Never Trust a Climber's Daughter

Happy New Year to me. Ja`el was eating lunch the other day and, the one second I turned my back to get a second cup of coffee, she was standing up in her high chair. I immediately told her to sit down and, as I was rushing towards her, she stumbled and tumbled onto her face on the hard wood floors. She was bleeding from her mouth and screaming bloody murder and all I could do was pray over and over for her to be okay. She settled down after about 5 min., but has some battle scars from the incident. I think that it scared me more than it scared her though. As I am beating myself up with guilt for not being there at the exact moment of need, she is standing in her high chair at dinner.--sigh--

Kissing the old year on, kissing the new year in

(Yes, another Bing quote. In our case, though, it was more like sleeping the old year on, sleeping the new year in.) So, I am sitting here, watching more snow fall and thinking “wow, is this year going to be just like last year?” (Look at the pics from last winter and you will understand that thought more.) If it is to be like last year, I would be completely happy with about 95% of that. 2008 was a GREAT year. I would like some sleep in 2009 and I would like the snow to stay below our roofline this winter, but other than that, I would be perfectly content with the prospect. Jon and I were just sitting on the couch the other day,

Jon had a very busy 2008. He had knee surgery in June and spent most of the summer in physical therapy. He went on numerous trips, including Alaska twice, Chicago, Denver, Washington DC, Green Bay, California and several trips to Boise/ Twin Falls. Work is going very well. He moved into his new office overlooking Schweitzer in Feb and they have some really exciting things planned for him in the coming year. He is currently getting his ski legs under him, although promises not to do anything too crazy at least until next month. We shall see.
2009 resolutions: Gluten/ Nightshade free for 3 months; training for a triathlon in Sept on the way to Ironman Madison 2010. Main goal is to get into the weight his body is the happiest at and then kill it with an overabundance of activities.

Ja`el had the most excitement in the family this year. She gained 5 inches and 5 pounds; cut 15 teeth (we are still waiting for that last eye tooth to pop through. Any day now); learned to sit up, crawl, walk, run, and (much to her mothers chagrin) climb (I have already found her climbing the bookshelves, her high chair and the kitchen cabinets.); began eating solids (favorite is cheese, mean beams (green beans), and apples); learned about 75 words (pretty, big ball, and Nemo) and already using 2-3 word sentences. She loves talking on the phone (the Ah-llo) praying (grabs our hands at meal time, squints her eyes and says Amen) and loves, I mean absolutely loves, her cousins Cameron and Tristan. She calls them “Ja`els” and looks for them every time we go to Mema and Papa’s house.
2009 Resolutions: Play more with her Ja`els, and sleeping more than 2 hr stretches at night (okay, so that ones MY resolution for her, but there is something to be said for the power of suggestion)
Dec 28, 2007 Dec 28, 2008

As for me, well, my 2008 was full. I got to play, sing, dance, teach and learn. I cried a lot, but I laughed more. I memorized the complete dialogue to Finding Nemo, including the menu dialogue. I lost a dear friend, met new ones and rekindled old ones. I am currently learning the art of relaxation and X country skiing in the yard at least every other day.
2009 resloutions: no projects for at least 3 months, start taking my vitamins faithfully, and try to live a life of gratitude!

Here are some more pics from this Christmas.

Happy New Year!