Showing posts with label New Years. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Years. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

A Look Back Before We Look Ahead

While I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday laze, I have to admit it feels good to be back to work, back to blogging, and back to taking care of businss ;)

The new year is always a time of new beginnings, and a time for reflection. 2011 was a big year for our family, and I thought it only right to reflect before moving forward:

January 2011: In my severe sleep deprivation haze, I spent way too much time trying to make Everleigh a baby dolly by hand


 

February 2011: Scott turned the big 4-0, and we celebrated in style.


March 2011: Everleigh got her first tooth (at nine months old) and took her first series of unassisted steps!


April 2011: We got pictures back from our first family photo shoot (by the amazing Jennifer Flanagan) and Everleigh slept through the night (only once) for the first time since being born.

May 2011: I turned 29 and reflected on birthdays post-kid; My step-daughter,Tory, graduated high school!


June 2011: Everleigh turned ONE, and we had a beautiful little outdoor cookout in the rain :(


July 2011: Scott had a big art show, and we celebrated the 4th of July with a bang.




August 2011: Scott started school at the prestigious art school, the Kansas City Art Institute (KCAI) and our schedules got a whole lot busier!



September 2011: Scott and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary

October 2011: Everleigh was a bee for Halloween (a holiday she now calls "we-a-ween")

November 2011: Everleigh had a fun and chilly Fall photo shoot with Tina of In His Image



December 2011: We moved the week before Christmas, and it reminded us of what the holiday season is all about; Scott and I both had reunion shows for the holidays with our bands and got to be rockstars for a night!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Windy New Years!

Yesterday (New Years Eve), Kansas City was blessed with an unexpectedly gorgeous day, with weather topping out in the mid 60's. This is kind of unheard of in Missouri, where we typically spend this time of year lotioning up and layering and shoveling snow and staying inside.

Now you KNOW we Foulks love us some warmer climates, so we fully embraced the day and got out to a nearby park to take full advantage of our gift.

While it was warm, it was super windy, but we just let it blow our hair and challenge us on the big hills. We took Ev by the pond to see the duckies, which she loved, we swung on swings. We petted all the friendly doggies in sight. We ran and played and it felt absolutely perfect.

Here are some shots of our time:




Scott and my stepdaughter, Tory

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I can't think of any better way to say goodbye to 2011 than with this gorgeous day.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Our Little New Year

Image by Monkeys Always Look. You can buy this hand-stamped little gem on Etsy!
Since my parents happen to be quite the social butterflies, and Scott and I could not secure a quality team of sitters willing to keep her past midnight on New Years, we partied with the kiddo this NYE. Which was really OK, because instead of going big, we spent a blissful little evening cubbied up in our living room.

We talked and laughed and sipped cheap champagne, and right as Everleigh nodded off, Tom Waits' movie Big Time came on (this movie is absolutely awesome). So I did silly gypsy dances to the music while Scott watched and laughed. We smooched, we ate pizza that took 3 and a half hours to get to us. We kept glancing over at little E fast asleep on the couch, and thinking, "we MADE that!".

It was a top shelf evening, for sure (even though I fell asleep at about 11:30).

Last New Years, I was visibly pregnant, but still able to rock a sexy cocktail dress, so we went to some underground art-school rave kind of BYOB shindig in the West Bottoms (a very weird, cool, and strange part of Kansas City). The party was actually held in an old factory or something that was the same space we rented out for our wedding reception, so we felt right at home. My how things change from one year to the next!

Here are my New Year's Resolutions:
1). To slow down and enjoy the time I have with Everleigh, even when it's tough. Time flies, and I'm already seeing how quickly she's growing and changing every day. I don't want to miss any moment of it.

2). To keep on losing weight and get stronger and healthier. I don't know if I've mentioned this in my blog, but I used to be really really fit. In college, I did dance, cheerleading, yoga, and kept a close eye on what I ate. Then I got in a loving relationship, got a desk job, and started going to night school full time. I would work 8-4:30, then go to school 4:30-10. All my meals took place as quickly as possible while I was sitting--at work, in class, in the car, on the couch. I was exhausted all the time. Finding time to exercise seemed like a cruel joke. Fast food was a staple. Then I got pregnant. I was careful to eat healthy foods, cut out the junk, and limit my pregnancy weight gain (since I was already overweight), but I still put on about 22 pounds. Since having Ev, I've lost about 50 pounds. I still have about 20 more to go to be at my most healthy weight. Plus, I wouldn't mind looking kick-ass either. I'm planning on buying a used running stroller and hitting the park with E as soon as it warms up a bit. Until then, doing some fun Mommy-and-Me yoga should help entertain her while getting my abs back ;)

3). To be a better wife. Sometimes I know I don't fully appreciate how amazing my husband is, and I want to work on doing a better job.

4). To continue to grow creatively. Whether it be through writing music, making clothes, reading more, whatever. I feel more like ME when I'm engaging in creative work, and I want to make sure I find the time and energy to really be myself. This sounds crazy, but in the midst of working full time, running errands, and being with baby, it's easy to unwittingly go into robot mode.

5). To be a better friend. I'd be lying if I said I feel 100% fulfilled in the friend department. Now that I'm a mommy, and many of my friends live in different cities, I sometimes crave that female companionship. This year, I'd like to take the time to be a better friend to the friends I've got (keep in better touch, make time for them), in addition to making some NEW friends who actually live here in town. This is a scary prospect--making new friends can be trickier than it seems--but I'm excited to try.