Happy New Year!

We celebrated New Year's with Theo's Gramma and Papa yesterday. They came down for one last Christmas celebration and brought Theo his dream come true - a Dyson vacuum that is just his size. Anyone who knows our boy knows that there is nothing he loves more (except maybe the oven) than the vacuum cleaner. It's his most favorite thing. So, when Gramma asked for a suggestion, I mentioned they might try to find a toy vacuum. Boy, did they deliver! Theo didn't wait for a cue from us, he just picked that thing up and started pushing it back and forth, even getting under Papa's feet. It was pretty hilarious and of course, Susan and I are convinced our child is a genius because he is already demonstrating pretend play at a mere 13.5 months old. I'm sure the fact that living with two dogs and a cat which necessitates daily use of our vacuum cleaner (which he has witnessed since birth) has nothing to do with it.

Thanks for coming down, Gramma and Papa, it was fun!

And, with every new year comes new resolve. I don't really make firm resolutions, but the start of anything new is a good chance to reflect and make changes. I think the theme for me this year will be financial health. It's already off to a good start, but we really want to get in great financial shape in the next year so that we can start thinking about a move. So, I've made a budget and resolve to stick to it this year. Otherwise, I just want to be a better mama to Theo and a better wife to Susan. If those things can be accomplished, I'll be feeling good.

We've already started this year in a much better place than we started 2009, and we are looking forward to a prosperous, healthy year. Our hope is the same for all of you!