12 WEEKS

This is an interesting time of year for the Schmidt household. George will be traveling for the next 12 weeks and I will have the opportunity to either pass the 12 weeks with day to day junk or I can use it for something useful. However, this year we have Ava, so my time is not really all my own. BUT, with that said, I still will have extra time. So... the question becomes what will I do in this 12 weeks? I have begun a list and I am hoping I accomplish at least a few of the goals on my list. Here's a few of them: Exercise consistently (consistently is the key), Learn more French ( I only know a few words and phrases), work on my curriculum for a women's group to launch in the spring, Pray more, Play more, and Act on Forgiveness. Wow...now that I see it in writing, that is a tall order. I will be happy if at least a few of these items become a reality. Right now I'm singing the tune "I've got the Power...."

Time!!

I was reading Terri Curtis's Blog (link is located on this blog) about rethinking Christmas and watched some of the video clips and the comments about how we spend our time. I agree that time is one of our most precious resources. The richest rich and the poorest poor all have the same resource of "time." You cannot earn time, buy it, or save it for another day. However you can WASTE your time. We are all born with a certain amount of time on this earth and we do not have the ability to know if tomorrow is our last day or if we have another 20 years. Jesus died at the age of 33. I think about all the things I have wasted my time on and it seems overwhelming. I'm currently reading a book about raising children and the theme of time keeps reoccurring over and over. Your TIME is the best present you can give your children, your friends, and family. When I reflect about our Christmas this year, I will never remember what was bought and who got what. What I will remember is the TIME that was shared with people that matter. As we approach another new year, I hope that I can keep this in the forefront of my mind so that I can make good use of my time and share it with others. Have a safe and Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day 2008

Christmas morning was special because we had breakfast together and then was able to spend some time with Ava and her new toys. It's fascinating to watch her learn new things and to see her excited face. Christmas afternoon was spent at George's Grandmother's house for a meal and more presents!!!

Saturday the 27th we had George's parents over for Christmas and we played some card games and of course had an evening meal together. Ava enjoyed more presents and wrapping paper and enjoyed being the center of attention for the day. We are certainly blessed!!!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve it is our family tradition to attend Christmas Eve church services, have a home cooked meal together, open a few presents, and play some games. This was Ava's first Christmas and she had a lot of fun with the wrapping paper and gift bags. She thought her new toys were cool, but not as much fun as the paper they came wrapped in. After she went to bed, George, Ashley and I watched the Jim Carey version of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" It was a peaceful and pleasant night to spend quality time with the people I love the most.

Captiva Island Vacation - Pictures

Captiva Island Vacation

We just got back from our vacation to Capitiva Island, Florida and this was Ava's first trip on a plane and her first vacation. If her behavior is any indication of how she will be on vacation, we will ALWAYS take her. She was SO good and SO happy the entire trip. She loved the on-site pool and she loved the beach and the Gulf waters. We stayed at a resort that was right along the Gulf of Mexico and the weather was wonderful. The weather and Ava was the two positive things on our trip, as the resort was disastrous! From the time we arrived, until the day we left, we had nothing but problems with our cottage's( yes, we tried two different cottages). It was mostly maintenance issues and staffing issues. There were too many things to list of what went wrong, but it almost became comical. Unfortunately George and I never really were able to unwind because of all the issues and it rather tainted our stay in Captiva. We were glad to come back home, but not glad to come back to the cold weather. I'm ready for another vacation!!!

Ava loves her toes! She can still reach them while in her stroller. George and I were laughing at how happy she was to get her toes in her mouth.