Farewell 2013!

I can honestly say that 2013 has been one of the best years I have had in a long time!  Of course, there are ups and downs in every year, but the 'ups' we experienced in 2013 were more like mountain peaks.  Lia continues to receive a good bill of health (echo coming up in January), we have moved into our own home, Ryan is working full time, Jack is in pre-school and loving it, and as for me, well,. I get to be the wife and mother of all the previous mentioned.  I'd say that's pretty awesome!

 I noticed that the number of blogs I have done this past year is quite a bit lower than previous years, and as I pondered that, I realized that it's not that I don't have a lot to write about, but that I'm soaking it all up, living life, keeping up with my family, and seem to be more on the go than ever before. I haven't even entered 'soccer mom' stage of life yet, so I know it's just going to get busier! Being this busy sure makes time go fast, but I wouldn't change it at all.  I don't mind the fact that I've avoided another week of blogging because I'm too busy helping Lia wrap up one of her dolls in a blanket (for the 100th time), or meticulously following the directions that came with the Lego's so we can get the fire truck exactly like it looks in the picture, or settling a dispute as to whether or not the My Little Pony's can be in the barn that goes with the farm set.  Yes, it's examples like these that help me to realize that I have so very much to be thankful for, I have been blessed numerous times over with amazing family and friends, and I love it. Thank you 2013, for all the joy you brought to my life.  You have really set the bar high for 2014.

The Shields family had a wonderful Christmas season.  We were able to see almost all of our family, and Jack is at the age where he is REALLY into Santa, the North Pole, our Elf on the Shelf (Snowflake Pepper Gary, or SPG for short), making sure to feed the reindeer, celebrating Jesus' birthday, singing Christmas carols, picking out presents for family members, etc., etc., etc. Now that neither of my kids are babies anymore, I'm really liking this older phase.  My youngest will be 2 this spring, which means we're almost done with diapers, sippy cups, and cribs. Yeah, that makes me sad, but it also excites me to see my kiddos becoming more independent, learning tons of new things, and building an actual sibling friendship with each other.  Even though the getting along part is short lived, when I do see them play together nicely, it is SO NICE.  I'm attaching several photos from the month of December.  For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you've seen most of these, as that's where I post almost all of my pictures.

Here's to hoping that your year was as merry as ours, and to another fabulous year ahead.  In previous posts, I have promised to try and get better at blogging more frequently, but I'm not going to say that this time, because well, I can't promise!  I'm a busy mom, with two little ones, and a full time job.  Ideally, I would like to blog once every couple of weeks....hopefully we can make it happen.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Riding in style

Visiting my Grandpa B. in the hospital.  Jack brought him a singing snowman and a candy necklace to cheer him up!  Note: He is recovering nicely at home!

Visiting Santa: One of them was in Heaven, one of them was not.

Lunch date with Uncle Leo!

Lia LOVES, and I mean LOVES her cousin, Chandler.  She would take that pacifier out and put it back in all day long if we'd let her.

Jack was a wonderful help decorating the tree this year.  He and Lia even had trees in their bedrooms!

Shields family in Fairbank on Christmas morning.

Cousins on the Rosien side in their matching Christmas jammies: Lia, Chandler, Jack and Brynn

Opening presents is exhausting!

We took the kids to Old Chicago for dinner a couple of days ago.  Our kids were seriously so well behaved, which isn't always the case in public--I snapped this of Jack eating his spaghetti.

Lia loving the snow (sort of)! She didn't last too long out there.

Jack helped Ryan shovel our drive.  If you look close, you can see Jack's head there, as Ryan buries him in a snow pile!

Mommy Lia and all her babies!  Who knew you could get a jogger stroller for your dolls?

Decorating gingerbread houses!

Those are some good looking (and tasting!) houses!

The kids had a lot of fun with Uncle Spencer, who flew in from El Paso

Making stromboli for the Christmas we hosted for my moms side of the family.

We snapped this family selfie on Christmas night when it was just the 4 of us, in our own home, celebrating Christmas.  It was an awesome time for us.  Can't wait to start more holiday traditions in our new home!