I'll participate in the meme too.

1. What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?


2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember if I made any, I usually don't.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me! Does that count. A friend of mine also gave birth 2 weeks before I did. Oh yeah and my cousins wife. We all had baby girls.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
None.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004.
My gardens. Being pregnant I didn't keep up well with my flower garden and I didn't even attempt a vegetable garden.

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 27th because that was the day that Lindsey was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Breastfeeding.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not having a vbac.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
No.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Fuzzi Bunz

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband. He helped around the house so much while I was pregnant during the summer and he continues to do so much while I've been so busy with work.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?
My sisters ex-boyfriend. We all loved him so much and he hurt my sister and neice horribly. My sister has become his friend and we've seen him once since my sister moved out. He realizes that he made many mistakes in 2004 and he'll be happy when the New Year arrives.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Food, mortgage, etc.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Lindsey's being born and when she decided at 5 weeks old that she would give breastfeeding a shot.

16. What song will always remind you of 2004?
Lean Back. I'm not sure who sings it or if that is the real name to the song but it was on all the stations this summer.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder?
Happier. I have the perfect little family. I was also newly pregnant last year at this time and morning sickness was getting the best of me.

b) thinner or fatter?
Fatter. I had lost 30lbs before I got pregnant. I'm sure that I've gained it all back plus a few. It seemed to come off so easy after having Lindsey but then I got my appetite back! :)

c) richer or poorer?
Richer. Last year my team was losing and had no hopes for the playoffs. This year is a totally different story.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Swimming. I love swimming but I found it so hard to get in and out of the pool while I was pregnant. This summer will be better and we'll have another little one to enjoy it with.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Working. The past few months have been too busy for me.

20. How will you be spending New Year's Eve?
Working, playing with the kids and eating yummy food.

21. Did you fall in love in 2004?
Yes, with my new baby girl.

22. How many one-night stands?
None.

23. What was your favorite TV program?
Amazing Race and the Apprentice

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

25. What was the best book you read?
The Buffalo Soldiers

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
None.

27. What did you want and get?
A baby.

28. What did you want and not get?
I didn't get the vbac that I had wanted but I did get a beautiful, healthy, happy baby girl and that is what matters most.

29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I'm not sure that I saw any movies this year.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I can't remember what I did on my 30th birthday but the next day we left for Disney World.

31.What one thing would have made your year measurably more satisfying?
I would have been nice if I wasn't so miserable during my pregnancy. I felt really lousy most of the time.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
No fashion concept here. I'm wearing the same old clothes with a couple of new pairs of jeans thrown into the mix.

33. What kept you sane?
I'm not sure.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
??

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Abortion, gay marriage, stem cell research and more.

36. Who did you miss?
I miss some of my co-workers from my days in the office.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Deb, the wonderful lactation consultant. She was the sweetest person and she shared so much knowledge with me. She went above and beyond the call of duty to help us get things worked out.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004.
My mother taught me a good life lesson. My sister and I were talking badly and complaining about my brother and we tried to lure my mother into the conversation. She simply told us that she would not get involved with taking sides or talking bad about one of her children. I will take this lesson with me for the rest of my life. I will never pit my children against each other and I won't allow myself to get involved in negative discussions with them about each other.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Oh geez. I don't have an answer. If I think of one I'll edit this answer.

My aunt gave us tickets to go see Disney On Ice. Her son had gotten them for free from his employer and they thought of us. I was going to take my neice and Kaelyn but this deadline has me house bound. Plus, I was nervous bringing the baby to a big arena. She gets overstimulated easily then she has a hard time nursing. Plus, she's quite the diva, she'd rather nurse lying down in bed.

We're staying home tonight. What a surprise! Since Kaelyn's been born we usually stay home. Sometimes we go to First Night to see some of the entertainers and the ice sculptures. Chad is going to the grocery store for me and we'll have a Mexican dinner. He's in charge of that.

Lili has a great list of relief organizations to help the victims of the tsunami. Please try to contribute if you can, every little bit helps. I'm going to check out the list right now and send a donation.

I feel guilty. I really shouldn't be blogging. My mom is downstairs watching the girls and I can smell something good cooking. I've been working so much and she's been helping with the kids. It will be over shortly, I keep telling myself that.

Chad is taking a big step in his life. He's going back to college at the end of January. I'm so happy for him. I've been bugging him about if for a long time. He's absolutely miserable working in a factory. He makes really good money and that is what has held him back from changing professions. He won't be able to leave the factory for a few years yet but at least he's moving in the right direction. He going back to study environmental science. The best part of all is that his employer will pay for 100% of most of his classes as long as he passes with a "B" or better. The only thing that we'll have to pay for is books and labs. I'm really excited for him.

Our electricity came back on at about 9am but we stayed put at with my mom until Chad got out of work. He cleared the driveway (with his new snowblower) and steps and then came to get us. I brought my laptop with me this morning but I didn't get much work done during the day. Lindsey and I took a long nap together and we were very lazy. I'm paying for it now though since it's 1am and I'm still working. After Chad picked us up we also headed over to Kmart so that I could find a pair of ski pants for Kaelyn. Now she can play in the snow tomorrow and she won't get as wet. I also picked up some clearance Christmas wrapping paper for next year.

The kids and I are at my parents house. We lost power in the wee hours of the morning because of the heavy snow and wind. No power....no heat. My dad came in his truck to pick us up. Unfortunately Chad still has work so he's shoveling out. I tried to convince him to let my dad bring him but he didn't take my advice. He can be so stubborn. I see him point. I'll update later.

The festivities started at 5pm on Christmas Eve at my parents house. We nibbled on scallopes wrapped in bacon, spicy chicken wings, brie cheese warmed and covered with nuts and brown sugar on crackers and shrimp mozambique. We exchanged gifts with my parents and siblings. Kaelyn received Samantha from my parents. She embarassed me when she said that she liked Samantha but she has asked for Nellie. Luckily it happened at my parents house and they understand how 5 year olds can be. When Kaelyn and I were alone I explained to her that she could have hurt their feelings by saying that and that she should appreciate whatever they buy for her. She apologized to my mother the next day. My parents bought Lindsey the Deluxe Jumperoo. They received tons of clothes from my sister including matching dresses that they wore on Christmas Day. After leaving my parents at 8pm we headed to Chad's cousins house and stayed there until 11pm. When we got home I got the kids into bed and Kaelyn fell asleep and Lindsey nursed and them came back downstairs with us to get things ready for Santa.

Christmas morning Kaelyn woke up at 8:30am and we headed downstairs and I wondered why the house was so cold. We didn't figure it out until later. Chad left the oven on since the day before and since it kept the kitchen and dining room so warm the heat the thermostat which is located in the dining room had no reason to believe that the rest of the house wasn't toasty warm. We called my parents and told them that they could join us watching Kaelyn open her presents. I can't even remember all that she received but so far the biggest highlights for her are the board games that Santa brought. We've already played Monopoly Junior and Scrabble Junior. Then we showered and dressed and headed over to my parents for Christmas dinner. My mother did a wonderful job. For starters we had a gorgonzola salad with walnuts, apples and proscuitto. Our main course included prime rib, roasted potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed turnip and carrot and rolls. Everything was divine and it felt like we were at a fancy restaurant. My mother put a lot of time and effort into this meal. Later she admitted that she was nervous about ruining the meat. Honestly, it couldn't have been better.

We also had to fit in visits to Chad's aunt, and both sets of grandparents before the day ended. My parents had invited us to come over to nibble on the leftovers but by the time we left my grandparents house we were all ready to get home. Kaelyn was tired and Lindsey really needed to get home for some snuggle time with me. She doesn't nurse as well when we are out and about. Even though I go into a quiet room she must be able to sense the excitement of being someplace different. She keeps popping off and checking out the new surroundings.

Today we are relaxing at home. Chad is watching football, Kaelyn is playing and Lindsey is getting some much deserved napping in. Oh, and I'm trying to clean up the mess that goes along with Christmas.

I miss blogging. I think about it everyday but I never manage to get anything written here. Work is so incredibly busy. It has never been this busy and it may never be this busy again once the season is over. I'd better take advantage of it while it lasts. My mom has been coming over during the day to watch the kids while I work and I often work until late at night.

There are advantages to the extra money. For the first time ever we'll be having a prime rib roast for Christmas dinner. I've been getting bonuses almost weekly. We usually have enough money to live comfortable but I've never had enough money to be so generous to others. I announced to my parents last week that I wouldn't allow us to eat the frozen turkey that they bought for 19 cents a lb at Thanksgiving. I was treating the whole family to a prime rib roast. It felt so good to be able to splurge on others who mean so much to me. I also took my neice out to buy presents for my sister since this is the first year that they are living at my parents house. It's a little awkward for them and I knew that my sister wouldn't have as many gifts since she no longer has a boyfriend. I want to make a few donations to worthy organizations but I'll have to do that after the holidays. If I was wealthy I'd be able to help so many people. Since I'm not I'll just have to do what I can.

Kaelyn is bouncing off the walls with excitement. There is one present under the tree for her from Chad and I. She's been begging me to open it. We will allow her to open it on Christmas Eve since it is pajamas. It's a tradition but she hasn't caught on yet. She keeps wondering what is in the package.

During all of this chaos I had to take a roadtrip to corporate headquarters to pick up my new laptop. Of couse this wouldn't go off without a hitch and it had to be sent back since it didn't have the correct software on it and my lotus notes wasn't set up properly. Argh. While that was happening we were waiting for my new Dell to arrive. Once I got my laptop and the Dell Chad worked feverishly to get them set up together. Neither of us knows all that much about computers. This made me nervous and edgy worrying that I would lose all of my emails even though he had backed it up. There were a few bumps in the road but everything is in perfect working condition now. Kaelyn is very excited that we are setting the old computer up for her. I better go get the kids in the bath and start getting ready for the holiday visits. It's will be fun but very tiring.

On Saturday we went to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. It was a beautiful sunny day. Lindsey rode in her backpack carrier for the first time. She seemed to enjoy it and didn't make a peep the whole time. We just couldn't find the perfect tree, everything seemed too big or too small. One of the helpers noticed we were still there and pointed us in the right direction for the perfect tree for our house. We headed back to the barn for hot cider and we visited with the animals. We decided to also get a decorated wreath for our front door.

Sunday we went to my parent's house and made this handprint calendar with Kaelyn and my neice. It was no easy task. I think that we should have done a couple of pages at a time instead of tackling all 12 months in one day.

I didn't think that I would ever get a suitable picture of the girls for our Christmas card this year. It is so difficult to get both girls to look at the camera at the same time. Then I brought them to Walmart to be made last night and they had a problem with their computer so I had to go back today. If anyone would like a card from us please email me with your address and I'll put one in the mail.

Work is incredibly busy right now. It sucks when your business depends on a team's winning or losing record. My phone is ringing off the hook, I have lots of emails that need my attention before the day is over and I have plenty of overs that have been faxed over as well that I need to take care of. I guess it is a good thing that business is good but it is taking its toll on me and my family. Some nights I don't leave my office (at home) until 1am. Granted I'd much rather be working from home than at the office. I'm still able to spend time with my children at home even though I'm busy. I can't quit because the weekly salary is too good to pass up and I get to work from home. Also, when our team is winning my boss is able to pass along extra bonuses from time to time. These crazy hours will probably only last a few more months and then things will slow down and I'll get to have lots of time off. Even Chad is helping me these days. He's been filing and faxing for me. He's a good assistant and he's cute too!

In other news, we've started using Fuzzi Bunz that we purchased from Dawn. I had to buy these first so that I could convince Chad that cloth diapering was the way to go. The first time I mentioned cloth diapers to him he cringed. I had to convince him that things have changed and they are much easier to use. I also had to convince him that they were easy to clean too since he does the laundry in this house. I sold him on the Fuzzi Bunz. He loves them to and has no problem changing them or washing them. Eventually I'd like to buy more but I'm probably going to go with less expensive prefolds and wraps. Suzanne also provided me with lots of information. It's a little overwhelming at first but the more I've been reading the more I'm becoming familiar with the different styles.