Happy New year, everyone! i'm hoping that i'll pick up my real camera more this year...instead of just being satisfied with whipping out my iphone and snapping a quick photo. i'm also hoping to blog more often. There is so much I forget if it isn't recorded somewhere.
Christmas was low key around here. The morning was spent with just the 4 of us...something that rarely happens! Adam and i took the "less is more" approach this year. We got them only a handful of gifts, but gifts that were really wanted by them. No needless filler! The kids were happy as clams, too. bean bag chairs, nintendo DS for each, DS games, ipod shuffles, scooter and a fun shirt for ben, and shearling boots, a mood necklace and fleece pants (to match a sweatshirt she got from my mom) for ashlyn.
adam bought me a 6 qt dutch oven (yay!!), pjs, sweatpants (lounge clothes are always a hit with me), and a super cute wine stopper---i've been wanting one for so long!
i bought adam a CD he's wanted, a book on how they built the second Narrows bridge, some water containers he's also been wanting, a pair of Converse, and a new electric razor.
Christmas Eve night
Christmas morning...i woke up to see Ben out in the living room looking and waiting :)
ben read the Christmas story to us before we opened presents
these were from their great grand dad . Pillow pets! Incredibly, these were on their Christmas lists...a total coincidence!
This shirt? made for benjamin. i HAD to get it.
jar of rocks!! :) adam had been telling the kids for weeks that all they were getting was dirt and rocks for Christmas. so, of course he had to live up to his word somehow! they thought it was hilarious.
DS!
and this is what my kids permanently look like now.
key to get adam to read: buy book that has to do with building, and it has to have pictures ;)
a couple iphone pics (of course!)
Scott and Chloe came over around noon, and Scott made us all homemade andouille mac n' cheese in my dutch oven. soooo good! i ate the leftovers for a couple days after that :)
last night was also low-key. The 4 of us just stayed home. adam has been working insane hours the last couple weeks (coming home anywhere between 10:30pm and midnight!), and it caught up to him. He woke up sick and the smallest activity wears him out. we just watched the tube, and the kids watched movies. Ashlyn made these signs for the mantle :)
i took down all the decorations yesterday, and my living room looks so empty! i'm definitely itching to get a new rug (one with color!), paint these darn walls, and get new window coverings for those corner windows--mini blinds are so ugly. i'm so tired of all this white, brown and tan! ugh. so, i will spare you the ugliness. i made the photo black and white. lol
anyway, i made some good ole' comfort food for my sick man. Chicken Enchilada Casserole made with rotisserie chicken. sooooo yummy. especially topped with a bunch of avocado and tomato (avocado and black olives for adam). i made it in my new dutch oven, of course. lots of leftovers for today!
i was at the window and saw this reflection in my coffee cup. i love glancing down and seeing stuff like that!
winter is here....it's always strange to me for some reason at the first of the year...christmas is over, the decorations are down, and all i want to do is fill the house with brightness and color. It's always a depressing thought that winter has only JUST started. i'm ready for Spring, for goodness sake!! :) There is a certain beauty to it, though. The stark trees, the frosty mornings, the patches of leftover/stubborn snow, the bright blue skies. Bundling up, hunkering down...it's like a small time out. When spring does come, it is such a thrill. you can't get a thrill like that if you don't have winter.
Moments ago, adam came upstairs to put his new work chair together. Benjamin immediately put down his DS, got up and came close to watch and help where he could. It struck me that something like this was more important than his precious DS. i liked it. it inspires me to find more moments of opportunity for both the kids to help us. They are old enough and crave to learn and help. It will require a shift in the way i think and do things around here. it's so easy for me to just do it myself. but i know i can't raise productive adults if i keep that mindset. Here's to a new year and hopefully, a very good year.
Happy 2011!
that photo in your coffee cup is so cool!
Posted by: Chloe | January 01, 2011 at 10:11 PM
way too many things to comment on, i will try. loved the faces opening pillow pets, loved rocks and dirt (reminds me of something my dad would do), not sure if that is a small christmas- ha, dutch oven- yum, reflection in coffee cup is great, i noticed some crocus starting to come up in my yard- hopefully winter will fly by, let me know if you need painting help :)
oh, fly shop opened yesterday. come by. will be there all day (i think) 12-6.
Posted by: allison | January 02, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Ruby got the same pillow pet as Ben : ).
I need to start blogging again as well.
I love how low key your Christmas was...ours as well and it was wonderful.
Can you send me the recipe for the enchilada casserole ?
I need to send you your sign like yesterday!!! (on my long to do list)
If you start blogging again, I will too because I like to mentor after my good friend who I love and admire : ). Happy New Year kid!
Posted by: amy j | January 02, 2011 at 11:26 AM
love the coffee mug picture. very artsy :)
and that last little comment about ben putting down his ds to help dad made me tear up a little!
Posted by: anna torres | January 05, 2011 at 04:42 AM
:-)
Posted by: adam | January 07, 2011 at 07:54 PM
Erin, I haven't visited your blog in a long time, so it was so fun to catch up. I guess since I haven't been keeping up with my blog, I forget about all the other blogs. I love you and I love your family. Happy 2011! Hope to see you guys soon.
Posted by: Aunt Debby | January 20, 2011 at 10:39 AM