a new year.

2011 was full of surprises.  i feel like it passed us by at warp speed.  in february, i married my sweetheart and best friend.  our ceremony was simple, honest, hopelessly romantic and... perfect.  the two of us promised to love and take care of one another- no matter what.  in june, we welcomed our little son into the world.  I think i have sufficiently freaked out over enough baby what ifs and what to dos to last a life time.  its hard times when you have no idea how to take care of the infant in your arms.  the hospital staff handed him to me and i thought, okay, now where is my manual please?  luckily, i used my mommy powers and figured most of it out- along with the help of baby 411.  that book is a god send, ps.  griffin is our everything; our sunshine on those cloudy days.  i can't even begin to describe the way i feel about becoming a mother.  i am truly blessed to have this perfect experience.  this year- with the new men in my life, my heart has felt things that i never knew existed.  I feel emotion with a greater understanding and perspective and- gratitude- and... happiness.  More than ever, I am determined to enjoy every single day- every moment, even the hard stuff.  There is plenty of hard stuff, ehh?  Understatement.  Life is so precious and continues to move ahead at an alarming rate.  I don't want to miss a single second of it.  I love it.

Our family is changing and growing.  Griffey is sleeping through the night- uninterupted, as of this week!  um, yay.  He's learning how to sit up and entertain himself without mommy.  he rides in the cart at stores and sits in high chairs at restaurants.  it's all quite adorable.  Chad has applied to Occupational Therapy programs throughout the country in hopes of being accepted into a graduate program.  i have of course, been his personal assistant through this process- aka i did all the paperwork and organizing.  let me tell you, in terms of 6 grad applications, there's a lot of paperwork.  and organizing.  and, i think i have my life back now that it's over.  now we wait...and wait.  None of these programs are in utah and it looks as though we could be packing up and moving in time for the fall semester (fingers crossed).  although it will be hard to say goodbye, new adventures await and we are excited.  we will have more news hopefully by mid-march.  my fingers are seriously crossed.  and toesies too.

We drove to california for chirstmas- via the civic.  babies and road trips together are like, my least favorite thing.  maybe, holiday traffic in and out of the vegas is worse.  i did however, love the beach in december!  the weather was unbelievably lovely and it was the first time griff had ever been to the beach.  we put his toes in the water and you know, freaked because we had no sunscreen and my baby is like, the fairest of fair.  that was kind of one of those magical moments though, seeing my two boys playing in the water.  i will insist that my baby loves the beach- and hopefully, we get to go more often- with our sunscreen.  our trip was cut short with some sad news about our dear friend Sarah Songer-Smith.  her battle with cancer came to an end just after christmas and we said goodbye to her on the eve of the new year.  her passion and great zest for life has remained with me as i've reflected on my time spent with sarah.  i have heard her encouraging spirit just about every day since her passing, pushing me and convincing me i can do things that i wouldn't ordinarily take on.  that was her way.  even in the short time i knew her, courage and strength always stood out.  we love you sarah.  you indeed, broke the mold.

And so, we move into another year- full of promise and excitement and... snow.  yes, it's been dumping snow this week.  perfect for skiing (you know, if i had the money, time and gear for such things) and hopefully, more blog posts. :)  happy new year.  make it a good one.

ps- as always, thanks to miss Lydia Gravis for the photography.