Let's turn this up to 11 shall we?

It's New Years Eve, people.
Did that catch anyone else by surprise, or was it just me?

I swear I was just here:

NYE 2009-We fell asleep immediately after this was taken.

Owen was two months old. So tiny and perfect.
I was STILL healing from my section (infection/inverted staples) and exhausted.
We were both excited to see what 2010 would bring us and nervous about the challenges that were ahead....


This past year has been both really tough and really joyful on a multitude of levels.
It's been been a defeating year from a financial perspective, and super-stressful on the health front,

BUT

Watching O grow into the beautiful little person he's becoming has been magical.
(In the this-is-the-hardest-thing-I-have-ever-frikken-done-couldbethedeathofme- kind of magical way)

He's feisty, funny, and fiercely independent.

Gone is my sleepy cuddlebug who would nap on my chest for hours, and instead I see a zooming (almost)little boy who stomps around and babbles (in what sound vaguely like Klingon) at the top of his lungs.

He's my angel. My danger-seeking, Evel Knievel-esque angel.

Despite the different pit-falls we've weathered this year, I am beyond grateful for my family.
I have an amazing husband, a gorgeous son, and unbelievable friends.
I am a lucky lady.

I have no idea what 2011 will hold for my little family, and I won't even attempt to try and predict.

I just plan on heading into the new year frankly- my ears and eyes wide open, with a small bit of cautious hope in my heart.

Happy New Year, Friends! 

 I hope the year is kind and generous to you all.