Best and Worst/End of a Decade

I love how at about this time each year, the media always summarizes the past 365 days into neat little packages of "The Best and Worst of (insert calendar year)." It has been especially entertaining to read/watch the recap of 2009, as it is the end of a decade, as well. For the first time in my life, I am having difficulty pinning down this last decade and giving it a stereotype like the 70's, 80's, and 90's clearly have in my mind. This is somewhat ridiculous, since the past 10 years may have been the most transformative in my life. I graduated college, began & completed a master's program and earned a post-graduate degree, obtained my first job within my chosen profession (and 6 subsequent positions), married the man of my dreams, bought my first (and second) home, and lived in 7 states. However, none of this seems as significant as the past 2 years, as I began my recent life of becoming a parent. Nothing even remotely compares in this decade for me as the impact that having a child has on my existence, and how I am forever changed. As I count down tomorrow night and watch that giant ball drop in Times Square, I'll raise my glass to a tiny, sleeping little man upstairs in his crib. I'll toast to the meaning and purpose he has brought to this past decade & to our shared adventures in the years to come. That is, if I manage to stay awake til midnight. After all, you can't fault new parents for catching those extra zzzz's whenever they can!

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And now, because summarizing the past decade, year, or even month is a bit too overwhelming to me, here's my own Best and Worst List of our Recent Christmas Travels:


BEST: Visiting and spending time with special people in our lives that we don't see very often.


Cousins! (Luke represents the next generation of this group on his mom's side)



Some of my high school girls (look whose child is crying!). So far, we've all had baby BOYS (more are on the way!), but someone needs to have a girl soon to balance out the 5-0 ratio.)


WORST: Luke has learned how to tell us that he does not like taking long trips in the car. After being stuck in traffic from VA to PA for over 2 hours, Luke screamed, "ALL DONE, ALL DONE VROOM VROOM" while bucking in his car seat and attempting to unfasten his safety harness. How can you blame him? Mommy and Daddy felt the same way. (Disclaimer: Luke was an angel for the 2 longer legs of our trip, and I was pleasantly surprised by how fun he was on those car rides).


BEST: Watching our son run with unharnessed energy & giggle with delight as he saw new things, explored fun places, and returned to magical Chocolate World that we initially visited this summer.

Racing through Chocolate World with Daddy:








"These bottles aren't nearly as gigantic as last time I was here."



"Seriously Mom, I'm older now. A little chocolate is good for me.
I'll just grab these two bags and leave the rest for the other tourists."



On our way to get on the ride that tells us how chocolate is made.



Listening intently on the Chocolate Tour Ride.



Two sweet Hershey's kisses.


WORST: Luke's sleeping. We had some of the longest nights/worst sleeping since Luke was a newborn on our Christmas travels. Luke did have a cold, which made it hard to breathe at night and he was frequently awakened by coughing. Combined with being 20 months old and having an increased awareness of unfamiliar places, our average was being up for 3-4 hours at a time in the middle of the night trying to get Luke back to sleep. We tried it all: rocking, bringing Luke into bed, crying it out, etc. without success. Luke also tried to climb out of his crib in PA, making it an interesting nightly adventure for us.
***This was all worth it, however, on Christmas Eve night when we woke up to hear Luke singing the first few notes of "Away in a Manger". Despite the fact that it was 3 a.m., it was one of the sweetest sounds that I have ever heard (and the first song that Luke has ever "sung", which made it especially poignant).


A sight for sore eyes!


BEST: Among all of the wonderful, thoughtful Christmas presents that Luke received, he decided to show us that sometimes it's still fun to just play with the box.




WORST: The withdrawal that we are experiencing after 10 days of being surrounded by loving grandparents, extended family, and friends. We miss you all! Thank you for all you did to make our holiday celebrations so special!