New Years

Let me say this upfront, I know this not the kind of New Year's post that you'll find on most blogs.  I could write a bunch of things I vow to do different or I can be honest and let you know exactly what I was thinking when 2010 came to my mind.

I must admit I'm not one that feels some great need to reflect on what is behind and make resolutions for the next year, who really keeps them anyways?  Shouldn't we be in this state of mind all of the time?  Constantly reflecting and making goals?  Just a thought. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely blessed for all the things God has done in my life in the past year, I have no complaints and no regrets.  As far as the last ten years?  No doubt I am extremely grateful for meeting Nate, getting married and having my first child. It has had some personal times of stretching too....sometimes to the point where I thought I was going to snap from being stretched too thin.

If you want me to be truthfully honest I am not looking forward to turning 37 in this "New Year", ugh!  I am not as young as I'd like to think I am.  Is it wrong that I think I'm ten years younger?  I am finding myself looking at "kids" in their twenties who are exactly where I am at in my season of life at 36.  I think about being 52 years old when my oldest child graduates from high school or even close to 40 when he starts kindergarten!  My mom was almost 40 when I graduated from high school!! Okay, maybe I should stop thinking.  Age is all relative, right? 

I will say New Year's Eve was actually a lot fun! We were celebrating at an incredible party at the most impressive New Year's Eve party I've ever been to, two live bands, a 30th birthday, amazing food and homemade donuts....all before midnight!  We did only stay until 11:15 because we needed to get Josiah in bed before he melted down.  He was completely captivated with the bands so he was quite the easy kid that night. We made it home about 10 minutes before midnight.  We put Josiah to bed and turned on Dick Clark & Ryan Seacrest to ring in the New Year.  The best part of then night? My honey kissing me slightly before the stroke of twelve so we could say were were kissing before and after. :-)

In all sincerity, I pray that this next year would be amazing for every single one of you! Perhaps age 37 will surprise me.  :-)

 Happy New Year!

Josiah watching one of the bands.

Playing the other bands drums...they were very gracious.

Here, There and Everywhere!

Nate, Josiah & I felt a little of what Santa must feel like on Christmas Eve.  We weren't dashing through the snow or flying up in some great sleigh, however I am thinking it might have not been a bad way to get to every place we needed to be.  We went to FIVE places between Christmas Eve and Christmas evening.  All of our family is here in Portland and all within 40 minutes of us.  We have tried to do the every other holiday thing, however everyone tries to accommodate us and schedules times to "fit".  So, a traveling we will go.

Christmas Eve we spent with Nate's mom's side of the family, the extended Herboth clan.  This is our Christmas Eve tradition and has been for 8 years.  Our immediate family has nothing intimate planned so we go and start the gluttony with every possible food choice imaginable.  This year we decided to spend the night at my mom and her husband's house so we would be closer to where we needed to be at 9:00am on Christmas morning.  Once we arrived in Oregon City we decided that this would be the best time to have Josiah open the gifts from Nate & I.  We weren't planning on doing the whole Santa thing and he wasn't really aware of it anyways so it didn't really matter at this point.  Next year we may need to figure out a new plan.

Our Christmas Tree before we packed up.

Merry Christmas Nate & Josiah!

What do I do with this?

Unwrapping gifts from Mommy & Daddy

LOTS of Thomas the Train this Christmas!

Christmas morning was spent down at my dad's and my step-mother's home in Canby with my 4 siblings and all the cousins.  It was chaos!  Chaos as in 6 small children under the age of 5 grabbing and ripping open anything they could get their hands on.  I even caught Josiah opening the gift he had gotten for his Grandpa & Nana.  In Josiah's defense it was given to him by an older cousin.  Even in the midst of the chaos it was exactly what Christmas morning should be like.

Opening Grandpa & Nana's gift....LOL

Yo Gabba Gabba!

All 20 of us that were at my dad's headed up to my grandparent's to meet my aunt and uncle and their tribe (Them, plus their four kids, spouses and grandchildren) which equaled another 19.  There were a few others that met up there as well bringing the grand total to 43 people in a house that is maybe 900 sq. feet!  Once you were in the door you found a spot and didn't move.  Even though it may have been crowded, we've been doing this every Christmas morning since I was born.  It's gone from a family of 4 (my grandparents, my dad and my uncle) to a family of 43!  This the only tradition that I can think of that has been life-long.

Gobet Clan!

After our first two stops it was time to head back over to my mom's to nap Josiah and get ready for Christmas dinner.  This was a very relaxing time after a very busy morning.  While the kids were napping (only 3 toddlers) we all watched Four Chrismas'.  I love that movie!  We ate an amazing dinner and exchanged gifts.  Aside from my early Christmas present from Nate, my UGGS!!!, I got my most favorite gift....a Keurig coffee maker from my mama!  You all know I LOVE coffee!  The coffee selection is good and it tastes way better than drip coffee...almost as good as french press.

One instrument missing from Josiah's pint size collection.

Thanks Uncle Tim & Auntie Kim!

Woohoo!

We wrapped up there around 5:30-6:00ish and headed back to Portland to meet up with all of Nate's family.  Christmas dinner is the tradition with the Zimmer side.  We were stuffed from our earlier dinner, however I couldn't resist some of Grandma Zimmer's pistachio pudding!  Of course we had plenty of room for dessert!  It was nice to be at our last place before heading back home.

And off he goes!

We may have had the movie "Four Chrismas'" beat with our "Five Chrismas'", however we loved every place we were and are grateful to have so much family near.

Feliz Navidad!

Okay, so maybe I don't speak a word of Spanish (aside from being able to count to 10 and a few other words) but I really like the translation of Feliz Navidad:  Happy Nativity!  Going with this theme I have a great nativity story.  We put up our manger every Christmas season.  This year Josiah was very aware of this "house" with all these different "people" in it.  He knew that Christmas was a birthday celebration for Jesus, "Happy Birthday Jesus" he would say.  He was very interested in the baby in this whole set-up.  One day when we were getting ready to leave somewhere Josiah said he wanted to kiss the baby Jesus.  Huh?  Nate told me that he had taught Josiah (who knows where I was....Christmas shopping maybe?) to kiss baby Jesus when we were going "bye bye" or when he was naughty. 

Josiah became very comfortable with baby Jesus and one day as he and his cousin, Emery, were playing I noticed that baby Jesus was missing from our manger.  Hmmm.  I went back to Josiah's room where the boys were and there he was, laying in the middle of the room with a MISSING left arm!  I don't know if anyone has tried to get an answer from a barely two year old on where the Lord God Almighty's arm went, but I was left with no clue.  The search was on!  I found the tiny arm of Jesus in the bottom of a basket inside of a drawer.  With the help of some super glue the baby Jesus was almost as good as new.

I suppose I could have gotten upset, however I wasn't at all.  This baby Jesus will have a story for many years to come.  I'm happy that "my" baby can see that Jesus is not "untouchable" and some idol that can only be looked at....this baby Jesus became personal to him.  I pray that this perception of God will never change.

 

 Muah!

 

Found!