January, Shmanuary

I can get over the fact that it's January... But I'd love it if I only have to shovel the deck a few more times this month. Once a week is okay. Any more is overkill.

However, this morning's snowflakes were just beautiful. I snapped a photo of a few I caught on my mitten... Check them out!

Perfect little snowflakes
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Mom came over a little more than a week ago to play HGTV redecorator with me... We were trying to find some way to squeeze Oscar's desk into his room. Since Mom fancies herself an interior design specialist, I figured I'd give her a shot. And I have to say: I think her suggestion of bringing up a chair from the basement to act as a space filler is one I'd never have thought up. Here's a couple of creative-process-in-action photos:

Nah. No good.
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This was better, but still no...
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This is what we ended up with-
Oscar loves it.

Here are a few more photos from the last week or two... And you'll also note that I did update the New Year's Eve photos in my prior posting, too. Am I on it, or what?? haha

Skip & Rocco- wearing his
"Capt. Heartbreaker" jammies and robe
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Rocco checking out his BatCave from Santa
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R- playing with his construction vehicles
from Auntie Keall & Uncle J
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Skip unleashing his inner rock star
as we jammed with Meatball and Jo last week
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Happy 2009!

Owen & Oscar love their MegaBlocks
pirate ships from Uncle Mike
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You may recall that I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions. I am, however, a fan of lists...

So. Here's my 2009 To Do List:

*Get a job
*Learn to knit
*Stay fit
*Actually use my scrapbooking supplies
*Dance a lot
*Donate blood more often
*Take the kids camping (somewhere other than the backyard)
*Sing a lot
*Organize my office
*Give even when I don't have it
*Spend more time with friends
*Refresh my CPR certification
*Cut back to one cup o' joe a day (in the stress of the last couple months I've been baaaaaad.)
*Forgive

I figure if I get around to any of these things even once, I'll be looking pretty good!

Rocco- checking out a spinning carousel
ornament before I pack it away for another year
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We rang in the new year on a happily mellow note... Stayed in with the kiddos and played board games. (Sorry!, Mancala and Oscar's new Cat in the Hat game.)

I forgot to break out the party hats, but life went on, if you can imagine... Skip and I drank some cheap wine and the kids were pretty occupied coloring their new cardboard playhouse they received for Christmas. It's very cool. And very BIG. They love it.

The boys playing with/decorating the gargantuan
playhouse on New Year's Eve
(they were drawing xmas lights on the roof)
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Rocco crashed around 10pm, which is when Owen and Oscar headed into their sleepover together. Skip and I played Buzz trivia on the PS3 until just after midnight (I won't mention who won 2 out of the 3 games... haha) Then we snuck upstairs to kiss the boys and wish them Happy New Year. Owen and Oz were wide awake and in full "party!" mode... Lights were on and they were hanging out playing... We told them to go to bed soon, but it wasn't actually until we were headed to bed at 2:15a, that we saw their lights go out!

We woke up (at 10am!) to a kinder, gentler year. Thank you, 2009... and WELCOME!

Owen, Rocco & Oz
ready for their first all-brothers sleepover last week
(Rocco slept with them, too!)
Not much sleeping occurred, but they all had a blast.
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