The End of 2004 is Already Here.

So we finally made plans for New Year's Eve - yesterday. We're going to dinner with friends, Liz and Abdul which is nice because we don't get to see them as often as we'd like to. My parents are watching both Maddy and Nate. Last year for New Year's (and 8 months pregnant) we went to my parents to snack on foods and play board games. The year before we celebrated on a Miami beach, sipping beer under fireworks. At least we're mixing it up!

Maddy is Officially Bigger Than Jackson

Now I think I've got the hang of it! This pic. was too cute. Maddy and Jack looking out the window together at Steve. She's already wearing 18 month clothes! This outift was given to her by her cousin Zachary. It has hearts on the front of it. Too cute.

Posting a Picture for the First Time!

Maddyson on her first Christmas Eve.

Once Again, Christmas Has Come and Gone

But I'm o.k. with it. We had a nice time with both sides of the family. Maddyson was great, going for three days straight and barely skipping a beat. Now I'm just trying to enjoy my week off. Lunch with Tracy yesterday, lunch with Steve's family today, movie with Rebecca tomorrow and then Wave game and dinner on New Year's Eve. I haven't stressed myself with housework or schoolwork. Not going to. Nope. Well, I might just make sure the bathroom, Maddy's room and our room are cleaned before I go back to work on Monday. But that's it!

Christmas cards - not what they used to be

My Christmas cards are not what they used to be. A few years ago when I first had my own address and decided to send out a stack of cards to my beloved family and friends, I took the time to write a quick note to each person. Then last year we decided to take the photo card route and had a picture of Jackson with reindeer antlers. I simply signed them. This year we have a new model to photograph and a much easier *lazier* (more expensive) way to show we are thinking of the aforementioned beloved. A pic. of Maddy and a preprinted message that includes our names. All I had to do was lick the envelopes. I call this the working mom Christmas card.

Hi

Maddy is just too cute. Lately whenever I pick up the phone, she says hi, hi, hi, hi over and over again. Tonight when I was on the phone with my parents, Maddy wanted to say hi so I put the phone up to her ear. She is still confused about why she can hear grandma and grandpa's voices coming from that little gray thing that she likes to chew on, but on cue she said hi. Then I noticed (while I was still on the phone with my mom) that Maddy was putting her hand up to her ear and saying hi so I pulled out her little red phone rattle that she's had since she was a newborn. Now we can play telephone with that. Can't believe she's already participating in symbolic play with her hand and an imaginary telephone!