Break

Having 2 weeks off of work and time to just be with my family was incredible. My sister (Julia) and her husband (Alya) were also here for the 2 weeks and it was so great to just hang out with them and get to know my brother-in-law a little better. It was a lot of 'togetherness' with it being so cold and not a lot of room to spread out, but I think it went remarkably well and I didn't want it to end. I especially didn't want my sister to go back to Tacoma. I hate that they live so far away. Unfortunately, Alya got to experience a bit of the Wilkin family fighting (i.e. yelling), but we tried to keep it to a minimum.

Here is the recap of the break, hopefully it won't bore you to tears.

The girls, my mom and Alya made a snowman

And Alya had a snowball fight with the girls.

We also baked LOTS of cookies, which I don't have pics of, but the tightness of my pants is a testament to it.

On Sunday, our good friends came over for some African food (YUM) and pictionary, which was pretty hilarious. We didn't have the game so one team would pick words for the other team. Some highlights include 'bat mitzvah', 'sarcasm' and 'car on a bridge'. Good times.

The next week was a frenzy (for me) getting everything ready for Christmas morn, but it all came together nicely. (I will have another post for my handmade gifts):
Some of the favorite gifts include American Girl doll (Chloe), Playmobil hospital (Lily), The Pioneer Woman Cooks (me, but everyone is benefiting), Blu-ray player (Shawn). There were many other well-loved gifts, but these have gotten the most use so far.

In the week between Christmas and New Year's we made permanent indentations on the couch, watching movies, playing the Wii and eating A LOT. We did venture out one day to bowl 'for real', as opposed to Wii bowling (which doesn't translate well, I might add). It was Alya's first time and we all scored better than we should have because the bumpers were in use. I am sure I would have scored about a 45 without them.


For New Year's, we went to a friend's house and the kids ran around like lunatics while the grown-ups chatted, ate and played a few games.


On to another decade. I have a few resolutions for the new year, I hope I can keep:

1. Do not yell at my kids so much. (It is unrealistic to say it will end completely, but I am making a serious effort to cut down, it is not good for any of us.)

2. Step out of my comfort zone and try new things (I am taking Bollyfit where I am sure to make an ass of myself, but hopefully in a fun way)

3. Be more 'in the moment' with my kids especially but in general too.

4. Work through my craft stash before buying new stuff and in the process, complete many projects that have been on the back burner (some for years!) To accomplish this goal, I am joining Wondermommy's stash busting contest starting Feb 1. I have lots of ideas in my head!

I will leave you with our friend Stuart Hambleton (aka creepy guy) ruining a perfectly nice picture of my sis and bro-in-law (this pic had us cracking up for hours):

Happy New Year!