"Cheers to a New Year and Another Chance for us to Get it Right

It's funny how much your New Years Eve can change in the span of a few years!  And I for one would not change this past New Years for the world.  First of all, I got to spend the evening with some of the people that mean the most to me in life, all together, at the same time.  Secondly, let's be honest, it is definitely nice to wake up on New Years Day and not feel the effects of the night before.  Thirdly, it's so much fun to experience the excitement through some of my favorite little one's eyes.  And lastly, it allowed me to get some great shots of some really sweet faces!

"Another fresh new year is here.... Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt and fear.  To live and laugh and give!"

"He is my most beloved friend and my bittersweet rival...

My confidant and my betrayer, my sustainer and my dependent....

And scariest of all....My equal."

Look at these eyes.  What a sweetheart this one is!

"Every child born into the world is a new thought of God, an ever fresh and radiant possibility."

"If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm."

"Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts."

Seriously how did all my friends babes end up with beautiful eyes! 

"Of course you like your kids, if you love them from the moment they begin... 

You yourself begin all over again, in them, with them, and and so there is something more to the world again."

"This bright new year is given to me... To live each day with zest...

To daily grow and try to be my highest and my best...

I have the opportunity once more to right some wrongs, to pray for peace, to plant a  tree, and sing some more joyful songs."  (William Arthur Ward)

"A mother's heart is a patchwork of love."

So many options, and such little time... but where's the popcorn?? :-)

"To become a real boy you must prove yourself brave, truthful and unselfish."

"Learn from yesterday... Live for today... Hope for tomorrow." (Einstein)

"Being a brother is BETTER than being a SUPER HERO."

"A thing of beauty is a joy forever: it's loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness."

"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on,

with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

(Hal Borland)

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree is the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other"

I have always loved the Christmas season.  Growing up it was the excitement of what Santa would bring.  As I grew older the excitement of what would be under the tree was mixed with the thrill of having a whole week off of school.  And now, I find that people are filled with such happiness, hope, and generosity during the weeks heading up to Christmas that it brings about such a refreshing change.  The holidays, of course, also mean spending time with my family and friends, which is time that I cherish more than anything.

I don't have kids of my own, yet, but I am blessed enough to be surrounded by children in my life.  And I love to experience Christmas through their eyes!

My mom always does it right! 

"After a girl is grown, her little brothers...

Now her protectors, seem like big brothers."

Poor Angel had to some problems with her leg, but thank God she ended up being OK!

"Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.  He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist...

And you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy."

I love everything about this picture: the hat, his eyes, his expression, but mostly this boy!

"Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold."

Poor little Lincoln wasn't feeling too hot on Christmas Eve...

We were blessed when the rest of our family made the trek to visit and celebrate on Christmas Day!  

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

Not only cousins, but the best of friends! What beautiful girls!

"Come boy, climb up my trunk, and swing from my branches and be happy." (The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein)

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world...

And behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."

"From home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another...

The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other."