Highway to the Baby Zone: Happy New Year 2014!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! (A month overdue)
*Update - I wrote this a couple weeks ago and forgot to post, oops! I still have more holiday photos to share, which I will post later. :)

It's hard to believe the past year has come to a close and we begin a new with 2014. There's a certain amount of sadness and also hope that comes with a new year....you may be putting a not-so-great year behind you, or you may be so reminiscent of the past year that you might not quite want to let it go; whatever your feelings are, I wish you health, happiness and the very best for the new year!

We had a great 2013 - stressful at times, but well worth it. We sold our first home that we bought and shared together (which was a whole new stress in of itself....I don't think we quite knew what we were getting into), bought our second home that has a fantastic backyard for our little boy, completely painted said home top to bottom, changed out fixtures, etc., bought Rob a new car, celebrated Ronan's 2nd birthday and closed out the year with a wonderful Christmas. That is nothing to complain about on my end - I am very thankful for a wonderful year.

We were fortunate to take off the entire week of Christmas from work - a much needed break! Neither of us have had a full week off since Ronan was a newborn baby! We needed it....unfortunately, the time just went by way too fast! (as I sit back at work....sigh)

We started our holiday by heading to Oklahoma City, and got caught in some serious ice and sleet on the way! The nasty weather turned a 3 hour drive into a 5 hour drive - and and extremely stressful one at that! I had never been so happy to get somewhere. The cold and ice kept us from going outside much during our stay, but we didn't mind. It was nice to sit inside, eat and drink, and relax by the fire. Not a bad way to begin Christmas, I'd say. We celebrated with our OK family and then headed home the day before Christmas Eve.

Back in D town, we spent time with my family and *tried* to relax, although with all the excitement, that didn't happen as much as we had anticipated. But Ronan sure had fun playing with his 5 & 8 year old cousins....he would not stop talking about them and saying their names over and over, and still hasn't for that matter! It was cute how much fun he had with them since this time last year he wasn't much into play time yet, obviously. Fast forward to Christmas Day and I got sick, then Ronan got sick...ah, it just wouldn't be the holidays without the germ fest it brings. We rolled with it and made the best of the situation, but I'm glad we all (finally) seem to be on the mend.

Oh! And how can I forget; Ronan updates! He is still learning and growing everyday, obviously. But it's amazing to see how much he picks up on each day. His newest sayings are - "what are doing, mama (or dada)?" "where mama go?" (said if I leave the room), "where dada go?" (said if Rob leaves the room), if I ask Ronan where the horses are that roam around behind our yard he answers "in the barn!". One of my favorites is when we are out to eat and if sports is on tv (because it never is at our house) he automatically says "GO RANGERS!" extremely enthusiastically - doesn't matter what the sport is (thanks, Mom!). He's getting very good at phrases - while changing his diaper yesterday he said "pull pants up" or he will request to go to bed by saying "papi (pacifier) bed" or "papi take a nap". He knows "Mama's Jeep", "Dada's car", "Mimi's Jeep" and has also started asking a few questions. For example, if I yawn he will look at me curiously and say "Are you tired, mama?" or if I'm eating he will say "Is that yummy?" or even if I'm just sitting there with a blank face he will say "What a matter?". Also, if you ask him what he is doing (and it's always playing with his cars and trucks, he will respond with "I'm playing trucks!" It's all just too cute for words!

Here are some of my favorite shots from the holidays...Happy New Year!

A boy with his tractors