Happy New Year!

Well, we all made it through 2008! We are very excited about the upcoming year. Here are some things that we did at the end of 2008.

Back in November, I finally took Morgan to get her hair cut. It was getting sooo long and it was so hard to take care of. She was excited about cutting it short until she got into the chair, then came the tears. It took her several days to get used to it, but it looks so much better. She kept asking me "Why did we get my hair cut?". Here are the before and after photos!

On December 17th we decided it was time to add a new member to our family, so we got a puppy! Her name is Parker and she is a Puggle, which is a cross between a pug and a beagle. She is a typical puppy, but we started puppy training this weekend and can see a small light at the end of the tunnel. The girls are doing very well with Parker and we are hoping that Parker becomes a great friend to them as they all grow up.

We started our Christmas celebrations a few days early when Chris and Brian came down from Cincinnati to visit. They were only here for a day so we did our first Christmas dinner on Dec. 22nd. It was great to see them and everyone had a wonderful time.


We spent Christmas eve watching A Christmas Story and having Chinese food. This is an Adrien tradition that took me a few years to get used to, but I love that I don't have to prepare any food! The next morning we opened our presents here at home and had a very quiet morning. The girls got everything they wanted (and much more). Morgan had been asking for a Dora "brella" (umbrella) for the last few months and was very pleased when Santa brought it for her. Both girls also received video/still cameras. They were very excited about being able to take their own pictures. I'm sure I'll be posting their photos very soon. Jill got many wonderful presents from Craig, including a new iPod and the best flat foot insoles for my shoes! Craig was not so lucky because Jill doesn't seem to shop very well for him. He did get the iHome that he wanted for his iPhone so that was good. I also got a sewing machine from Craig's mom so I am trying to figure out what my first project is going to be. We all enjoyed spending the holidays together, but are glad to get back to our normal routine.

I came up with one of my best New Year's plans ever! Since we have had children, we have not been able to do anything for New Year's eve. In fact, most years I've been asleep before the ball even drops! I know, pathetic! But this year was different. I started thinking about our good friends, Tom and Ally, and decided to invite them over for a "sleep over" party. They have two small kids so it works out perfectly. They came over in the evening and we had dinner and a few drinks and hung out together, watched the ball drop and enjoyed spending time with friends.

We also got to attend our first Dance Recitals for Kaylee and Morgan on Dec. 31st! It was quite a treat! Craig and I were both told prior to the recitals that we were not allowed to smile at the girls during their performances as it makes them nervous. Morgan's performance was first and she was so sweet. About halfway through her performance she told both of us to stop smiling. While she performed, Craig, Kaylee and I were all taking pictures and video. Kaylee's performance was later in the day and she did an awesome job. She is really doing a good job and enjoys her teacher. When Kaylee was performing, Craig, Morgan and I were all filming or taking pictures. Enjoy these videos!

Craig and I also had a little "recital" back in December. We are taking a ballroom dance class and we had made it to the end of the first level. Craig didn't really want to go at first, but sometimes he actually enjoys himself. We have since moved on to Level 2 which is even more fun because we are learning more spins and fun steps. Our teacher Stephenie is the same teacher that Morgan and Kaylee have for their dance classes. We are having a good time and at least we get out of the house every Friday night, even if it is only for an hour. My cousin is getting married this year and Craig and I are hoping to attend and be able to pull out all of our awesome dancing skills!

On January 3rd, I decided to go run a 5K for our local YMCA (where I am working as an aerobics instructor). I hadn't really done much training since I ran a 10K on Thanksgiving with Holly, but I figured 5K wasn't too much so I would be ok. I was by myself, but thought it would be great if I could push myself a little bit. I am usually running about a 10 minute mile. When I got my results back, I found that I ran 9 minute 23 second miles! I had no idea that I could even go that fast. I am really proud of myself for trying this. It is a great accomplishment and I look forward to many more runs in the future.

December 6th was our 10 year Anniversary. Can you believe we have made it this long? We decided that it was time to actually do something for our anniversary. So we went to Asheville, NC and stayed at a nice hotel for the night. We spent the evening visiting Biltmore Estate and going on their Candlelight Christmas Tour. It was very beautiful and it was great to get away for a couple of days. We went out for dinner and even hung out at a bar for awhile. Reminded us of our younger days (pre-kids)!

So now, we are looking forward to 2009! Kaylee has applied for a position at an arts school here in Greenville. We were accepted, but we are on the waiting list. I will keep you posted as that changes. I will be looking into putting Morgan into a K4 program to help get her ready for Kindergarten. Can you believe she is almost ready to go to school? They are both growing up so fast. We are contemplating our annual trip to Orlando and planning our trips out to the west coast. Craig is also trying to figure out which motorcycle rides he is going to be able to do this year. Talk to you all soon and hope you have a great 2009!