2010 Recap and 2011 Resolutions.

This year has been full of

love
mourning
delight
sorrow
bliss
pain
happiness
excitement
And life.

My family has mourned the loss of loved ones, and rejoiced in the arrival of new life.Our hearts have been bruised, scarred, broken, and are now in the process of being healed, rebuilt, and glued back together.

I’ve grown to cherish and embrace life and count my blessings more than I ever thought possible.

I’ve learned to live in the little everyday moments because the next isn’t guaranteed.

I’ve learned that life can forever change in a blink of an eye.

I’ve learned to love more and worry (a little) less.

I’m another year older, and just a wee bit wiser.

My heart is full.




Here is a recap of our life in 2010 through photos.

January

February

March

April

 May

 June

 July

 August

 September

 October

 November

December

We’ve had a great year. We've loved. A lot.

2011 is just around the corner. I’m excited to see what the New Year will bring us.
Until then, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here are my 2011 New Year’s Resolutions:

1)    Love more.
2)    Eat better, exercise more.
3)    Learn new painting techniques.
4)    Rebuild our savings from the blow it took this year.
5)    Pay off credit card debt.
6)    Better organize the house to make our out-of-state move smoother.
7)    Start a fundraiser. (more on that later)

Our piece of the magic.

It’s almost pointless to write a post about our Christmas as it seems like it was ages ago, when in reality it was just this week. We find ourselves preparing days, sometimes months in advance for the most important day of the year, Christmas day. We cook and bake around the clock, search high and low for meaningful gifts, and spend countless hours decking the halls. Days are spent in anticipation and excitement and joy and wonder, and then in a blink of an eye, it’s over. I wish I could put Christmas day in a tiny box and hide it on the top shelf my closet; that way every time I wanted to feel the magic of the season, I could sneak to the back of my closet, wedge myself between my dresses and jeans, lift the lid of my tiny box just enough to get intoxicated by the Christmas magic. Oh it would be the most beautiful Christmas box. It’ll be bedazzled with rhinestones and pink glitter and smell of freshly baked cookies.

Our Christmas really was magical, you know. It was completely worth all the countless hours of baking and decorating, and the countless hours of cleaning and un-decorating that will inevitably follow.

The babies loved the magic. Every gift this year was meaningful and served a purpose. I’m not sure what it is, but the older I get, the less I want. I find that we, as adults, are fully taken care of throughout the year; it’s the kids who I want to spoil. Seeing their eyes light up is where the real magic is.

 William didn't hesitate to dive right in.

This Christmas was extra special. It was like an extra moist red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Delish. It was our first Christmas as a complete family of four, and as all firsts go, I soaked up every moment and memory banked every reaction to the enchantment of Christmas morning.

I was on a total Christmas high.

And seeing my babies lovingly together makes my heart swell.

 William figured out how to open presents

Krysta was an awesome big sister; helping William open his presents before her own! Heart of Gold.

My Christmas high continued throughout the evening when my mom flew in from the east coast to join us for Christmas dinner and snuggle with babies.

My mom and William

We have a lot to be thankful for. We’re so blessed and fortunate to have family and friends, food on our table, and love in our hearts.


I can't wait to see what's in store for us in 2011. New chapters will be written, a new house will be lived in, a new state to explore, and a fresh start will be made.

Military Blog Hop

This is my first military blog hop. Every week, I've said that I'm going to join in, but life takes over and before I know it, the day is over! I look forward to reading all the link ups (as much as I can anyway)!

PS I'm knee deep in a commission, so my Christmas blog will be posted by the end of the week! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

~Em

Merry Christmas

 

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.  ~Norman Vincent Peale

 

 

 

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas full of laughter and cheer.
 
All Our Love,

 
The Roe Family
Ron, Emily, Krysta Jean, and William Emerson

The Night Before Christmas

It’s after midnight, so this is going to be a completely random post about today’s/this week’s happy things, like…

Holy Jeez, William slept for 9 hours last night! Ron and I haven’t slept 9 hours in one night for 10+ months! We’re so excited that we just don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Imagine someone plowing into you on the ski slopes, you popping straight up into the air, landing on your face, and then sliding a good 5ft on the ice. That’s what happened to Krysta. She wiped out on the slopes yesterday -which is not a happy thing- but after she had her moment of alligator tears, she got back up there like a champ, and that makes me proud.

William was so concerned!

It’s rare that Ron and I take photos of just the two of us. So when I saw that beautifully decorated tree at the squadron’s Christmas party, I knew it was the perfect photo op. Ron handed the camera to one of his friends and said, “Hey do you mind taking a picture of us?” Sure, the man replied. The guy took two pictures, just in case one was blurry.

I think he had a little too much Christmas fun because this was the better of the two. I must say, I actually love this photograph of us -not the quality of the photo, but the memory of it... happy times. Perhaps it belongs in a frame…

 Ron is the Boost Club President, and one of the duties is to organize/plan the Annual Christmas party. He worked so hard raising money, collecting door prizes, and finding a venue. It was beautiful night. Everything ran smoothly, everyone had a blast, and his hard work paid off! I’m so proud of him.

Another happy thing is chubby babies in fleece. Oh so delicious! How can you not eat these cheeks?

My house decorated for Christmas.

 Front Entrance

Living Room

 Living Room

 Front Entrance

 Downstairs Bathroom

Downstairs Bathroom

 My love bug snuggled under blankets while reading, and my baby cakes doing what he does best… putting EVERYTHING in his mouth!

We’re ready for Santa to arrive over here.

We’ve left carrots for the reindeer…

and cookies and milk for Santa.

We've tracked Santa and he should be here any minute!

We’ve snuggled into our new Christmas jammies

and as always we’ve read, The Night Before Christmas before tucking in.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to meet Santa downstairs. Let the magic begin!

Oh and you can bet your hiney I’m going to be doing this tomorrow!