Life...

...can be so dramatic yet so uneventful (my pondering of the day).

Andy and I went away with our friends last month to Atlantic City. It was so much fun and much needed couples time. Andy had been on loads of overtime since September so it was nice to just spend some quality time with him. We stayed at a beautiful resort and got to swim, do karaoke, and relax in a jacuzzi and hot tub. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe for dinner and had the best fajitas we've EVER tasted! I just love the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's created just like a jungle and has lights that flicker during "rain storms" with full sounds effects. It makes conversation a tad difficult during those times but it's still a lot of fun.

One of many aquariums throughout the restaurant

They move and trumpet

I went to my first casino (well the first casino I was actually allowed on the floor) and played my first slot machine, Mr. Cashman. I only played $20 but walked away with $53.44!! Not bad for my first time! Ryan and Jill both made out with more than they came with but poor Andy got nothing! Even though he lost, we still walked out with $13 more than we walked in with. :-)

I was so excited that I actually won!

After we finished there, we went to see Skyfall in IMAX. Oh. Em. Gee. It was uh-mazing! We spent the rest of the time just hanging and having quality time together. We are so thankful and grateful that our friends asked us to tag along on their weekend!

The weeks following our trip were a whirlwind of activity and getting ready for Christmas. I did lots of shopping, prepped for Kristi's classroom party, manned the snack station at her party, had my first family Christmas get together since my grandparents passed away, Christmas morning with both girls, and Christmas day at my in-laws. Christmas was so amazing, emotional, and wonderful this year! It was emotional because it's the first Christmas without Pappy John. The Bentzels made a beautiful video chronicling many joyous moments in our lives with Pap. Even though it made us sad to watch, it was joyous to share the memories. Here's a few pics of Christmas:

Christmas Eve PJ's

Little Love's Christmas Eve PJ's

Santa's cookies & milk

Love Bug opening her first gift

She LOVED this gift! 

My "macho" man! 

She's such a great big sister

Beautiful girls<3 i="i">

Shari loved her watch and earrings

My gypsy!

The loot!

Some updates on Trinity... She's in the 85% for height and weight. At her 10 month check-up, she was weighing in at 21 lbs, 8 oz. and 29" long. I'm sure she's up over 22 pounds now though! She's saying, mimicking, and doing so many new things! Her vocabulary now includes Uh Oh! (her first word that she actually understands the meaning), mama, dada, pretty, mmmmm, thank you, and boo. It's amazing how aware of her surroundings she is. She copies everything! She got a Fisher Price Rock Table from the Bentzels for Christmas and from the moment she started using it, "dances". It is soooo adorable! She's learning to point at things, like the Christmas tree. That's how she learned "pretty". She absolutely melts my heart when she points at me or Kristi and says, "Pretty!" So sweet! She's tried a bunch of new foods in the past month including: pineapple, pears, yogurt (plain and vanilla), cantaloupe, green beans, and a bunch more I can't even remember. Unfortunately, she has an allergy to pineapple, squash, and pears. She's pulling herself on EVERYTHING! In the past few days, she's started letting go and standing. She can hold it for about 30 seconds and then plops down. She loves to pull things off the shelves and turn the DVR on and off (I think she likes looking at the blue lights turn on and off), especially in the middle of watching a program! She also loves touching and pulling down every thing that's not hers, i.e. mommy's work binder, coupon binder, etc. I think her most favorite thing to do right now is put every stinking thing she finds in her mouth! Smh... I've learned to make sure nothing is sitting around that can be put in her mouth, no matter how big, and to vacuum every or every other day. I swear she finds the most minuscule crumb on the floor, you know, the ones that are microscopic to my eye but has a red flasher sign for her! Anyway.... she's now 11 months old and I just can't believe in less than a month, she will have been on this earth for a year! Incredulous is about the only word I can think of to describe that! In other news...

Being a Thirty-One Independent Consultant is just plain awesome! I love that I get to hang out with ladies, party, and gab (oh and have great food too)! I love that Thirty-One has helped me become a little more organized with their products but still be fashionable while being reasonably priced. I also love every thing this company stands for! Anyway... My purpose in explaining all that was to say that I'm love helping my family's financial future while enjoying what I do. Unfortunately, not many people feel that way about their "job". Well, on that note, I've got to do some "work" while Trin is napping so until next time... Much love and many blessings!!

♥Courtney♥