March Madness is nothing compared to the calendar of our family. It's crazy, it's hectic, it's complicated, but we wouldn't have it any other way. Just try to keep up with us!
When Jack was a baby, I began to notice that a particular population would stop and speak with us. No matter where we were, Gymboree, the mall, grocery shopping, I noticed that older Asian women would strike up a conversation with me about Jack. All. The. Time. More often than not, they were limited in their English skills and I found it strangely fascinating that they would initiate a conversation with me. I'm not positive, but I think it was the curly brown hair and boy combo that drew them to us as patting the hair was always part of the conversation. Well after the curls were cut, so did our conversations.
Well Jack has a new group of conversationalists: older, white gentlemen. You see, Jack can whistle. I mean, he can't whistle tunes, but he can whistle long and loud. His whistling skill far surpass my abilities so of course I think he's pretty good for four years old. There are days that he whistles constantly-at home and out in public. Cue the older, white gentlemen. And I should preface this by saying that by in large, older, white gentlemen generally have nothing to say to us (him) and tend to look right past him. But apparently there's something about a four year old whistler that warms their heart because they stop dead in their tracks to say something to him. Perhaps it reminds them of a bygone era when whistling was a way to pass time, I'm not sure. But for now, we're enjoying his new found popularity with strangers.
Happy 2012! We spent New Year's in Santa Barbara. Garrett had a soccer camp so the rest of us stayed at the Fess Parker Doubletree and had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather and the beach across the street. I guess you can say that Morgan and Jack did the polar bear plunge!
So we came home and I was ready to join in the momentum of all those New Year resolution and then I got sick.... So I may be midway through the month, but I'm still hopping aboard that bandwagon although I like to see them as goals as opposed to resolutions. Just that subtle change in semantics makes it feel less daunting and more attainable.
So writing it down to be accountable for all... 1.Lose 10 pounds, eat healthy, exercise more, blah,blah, blah (yep, you can tell I'm not too excited about this one. I do need to, no doubt-maybe once my energy is back, I'll show a bit more enthusiasm.) 2. Read 24 books-I did this last year and think that 24 is a realistic number for me. 3. Date nights-going to make an effort to plan one kid free night out a month-yes, you read that right, Chris :-) 4. Photography-I have all the equipment and I have so many tools to help me improve, I just need to focus and set aside some time and make it a priority this year.
5. Organization-So I'm always one to grasp on to a catchy name. I read about 40 bags in 40 days and I couldn't help but think this would be a great way to get through lots of cluttered areas in my house in a short amount of time. So I made my list (below) and have set a date (2/22) and I'm already 2 bags down 38 to go~woo hoo! I have 3 friends that are joining me in this goal so it will be nice to have friends to help motivate me along the way.
Well I can wrap up my best of 2011 real quick...here's the Christmas card we sent out.
Here a few more details of the best of 2011...
Favorite scrapbook pages-I don't know how many pages I did this year, but here's my favorite 5. 1.
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Favorite Books of 2011- Last January, one of my resolutions was to read more. I hoped to read 24 books, thinking that 2 books a month was a realistic goal. Unfortunately I didn't keep track, but I'd say I was pretty darn close. I read anything from chick lit to more meatier literature. Most of my favorites were also turned into movies. Coincidence?? :-)
1. The Help-I don't know anybody who didn't love this book.
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-It took me four years to pick up the last book even though I stood in line at midnight to be one of the first to get it. But if you do the math...Jack arrived and after reading 6 books and loving every one of them, I wanted to enjoy and savor the last one. And I did.
3. The Kitchen House-I hear a lot of people mention this book and The Help in the same breath. Certainly they both take place in the South, but this book is quite different, but it will stick with you long after you read the last page.
4. Water For Elephants-This is another book I've been wanting to read for a couple years and knowing the movie was coming out got me going on this.
5. The Hunger Games-I did not expect to like this as much as I did. I heard this book recommended for well over a year, but the title didn't really appeal to me. I guess I'm kind of a title snob~lol. Other favorites included The Thirteenth Tale and Sarah's Key.
Favorite New Television Shows of 2011- I really don't watch as much network tv as I used to. Kind of getting tired of investing my time in a new show only to have the network cancel it. Enter Netflix. I'm discovering older series and love being able to watch multiple seasons at a time without a long break in between. Far and away my favorite was Breaking Bad. I know I'm not the demographic this show was intended for, but I found this to be one of the best written shows I've ever seen. And far from being a "best written show" (except Sue Sylvester's lines), I really love watching Glee.
Favorite Pictures of 2011- I used a new template from Shutterfly to make a book of my favorite pictures this year. You can click on the book to take a look.
