6 months...

Guess who is 1/2 year old today?

Princess Bailey is 6 months old today and that first 1/2 year is a big deal in our family. Her mommy made her a birthday crown for her birthday...

and Grandma cut a birthday card in half and presented it to her...

She read her message intently...

Next it was time for a cupcakes for the adults but Bailey only got to pose with 1/2 a cupcake & candle for her birthday photos.

Then Bailey decided to show us how fast she was by grabbing 1/2 the cake off and trying to get it in her mouth before her startled mommy could stop her :)

She didn't manage to get any in her mouth but got a little chocolate by her mouth making her look like she did. Poor baby didn't understand why she couldn't have some yet...

beautiful girls in ruffles...

Remember this photo of the January ruffle skirts?

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing 3 of the little Princesses in their snowflake skirts and shirts. Little Emma is from the other side of the family so I'm hoping her mommy sends a photo of her soon :) First up is Brooklyn and Bailey posing at Grandma's house and sharing the love...

Then we headed over to Ashely & Cory's and added Mari into the ruffled cuteness!

Bailey will be 6 months old on Friday and can't walk yet so she is so happy to sit and pose with big smiles but add in a 15 & 17 month old and it's pretty hard to get a good group shot :)

Chichen Itza...

While in Mexico we took a day trip to Chichen Itza to see the Mayan ruins now listed as one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World". I'm not a travel guide so I am linking to Wikitravel's guide on Chichen Itza and just posting some of my photos. It was an interesting day but also a very hot & humid day, so I didn't spend as much time reading all the signage as I would have on a reasonable temperate day :)

The sacred cenote or "sinkhole" that you can swim in if you shower as it is still a water source.

birds at our resort...

We woke up this am to temperatures of -15F! What a difference a week makes after the warm, sun-filled days last week during our Mexico vacation. We enjoyed a wonderful week in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico (1 1/2 hours south of Cancun) with two of Jeff's brothers, Wayne & Brian and their wives, Keri & Lois. A great week of fun and relaxation and I wished I had carried my camera with me always because the bird lover in me saw some great birds at our resort.

There were also some great birds at the dessert bar :)

Recharged...

I'm back and feeling recharged, refreshed, regenerated, and rejuvenated - all synonyms of RENEW!

I'l post more on where I spent the last week in upcoming posts...

but for now, enjoy a few photos of a sunset I watched while away.

RENEW in 2013...

I can't believe it is January 12th already today. The first two weeks of this year have passed in a blur while I felt awful - sick with possible influenza & asthma and while the cold symptoms persist it is time to get off my recliner and back into the world.

I have chosen my "theme word" for 2013 and you may have noticed, RENEW, in my header and it's definition in my sidebar during the past 12 days. This year, I want to RENEW myself in mind, body & spirit. The definition of RENEW as it means to me... 1: to make like new : restore to freshness, vigor, or perfection.  I'm taking this meaning as motivation to take charge of my health and body. If you know me in person, it is no secret I've lost and gained the same 50lbs several times in my life and this year I'm focusing on health. I'm going to take off the extra weight and keep it off, I'm going to change my lifestyle and focus on fun ways to get in exercise.

2: to make new spiritually : regenerate.   I've promised myself to grow as a woman of God this year - a topic that I won't elaborate on here but I am so looking forward to this personal list of spiritual renewal I've made myself.

3 a: to restore to existence : revive b : to make extensive changes in : rebuild.   I'm taking this meaning back in years...I want to renew old friendships that I've let slide, I want to get back to hobbies I once enjoyed and I'm hoping to rebuild trust in those who have hurt me and I have hurt.

4: to do again : repeat.  The only way to change a lifestyle is to do again and again and repeat and repeat.

5: to begin again : resume.  Another 2013 goal...to begin again and resume my second blog, Marsha's Kitchen. It was time to delete or resume and I've decided so many things happen in the kitchen besides cooking that it was time to start the blog back up with recipes, crafts & family fun around the kitchen counter.

6: replace, replenish.  I'm using this meaning to replace and replenish the "mind" part of my RENEW theme. I've promised myself to "learn" more - first on the list is manual photography and at some point this year I want to take crocheting or knitting lessons. There are many things on my "learn to" list and I'm not getting any younger :)

7 a : to grant or obtain an extension of or on b : to grant or obtain an extension on the loan of.  The best part about a year of RENEWAL is the ability to constantly start over! If I fail on certain days/weeks I get to start over or renew daily. How great is that!

While RENEW is my "word of the year" I just love that I also get to think of all these synonyms: freshen, recharge, recreate, refresh, refreshen, regenerate, rejuvenate, repair, restore, resuscitate, revitalize, revive, revivify. When you think of it there is no way 2013 will be boring!    I hope you enjoyed the photos of my backyard birds in this post. I am so thrilled with my cardinal visitor deciding to call our yard home this winter as well as the flock of redpolls to add more color to our white & gray winter days. As part of my year of renewal, I am taking the next week off blogging but will be back with lots of fun photos to share next week including photos of 4 little Princesses wearing their snowflake themed ruffles.

photos by Jeff...

I'm still struggling with my health and haven't lifted a camera since Sunday but Jeff took it out late this afternoon to capture these shots to share...

Happy New Year...

I am down with a nasty bug so until I feel better I thought I would at least share my January header and a few photos of the little Princesses.