HOLY GUACAMOLE!!!!

Nope, this blog entry has nothing to do with guacamole. It's just a common saying out of Jack and Claire's mouths lately, and it comes to mind when I see that I haven't updated this since Thanksgiving. So, time to get on the ball!!!

I always feel like I need pictures to have a reason to blog, but I WILL do a better job keeping up with our blog, no matter what I have to share. Sooooooo, what DO I have to share?

Holidays were fun, but busy. Enjoyed a trip to Albuquerque for Thanksgiving...oh, wait...you know that because that's where I left off. Then we headed to Phoenix to spend Christmas with my family, and John's dad and step-mom. The kids had a great time Christmas morning!! Just as I have said every year, "I think they REALLY understood it this year!" LOL. Claire got into things a lot more. We had our elf, Nicky, revisit us from the North Pole. Santa sends him our way when he's done with his toy making duties. He is small and cute, but he's a mischief maker. We thought this year would be fun to ask Santa for 2 elves. Maybe a girl could be sent down, as well. With all of the talk about what Nicky did last year, Claire was not sure what to expect. I'm fairly certain that she expected a Will Ferrel-sized ELF to show up at the door. We decided to request another elf when she felt ready. She changed her mind quickly when Nicky arrived, and was ready for her own. A week later, Natalie, our "elf-in-training" showed up. Smaller than Nicky, but just as silly.

We stuck around here for New Year's, and spent it at a friend's house. We celebrated East Coast Time New Year's, and then headed home. My New Year's Resolutions?

• Learning to say NO to so much volunteering!
• Find more down time in the day
• "Let it go" when it comes to house work....although, right now I am watching Hoarders, and that's not helping this resolution.
• Stop and play with the kids each day

Both kids are busy, and we are about to get busier. Dance is going to start....golf, soccer....here, there and everywhere. Thank goodness for carpools and good friends! Lots of other events are coming up, so pictures will be posted soon. I can't do too many of these photo-free entries. I'm just hoping that this one, in particular, gets me back on track. It should be easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy! (Oooops, another Jack and Claire-ism!)

OH! I do have something I can add. A link for a delicious soup my friend Almond and I made last week. Mmmmmmmm!

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/tortilla-soup-with-black-beans.

It doesn't specify how long to "simmer" it, but I would recommend a good 20 mins for the flavors to blend. And we added some shredded chicken. HOLY GUACAMOLE!