Top 10 Moments of 2011

10. Spending time with family and friends at Bergemuda.

9. Mountain biking (Tom) and playing roller derby (Julia).

8. Enjoying a September snowstorm and building a snowman with daddy.

7. Going to Dutch Wonderland.

6. Watching Sydney excitedly feed her brother a bottle for the first time.

5. Visiting the Chabots at the beach!

4. Going to Atlantis to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary.

3. Hearing that our new niece, Evelyn Beatrice, had made her grand arrival.

2. Watching Sydney learn to swim by herself.

1. Getting a handle on Cole's GERD and learning more about his allergies so that he is more comfortable and happy.

Merry Christmas!

We had a very low-key Christmas this year. As always, we spent Christmas eve and Christmas day with our families (so thankful that everyone lives so close by). The kids were able to spend time with both sets of grandparents, and we were able to get in some downtime too! Really - I can't think of anything better - besides being able to catch up with friends and family who live far away. Santa was very good to both kids - but not too good - it was a modest Christmas, which was nice too. Here are a couple pictures from the festivities.

I'm a Real Roller Girl!

In December, I participated in my first roller derby bout. I was so nervous, I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to finish. But - I managed to pull myself together and not only participate, but actually score a couple points. I played every position: jammer, pivot, and - even - blocker! I'm proud to report that my team won. I definitely have a lot of work to do before the next bout this spring, but it was fun to get the first one under my belt.

People continue to be very surprised that I play derby. I guess it's because I don't fit the stereotype. Last night, a friend asked me why? Why do I play? Well, here goes (in no particular order). I play because

- It's fun

- It's incredible exercise, and I'm probably in the best shape I've been in since before I had Sydney

- I've made many awesome new friends

- It's an amazing challenge that's teaching me a lot about myself

- It's a great departure from my mom-of-two lifestyle

- I get to wear fun clothes (let's be honest, this was one of the reasons I joined to begin with)

There are probably a hundred other reasons, but those are the reasons that come to mind at the moment. Anyway, it's been a fun ride so far. I can't wait to see what happens with derby in 2012. In the meantime, here are some more pictures from my first bout.

The head cheerleader of my fanclub - her derby name would be
Major Anxiety, but it's already taken.

Time Machine: Sydney's Christmas Pageant

I really feel blessed to be able to send Sydney to a Christian preschool where she can celebrate Christmas! In fact, her school really goes all out and hosts a very nice Christmas pageant. Last year, I was a little behind the curve and missed the memo on appropriate dress for the pageant (you'd think I'd get it from the name Christmas pageant, but I can be slow sometimes). Anyway, this year, I sent her in her best dress, and she sang beautiful Christmas songs with the best of them! She even celebrated her awesome performance with her BFF Avery after the pageant. Congratulations, ladies!

Time Machine: Dutch Wonderland Take 2

You might remember that back in August, Syd and I went on a girls trip to Dutch Wonderland with Avery and Elyssa. You might also remember that during that trip, we were lucky enough to receive rain date tickets for a free return trip to DW! Well, the year passed quickly, and we ended up visiting DW for our free return trip in December. Who knew DW would be just as much fun in December as in August. And - bonus - warm funnel cakes are especially yummy in cold weather. A special thanks to Elyssa (and Avery) for driving us to Lancaster and for being the best DW date(s) ever. Can't wait until our next visit!

Time Machine: Welcome Evelyn Beatrice Goldberg

On November 27, 2011, Lorraine gave birth to our beautiful niece Evelyn Beatrice Goldberg! She's a fighter and a girl with her own plan. I can't wait to see what she's got in store for us - I have a feeling she's not a girl to be messed with or told what to do. World: you've been put on notice - she's here, and we're just along for the ride.

Time Machine: Roller Derby Update

My roller derby career continued to progress over the fall. I passed assessments and was drafted onto the Vineyard Vixens roller derby team. Really - if you think about it, this accomplishment was almost a miracle. Before April, I'd never really been on skates before in my life. In basically 6 months, I developed enough skills to pass the assessment test and be drafted onto a team. My first bout was scheduled for December! I was excited and scared and proud of my accomplishments - all at the same time.

Time Machine: Happy Birthday Sarah!

Back in November, Sarah celebrated her 11th birthday! It seems like just yesterday, Jodi was a year 2K mommy, and now Sarah is 11 years old. Time flies! The birthday celebration was complete with a taco binge. I mean really - after Sarah's birthday party, I would have been happy not to eat tacos for at least a week, and that's saying a lot. Only two years, and Sarah's going to be a teenager. Only four years, and she's going to have her learner's permit. Virginia drivers best start preparing now! We love you, Sarah!

Time Machine: I Got a New Job!

In September, I left my old job and started a new job. So far, it's been a great learning experience. At my old job, I specialized in recruiting. At my new job, I do everything and anything HR - including, but not limited to, recruiting, benefits, employee relations, and labor law compliance. My first day was a lot of fun. Instead of doing your typical show-up-to-work-and-fill-out-paperwork deal, I went to the local municipal airport. Then, Scott, our COO flew me in his private plane to Virginia Tech to do a little college recruiting. It was the first time I'd ever been in a private plane - and I gotta say, it beats commercial flying any day of the week! Anyway, it's been three months at the new company, and I'm glad I made the switch. They've been great about my schedule (I still get to work part-time and put in most of my hours from home), and I've been able to expand my skillset - what could be better?

Time Machine: Happy Anniversary!

In October, Tom and I celebrated our 10-year wedding anniver-sary. And - to celebrate - we took a KID-FREE vacation! The kids went on a weekend-long sleepover to mustache papa and bella grandma's house, and we went on a Bahama's cruise. Besides sleeping in, interruption-free meals, mid-afternoon naps, and plenty of adult conversation, the highlight of the cruise was definitely our day trip to Atlantis. We had full use of all the amenities, including the water slides! We even went on the water slide that goes through the shark tank. It was so much fun - we had a blast. We will definitely be back! Thank you so much to mustache papa and bella grandma and all their reinforcements for enabling us to get away.

Time Machine: Halloween

Because I'm way behind on the blog, I'm going to have to go back in time to cover some of this year's highlights. So - here goes the time machine...

Halloween 2011

This year, Sydney went as a ladybug, and Cole was a bat (with fancy bat shoes). Cole caught on very quickly, and he actually hung in way longer than I thought he would. Both kids are usually in bed by 7:00 pm, but they were still out trick-or-treating past 8:00 pm. Tom took them all the way down the gravel road and around the corner, which is quite the hike - especially for Cole. I stayed home and manned the front door. Each year, we get more visitors. This year, I think we had about 20. Not bad!

Neglect

Neglect [ni-glekt] verb used with object:
1. to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight
2. to be remiss in the care or treatment of
3. to omit, through indifference or carelessness
4. to fail to carry out or perform
5. to fail to take or use

I think the word neglect pretty much sums up how I've treated this blog the last few months. I promise to be better (I realize that's what I said in the last post). I've got some great pictures and stories to share. And - I've got a little extra time this week. Stay tuned...