. I think I blog in the same way.

Which leads me to ask...

Are you a "checker then a poster" or a "poster then a checker?"

I'm definitely a blog "checker then a poster." I do have great and witty things to post about I just don't always get to them (If you could read my mind you would be laughing your head off )

I log on and spend all my time enjoying reading everyone's blogs and then by the time I'm ready to post my hilarious, attention catching, informative words of wisdom, it's time to go do something else.

Well not today! So listen up !

(Just kidding-it's really nothing exciting I just wanted to sound dramatic. Did it work?)

The Catch up.

Christmas Eve reading some Christmas stories and THE Christmas story from The good book.

Followed by the traditional opening of one gift from mom and dad that are always pajamas!

Before you knew it's 5:30 am on Christmas morning and the kids were checking out their loot. I'm thinking Santa only went over the list once and not twice or they wouldn't have made out so good.

Oh looky here what mom got. This should help with the running.....

but there was also TOO, TOO, much of this....

Favorite gifts for mom are usually from the kids. Recorded piano song from Landon.

Snowman picture frame from Reece man.

uggg, there it is again.....

Travis and I gave the kids a play set for Christmas so right after presents Dad and crew got busy building it. (Sorry for you cold weather dwellers, it was nice and sunny Christmas day)

By the end of the day it was done. Travis does not mess around.

Which is good because the next day he had to put together his present.

December 31st Travis joined me for my 7 miler (after he had already played basketball for 2 hours that morning) It was really nice to have his company for the run. Jasper was also along for the run. Don't mind him in this picture. I think he saw a squirrel.

I've run outside more in the last 2 weeks than I have in the last few months and it has been invigorating. I forget how much I enjoy it. I know because of my life and the little ones I'll have to hit the treadmill again now that Travis is back to work and the older kids, also known as the free babysitters, are back in school but I'm going to make more of an effort to get outside.

New Years Day Travis and I wrote our own personal goals and helped the kids write some goals for 2011, along with family goals. I think between the 6 of us we should be good. We try to keep it simple around here, be happy they weren't written in crayon okay.

Here are mine, feel free to read them if you can decipher my handwriting.

Then it was on to the partying!

It was actually cold here in Phoenix which you've likely heard from other Phoenix area bloggers so we whipped up some hot chocolate and got out the blankets.