Happy New Year!

Feeling as though I've just run a holiday marathon, we are moving from 2008 into 2009--full steam ahead! The girls are developing new skills everyday. Addy has become the more verbal of the two, often repeating a word you say to her and then never saying it again. We've heard very close calls to flamingo, elephant, giraffe--all off animal flash cards they got from our friends Jillian & Teague. Consistently, she says "more" (usually relating to food), "whatsthis?", "up", "down", "sis", "book", "bear" "duck" and more. It's a unique dialect, but she knows exactly what she's saying. She still plays pretty independently. Physically, her hair is growing quickly, now going into ponytails for me. She always seems to have a bruise or scratch, predominantly from her ability to have no fear doing anything. She is a ball of energy and has recently been waking up in the night, either bad dreams or something else, but scares the crap out of us when we are into a deep sleep!

Lilly still shows her temper on a daily basis, sometimes coupling a scream with throwing her body onto the floor. Although she isn't as verbal as her sister, she knows how to get her wishes heard. She often starts a word, but doesn't finish it...I am "Mmmmm", Daddy is "dddd"...you get the idea. Her appetite has tapered off and I often see a "hunger strike" where she'll eat fruit and crackers all day long, although you wouldn't know this from lifting her. She continues to be very social, waving out the window in her carseat and now riding her new toys while waving like she's in some kind of a parade. She is more timid than Addy and wants to play with you--yelling when I leave the room even for a moment. She is a dancing machine, "twirling" and shaking her booty every chance she hears music. They continue to make me crazy and joyful each and everyday!

As for New Years, I resolved about a month ago to finally finish BOTH their baby books (Addy's has been done since September) and I'm proud to say they are both done and in hand. Hopefully a keepsake they'll treasure down the road! I used this website (www.blurb.com) to make a digital scrapbook of their first year, highlighting each month. I've also resolved to find calm in the chaos, probably something I'll resolve each year, but something I personally struggle with. It is harder and harder to see everyone I want to see, to be involved in the things I want to be involved in, to work hard and be the friend, wife and mother I want to be. Hopefully 09 will allow me to find peace with my balance in life...

2009 will bring 30th birthdays for both Jeremy and I and a second birthday for our girls--With that I say "Bring it on!"

I'll edit with some pictures from New Years later :-)