Happy New Year!

So much has happened in the last month that I don't even know where to begin! The most important item on the list is that I've started a new job as Assistant Director of Educational and Training Programs at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. A good friend from my days in the Butler MBA program recently moved into a position at the DWD, and she recruited me to join her team. I'm really excited about the new opportunity, although I was sad to leave behind my many friends and colleagues at Marian Inc.

Now the reason that it's the most important item on the list is because I've been so busy getting started with my new job that it's my best excuse for my delinquent blog. So, back to all the fun stuff that's been going on over the last few weeks. The easiest way to describe is through photos.

Holiday Fun
After kicking off the season with a trip to the Indiana State Museum to see Santa, we also went to the Zoo to see all the lights (on a very cold winter's night). Moira was so cute in her snowsuit, and she had fun going on the little Zoo train ride. We didn't stay for long...we plan to make it into more of an adventure next year when she's a little older (and hopefully on not such a cold night!).





We managed to visit the Children's Museum a couple of times too (especially since I took a week off between jobs). They turn the steps into a two-story slide during the holidays, and Moira and I took a turn on the slide. She seemed a little unsure of what had happened, which was pretty funny, but I had a great time experiencing the Children's Musuem during the holidays with her.



And on an unrelated note (in terms of holidays), Moira attended her first official birthday party, courtesy of Aunt Kate. Kate's friend Melinda's son Nicholas (on the right in the photo) had his third birthday party at BouncerTown, and Moira got to experience her first bouncy house thing. She loved the slide though she was very good at getting up and not so good at sliding down. Notice her lack of socks...a big no-no, apparently, but she does not like leaving socks on her feet! Can you believe that about a month ago she took her first steps?!




Seeing friends and visiting family
The amazing thing about the holidays is how many people we see. From visiting friends and family to seeing friends who came home from coast to coast, it's a great time to catch up with people. During my week off (between jobs), my mom and I went to visit my friend Katy, her children, and her mom in Cincinnati. Her daughter, Ruby, is only six weeks younger than Moira. They were funny to watch because they didn't really play with each other, and if they did interact, it was usually because they were upset about something! Nonetheless, we had a lot of fun together. By the way, I think the picture below is really funny because the two babies were exhausted, and our mothers insisted on photos at the end (for which I am now grateful), so we took pictures in front of the coat rack. Then they complained, so we took photos in front of the Christmas tree. It was a production.




We also took a trip to St. Louis to see my mom's side of the family. For all of you out there who hear me talk about my cousin Marty, here's a picture of him with me. From the time we were little, he always liked to harass me, and to this day we're not sure why our parents didn't interfere. It only seemed appropriate to reenact a moment from our childhood when he wouldn't stop blowdrying my hair despite my protests. He and his wife Katie are expecting their first baby in May, so it was fun to hang out with them. The Moira highlight that cracked me up the most was that she almost ate a piece of dog food while at their house!


We also caught up with my mom's cousin's daughter Lisa and her daughter Maddie along with lots of other family.


Before leaving St. Louis we stopped by my uncle's diner and had a great breakfast before heading to the Magic House (the St. Louis children's museum). I'd like everyone to notice that Moira's hair is getting long and I don't know what to do with it. I'm not one to spend a long time on my own hair, let alone my daughter's! We try to do bows but they last for half a second. Who knew I'd worry about doing hair at age 15 months?!


Celebrating Christmas!
I don't think I mentioned that I finally got to experience having a real tree in my house! We loved it and will continue that tradition in the future. Here's a blurry picture of Alan and Moira trimming the tree.


Moira was completely intrigued by Christmas Eve Mass, all the people, the lights, the decorations, and on Christmas morning, she was truly most excited about having some of her favorite people together. In the photo below, she literally bypassed the gifts to say hello to everyone, which I thought was so sweet.



She did eventually notice the new toys, and she managed to have a lot of fun playing with her new kitchen set. There was a definite "duck" theme this year for Christmas in honor of her first word. She loved the big duck Aunt Kate gave to her, and we even managed to find a duck ornament (thanks again Aunt Kate). But more than any toy, Moira really had a great time playing with the paper and the boxes (as you can see below). By the way, Nan, she is completely in love with the "Zoo" book you sent. We have to read it three times every night, and she cries when we take it away!



Can you tell we had fun? The only thing that could have made it more perfect would have been having Alan's family here too. It's so hard for us to be so far away from them, especially when we know how much they love seeing Moira. Our comfort is that Alan's parents have booked a trip for May, and we're hoping to make it out to England sometime this fall. At least we were able to skype with them for a little while. And we also skyped with my brother's family in Phoenix...Emma, Clare, and Joe said hello (Jack was too busy playing with all of his new toys!). Thank goodness for Skype!

Well, if you made it to the end of this post...congratulations! I doubt I'll ever let a month go by again (it takes too long to write these things if you don't stay on top of it)!

Anyway, Happy New Year, and here's to a great 2010!

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