Turning 30

I turned 30 on December 15th. The Big 3-0! One of those milestone birthdays, this time leaving my 20's behind. It's not nearly as fun saying that I am thirty, rather than a twenty-something. 20 years old seems young with opportunities knocking. 3o years old seems...kinda old! I know, I know...30 is hardly old. But, it ain't 20. So, I have decided that 30 is the new 20. Still with plenty of opportunities and, in my case, certainly plenty of adventure to come.

My 20's brought me many blessings. A short list includes...

• A college experience resulting in great friendships, hilarious memories, way too much studying, and an earned college degree.
• My marriage to Brent on July 24, 2004. I married my love that day. At Last! We started our lives together. Our first year of marriage holds some of my most special memories of us together.
  
• A three-year Florida lifestyle. Picture it...two U-Hauls, a cat and dog in tow, and all of our belongings traveling south (and then north again).
• Buying our first home and settling in to a new life in Michigan. The midwest welcomed us home and to a new, lovely community.
  
• The birth of our daughter, Anna Marie. She is the greatest and most beautiful gift. After an exciting and thankfully fairly easy first pregnancy, we welcomed our little girl into this world and into our lives. And she has so blessed the last two years of my 20's....by making small moments amazing and by making me a mother.

And so, start my 30's. I am expecting again and am waiting patiently to become a mother to a new little life. Could there really be any better way to start? There is so much to look forward to. And there will be challenges. Including the goal of potty training Anna before June! And maybe a toddler bed for Anna? And learning to peacefully care for two children. And to still grieve the loss of my brother. To learn how to continue my life without Scott, to remember him well, and maybe try to make sense of it all.

I think I am up for the task of being 30. I had pretty fantastic 20's. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years will bring.

This December 15th was well spent and I enjoyed a very special birthday. I was greeted with a breakfast of my favorite bagel shop goodies and hot chocolate. And then a trip to the mall with Anna and Brent for lunch and a trip to see Santa. And THEN I came home to a surprise visit from my mom! She completely surprised me, which was so wonderful and special. We had a great evening and ordered in one of my favorite Italian restaurant dinners. I talked to my dad on the phone a couple of times and also received lots of birthday wishes from my family and friends. A great way to start my 30th year!

Decorating for Christmas

Last week we decorated the house for Christmas. We had the best little helper this year! Anna loves Christmas! This year she is really enjoying everything - Santa, all the decorations and lights, and even seeing the snow.

We went to a Christmas tree lot to pick out our tree. It was a perfect evening for it - cold, but not too cold, and tiny snow flakes fell as we walked around. The guy at the lot gave Anna a candy cane, so she was very happy!

Anna loved helping unpack all of our Christmas decorations. She loves jingle bells, Christmas books, singing Frosty the Snowman, and our Christmas tree.

The Christmas season always brings feelings of joy. But there is nothing like the joy of a child. Anna bring us joy x 100. She is our biggest, best, and favorite Christmas blessing.

What a week!

Last week we started our basement remodel! Can you hear the hammers pounding and saws sawing?! It's pretty noisy around here. We hired a company for the remodel...adding a bedroom/office, bathroom, and a family room and play area for the kids. Come June when Baby arrives, we will lose the guest room upstairs for the new nursery. The new bedroom downstairs will serve as a guest room and an office space for Brent when he is working from home. The new bathroom will add to our current 1 bathroom house. A bathroom for guests and for Anna when she is older and wants to hog the mirror. And the new family room will be great for a much needed play area for Anna and Baby. Right now our dining room is half dining room and half play room, which is very crowded and causes us to often eat dinner with toys under our feet. The goal is that the basement will be done before Christmas, fingers crossed!

Basement before.

Basement currently. Studs up for bedroom and bathroom walls. And yes, a lovely hole in the floor for bathroom plumbing.

In the mean time, Anna and I have been mostly hanging around home while the "worker men" (as she calls them) work. We have been finding fun things to keep us busy. Here she is having fun with play dough and cookie cutters.

I was invited to a cookie exchange last week. We were asked to make 8 dozen cookies to share and exchange. That's 8 dozen. Eight, count them, eight. So 8 I made. But it was a joint effort - my mom found the recipe and Brent helped me every step of the way. 8 dozen cookies is not an easy task, but quite the accomplishment when all said and done. The party was fun and I came home with 8 dozen cookies made by my friends. Any one want a cookie?? I made Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. 8 dozen of these babies....

Here's to basements, play dough, and crinkle cookies. What a week!!