Happy New Year

Everyone is posting their resolutions and looking back on 2010 so I thought maybe I would do the same thing. Who am I to not follow the crowd? I'm not one to really make a New Years Resolution. Usually for most it's just something they resolve to do for a couple weeks and then stop or start (depending on your resolution) doing it again. For me its really just the closing of the year and the opening of a New Year. New plans. New adventures. Getting older. New things to look forward to.

So, 2010 was mostly a great year. The good definitely outweighs the bad. So many memories were made. New friends were made. A few were lost...my grandma, my aunt Terri and our dear friend Ren. They are all missed by many. I really don't know what my hopes are for 2011. I already have a few plans made for the first half of the year. I'm sure 2011 will go by just as quickly as 2010 did. I guess my only hope is to enjoy each and every year as much as I have enjoyed the previous. And I guess I hope my adventures never end. Life is short and I'm trying to live it to the fullest. At least as full as my bank account will allow. I hope life stays busy. I know that makes it go by faster but at least it makes it enjoyable. I hope you all have a fantastic New Year. If 2010 wasn't your year, then make 2011 your year. Your life is what you make it. You are in the drivers seat.

The Hidden Gift

Christmas morning Kaela seemed a little bummed out. Like maybe she didn't get something that maybe she may have wanted. I asked her numerous times if something was missing and she said, "I don't know." She wouldn't give in. We went over her list later that night to see what she may have wanted but didn't get. Her birthday is in February so once Christmas passes I'm looking for ideas for her birthday. The only things on her list that she didn't get were a DS game or two, waterproof gloves and she also asked that Trent would get coal. So, nothing on there too major that was a have to have for her. Discussion ended, problem solved? and we didn't talk about it again.

Yesterday while putting a few of the gifts away that were sitting under the tree Kaela found something. I was in the kitchen asking her to bring me a couple things I had found a place for when I heard from the living room, "Mom. Uh...I found a present we didn't open." Me and Dalan, surprised, asked where she found it and then questioned how in the world she missed it. She said it was sitting behind a couple Scentsy boxes I had under the tree and it said it was to her from Santa. She was giggly and seemed pretty excited about it. She brought it into the kitchen where we looked it over and were kind of puzzled. We gave her the go ahead to open it and she was pretty excited to see it was an iPod Touch. Later that night Dalan asked her, "So did you get everything you wanted for Christmas." She said, "No." He asked her what she wanted that she didn't get. She referred him to the list that her and I went over Christmas night.

Was this really absorbed?

Through the years I have always tried to teach the kids that Christmas is also about giving and not just receiving. One of the little things I would do to try and teach them this is to pick out toys for Toys 4 Tots. They would ask why we have to buy other kids toys and explaining that to a kid is kind of hard if you know what I mean. I'd always tell them it's for families whose parents can't afford to get their kids a gift from them so we are just helping the parents out. I try to make it known to them that they are very lucky to have the things that they have because some kids just aren't that lucky. I never knew if they were really absorbing what I was telling them or if they were just doing that "yeah, yeah" that kids do and just went with the whole buy the toy and drop it in the box thing. That is until about a week ago when I found this little gem and I thought well maybe they are listening or at least getting it. Well, at least one of them.



"Dear Santa,



All I want for Christmas the most is you to bring us joy. The things that I learned for the last nine years that Christmas is not only about presents it's about family getting together and having fun. I hope you give everyone hope peace and love. Let's hope I don't get to much Christmas dinner in one night. I hope that when I wake up tomorrow I see tons and tons of hope peace and love. This is from my whole family "Merry Christmas". Good night Santa Claus.

Love your friend,
Kaela Dutson"