....avoiding the funk.....

.....I always look forward to free days where we have no obligations, no school, no appointments; I let the chores sit unscathed and leave the schedule open for nothing or a whole lot of everything.....

.....and then to find a beauty of a day like that which is also a free one for our friends has been rare as of late; as all of our lives have started to become richly filled with activity..... and life tends to get busier as children get older.....so it's a blessing on a cold January day to run out for a 4.5 hour jaunt so our littles could zip around the zoo, ignoring the icy chill; but soaking in the sunlight.....and most importantly, enjoying themselves and one another.....

....retreating inside not only to see penguins leap, dive and glide, but so we could thaw our hands and retrieve from the chill of the blowing wind.....

.....and watching the penguins as you see your own reflection against the glass is also pretty entertaining too.....

.....and days like this are also good for a Momma's soul too.....because it's fairly easy to fall into a post Christmas funk during the January and February months when you live in the northeast....the let down of the holidays occurs; just as all of the brightly, warm glowing lights are being taken down from trees and window displays....the same lights that added so much energy and fervor to a city that anticipated Christmas......and family and cozy home dwelling just weeks ago........the beauty of the city vanishes and we are left with bare trees, dirty snow covered streets, piles of trash that built up from the shut down of the blizzard, cold and grey days without a glimpse of spring in sight.....

.....so to see the children nestled together to get a good glimpse of the geese; laughing, giggling and hollering out with wonder as Elsie screamed, heelllo duckkkk at the top of her lungs, helps to alleviate some of the blues that can be associated with this time of year......

.......because there really isn't anything better than seeing your babes elated with simplicity.....

......and watching our toddlers with sheer excitement bask in the activity of having a hot chocolate with mini marsh mellows after a cold morning walk also warms the soul and makes for a good morning......

                                                                               Callie insisted upon changing into her PJs for this occasion

......because it really is the small things that add up to one big, exquisite thing.....

....so grey skis, ugly streets overloaded with trash, brown Christmas trees that have been stacked on corners for days can not interrupt the beauty that stems from spending time with friends.......passing our time with joyful occasions that infuse the indoor fun with variety as we wait for the outdoor activities that will come more frequently with spring.....

.....so in the meantime, we enjoy the inside and bake......

.....and we eat....

......filling us with the goodness that can also be found in the next two months ahead.....

....Happy New Year.....

......I love New Years......not so much the crowds, the confetti, the horns or silly hats; but more of the fresh slate the new year brings.....the newness of embarking upon 365 days ahead that will hold their own challenges, their own joys, sorrows, stresses, laughters, and celebrations.....because each year is filled with a mixture of all of them....some years contain more sorrows than joys and other years are filled with more laughter and happiness than one knew could exist.....but I am thankful for both because without the harder, more challenging years; we would not be forced to mold into stronger people, we wouldn't have opportunities for change or growth.....our perspectives would live unchanged and without fresh perspective, life can be one flat line of ordinary......

.....this past year of ours was not ordinary, by any means.....it was filled with many more joys than sorrows.....and it has left me ever so grateful for the city life that I am truly enchanted with.....our little community inside a great big city, in which I never dreamed would be my life.....our friends, the health of our children, our parents, my husband.....steady work that provides for us, allowing us many freedoms to have new experiences.....the option to stay at home and be deeply involved in all that my girls learn and encounter.....I am blessed and am fully aware of the gifts we have.....

.....and this year ahead may hold sorrows.....there could be sickness, heartache, heartbreak, or challenges....and luckily, due to years past that have had their fair share of trials, I learned long ago to find resilience in the one God who will not give us more than we can handle....and I find that with the anticipation of an unknown year ahead, it gives me peace that however our year may unfold; I will find strength in He who strengthens me.....

......and so we begin our 2011 with a break from the blistering cold....you might even call it close to being springtime after the record breaking December we've had.....

.....days so mild, my girl douses her hair in the dripping, melting snow like she needs to cool herself off from the balmy 50 degree weather.......

.....and we truly learn the meaning of Frosty the Snowman melting.....

.....but mild days bring sunshine so bright and beautiful, you do forget it's winter.....when the brightly lit skies are a reminder that there are hopeful days ahead and it's exhilarating to declare changes on January 1st....small or large stakes in the sand, new ways to live by, refreshed vows to uphold.....

.....days in which we will pick ourselves up after taking a stumble.....relying on each other to help our sturdy legs walk again, reassuring each other it will all be okay.....

....reminders throughout our year that we have one another supporting us, shielding us, protecting us; even if it sometimes may feel like we are all alone.....

......there will be many different days ahead in 2011......and I am ready to breathe life into all of them.....

.....and so to begin our celebration of the unknown 365 days ahead, we added some variety to our New Years dinner routine......with a few spears, some sterno flame and some tangy dipping options, we introduced fondue to the girls.....

......we knew they would love the cheese appetizer, but we were thrilled and surprised to learn that they both love red meat as much as we do.....moooore skake, peez.....I believe we may have heard that 50 times from Callie during our main dish.....it's got to be the Texas in their blood......

.....but the Florida in their blood also unveiled itself because they also decided that shrimp isn't so bad, either......

.......and after hours of eating, laughing, shielding little hands away from hot pots, several splashes of dipping sauces everywhere, waving sharp spears in the air and washing little hands that sprawled themselves over raw meat, we were all prepared to move on to chocolate, pound cake, mangos and pineapple.....the safest dish of the evening.....

......and by far the most favored.....

......and so the New Year has arrived and it's upon us.....this year I will laugh more, I will rely on Him to calm the anxiety that sometimes stirs in my heart, I will only define myself by what I am capable of doing and keep my expectations realistic.....I will only eat dessert on weekends.....the list can go on of the things I want to do and be.....

......but most of all, I want to serve my family......

.....as they are my greatest joy, my greatest accomplishment....

......and I will savor every day of 2011 with them....