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Hello blog, fellow bloggers, family, friends, neighbors, my mom's neighbors, and the rest of you! It's been awhile, so here's what's new with us!

I’m going to be honest: I’m so glad the holidays are over. I might be alone on this but I find the holidays stressful. It seems that it’s hard to strike a balance: too much family, too little family, too much time at home, too little time at home. If we’re home alone, it’s lonely. If we’re somewhere else, we’re miffed that the girls aren’t sleeping/eating/behaving. It’s hard to find the perfect mix.

It is fun, though, to see Avery “getting” Christmas more this year. She loved going for drives to look at Christmas lights, loved decorating/re-decorating the tree, and loved asking when she’d be able to open her presents. Her excitement was palpable, and it was neat to see Christmas through her eyes.

And now we’re the proud owners of a whole new pile of stuff (i.e. Christmas presents). Do you ever feel like enough is enough? The consumerism of Christmas has left me wondering how we can better strike a balance next year. How can we not “jip” our kids, and yet not feel overwhelmed with stuff? If you have some ideas, I’d love to hear them.

As you might guess from this post, the word “balance” is on my mind. Striking a balance (on all fronts) doesn’t come naturally for us. It certainly requires some intentionality and discipline. Hopefully 2009 will yield some great balance-making moments.

Something that will certainly help in this regard is that we’ve managed to wean Romey. From the get-go I walked into the whole breastfeeding thing thinking that I’d give it a try, and hoped for the best. Well, the best is what I got, because it really took off, and Romey showed no signs of wanting to stop. Sure, kudos to me for hanging in there, but this little feeding relationship has not come without some major sacrifices—most of it worth it, but not entirely. We had two goals for the past weekend—order a new dishwasher (did you know that your true character is revealed when your dishwasher goes out? I’ve got work to do), and wean Romey. Shockingly, both we’re easily accomplished. Ro is now a cup-o-milk girl and we couldn’t be happier about it. Sorry Ro—it was time.

And, in addition to embracing the cup, Ro is also walking. Walking is now her preferred mode of transportation, and it’s the craziest thing. She looks so tall; so grown up. It’s terribly cute, and we just outfitted her with some new walking shoes. Ro’s started pointing, saying "yes," throwing mini-tantrums (Ha! We’ve seen so much worse; gotta up your game!), dancing, and smiling, smiling, smiling. She’s such a fun kid, and loves baby dolls and books.

Avery survived a recent bout of pink eye, and is back at school today. Avery continues to surprise us with how much she’s “getting” stuff. Dan was looking at his phone this morning and Avery asked if he had any e-mail. She’s continually asking questions, and loves asking what things/people start with (i.e. Romey starts with "R" and Ave makes the "R" sound. Yeah to Leap Frog for getting Avery excited about phonics!). Avery ended 2008 with a trip to the dentist, and did a stellar job, and the hygienist said Avery was her best patient ever. Wowser!

And, as for 2009, we’re still talking through some of our New Year’s resolutions—all of which include having more balance, more discipline, and more consistency. I hope to blog more in 2009, because I love doing so, and it has become a therapeutic outlet for me. I feel like I’m at a bit of a crossroads though, because there are times when I feel that I can’t write what I would like to. So, we’ll see.

Here’s to 2009—may it be a year where we rely of God more heavily; love more deeply; negotiate life’s hardships/disappointments more gracefully; and use our time more wisely. May it be a year where I get acquainted with an elliptical machine; get less acquainted with my Visa card; more acquainted with God; and less acquainted with the television. May I go on more dates with Dan; love my girls more; be in the moment more; and be a better friend. May I eat more salads, less hamburgers, less pizza and try tofu. Okay, I’m getting carried away—Happy belated New Year!

A couple of Avery's favorite gifts---a broom, and monster feet!

Ave: "Roar! I'm a monster!"

Ro making kissy-face with the patio door.

We jumped on the bandwagon and did a gingerbread house. Overall, I'd give the whole g-house experience a C-.

Ro sporting a Santa hat.

Aside from a lot of learning toys (yeah!), princess garb was a big hit this year. Avery loves dressing up like a princess and has even gotten Romey interested (see below).