1.         30 chocolate kisses to eat the next 30 times you feel bad about being 30!

2.        30 package labels to keep gifts orderly!

3.        30 disposable bowls to indulge in dessert without clean-up!

4.        30 noodles for a necklace or a small meal!

5.        30 Advil for all the pains of being 30!

6.        30 squares of TP for 30 small wee-wees or 1 big poo-poo!

7.        30 gumdrops for that needed energy rush in the afternoon!

8.        30 fallen leaves so you have more room for new growth!

9.        30 mini safety pins that aren’t good for much…but hey – now they’re yours!

10.     30 sheets of notebook paper (the label got misplaced on this one)

11.       30 straws for 30 drinks to toast your life!

12.      30 peanuts for that something salty after sweets!

13.      30 matches to “light your fire”!

14.      30 suckers to either pacify Natalie or yourself during tantrums (hers or yours)!

15.      30 paperclips to hold your sh_t together!

16.      30 baggies for organizing Natalie’s snacks!

17.      30 pennies for good luck!

18.      30 chocolate chips because chocolate is cheaper than therapy!

19.      30 labels to file folders away of special memories each year!

20.    30 mints for those mornings too busy to brush your teeth!

21.      30 sticky notes to help you keep tabs on busy to-do lists!

22.     30 Tums to make snacking in this box do-able!

23.     30 Splenda packets to keep things “sweet” in your life!

24.     30 Q-tips for your ears so you can continue to be a good listener!

25.     30 tissues for those tearful days or Nat’s snotty nose days!

26.     30 muffin cups for hosting those playgroups at your house!

27.     30 stickers to give yourself for a job well done!

28.     30 pieces of gum for freshness after Happy Meal dates or kissing!

29.     30 shakes of salt and pepper to “spice” it  up a bit!

30.     30 butterscotch chips to remember the sweetness of each year of your life!

1.        You are a loving wife.

2.        You are thoughtful.

3.        You are a believer.

4.        You are a child of God.

5.        You are an original.

6.        You are patient.

7.        You are kind.

8.        You are a good friend.

9.        You have a great smile.

10.     You are compassionate.

11.      You have a great laugh.

12.     You are beautiful.

13.      You are fun to be with.

14.      You are strong.

15.      You are a great mommy.

16.      You are a leader.

17.     You are smart.

18.     You are giving.

19.     You are powerful.

20.    You are funny.

21.     You are loving.

22.     You are nurturing.

23.     You are wise.

24.     You are a good listener.

25.     You are loyal.

26.     You are dedicated.

27.     You are caring.

28.     You are a good role model.

29.     You are amazing.

30.     God loves you!

What great friends!  THEN...a couple days later Craig comes home with another gift for me...all wrapped up in a pretty package with a card!  He had gone to VonMaur and picked out a 2 piece black satin pajama set for me!  It is really lovely and feels so nice!  What a birthday this year!!  And ya know what...even though the gifts themselves were great...my favorite part was knowing  (and feeling inside) how much I am loved and appreciated by Craig  who has always been my best friend and also by a group of ladies who have so quickly become a huge part of my life!  Here's to turning 30!!

I can't forget to write a little update on Nattie!  Like I had just mentioned to a friend of mine a few days ago...Nat is beautiful and bright and a joy...and she is also a two year old!...haha!  She is just blossoming!  Her biggest news lately? - She went pee-pee in the potty for the first time!!  It was on Wed Dec 7th after lunch.  I noticed her diaper wasn't very wet after a large glass of chocolate milk.  Just as I was thinking of sitting her on the toilet - she asks "pee-pee in the potty?" and so to the potty we went!  I was so proud of her. I had her call Daddy and tell him and he was proud also!  Haven't had any more potty experiences since then, but we aren't going to worry too much about it till after the holidays.  She helped me in the kitchen again the other day - we made a veggie dip together.  Nat is so excited about Christmas this year!  She loves all the pretty lights and music, etc.  She'll tell you that Santa Claus says "Ho Ho", snowmen say "Brrrrr" and angels say "Hallelujah".  She asks for Mommy to sing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" or "Frosty the Snowman" at bedtime. 

As I mentioned earlier, Craig has been putting in a lot of extra hours at work lately.  It has been quite stressful for him, so I am hoping that things improve soon.  I'm glad we are going to spend an entire week back in our hometown for Christmas so that maybe he'll be able to relax a little.  Craig recently finished his first class towards his Master's degree - he received an "A" in the class...way to go Craig!  He will start a second class sometime in January. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Christmas time has come and gone and it's time to reflect...

It was a good Christmas this year...there were the good and the not-so-good moments.  But you know what?  I've decided that that is just part of what happens when you are surrounded by close family. And I've also realized something else this holiday season - sometimes things don't always turn out as you have pictured in your mind...and that is just how it is sometimes.  While Christmas can be an awesome time, it can also be disappointing as well...you get these warm, fuzzy, perfect images in your head about how everything should be...but in reality it can never be exactly as you have pictured it.  But you can't let that get you down and ruin the beautiful parts!  The good times this year? - my daughter singing Christmas songs in her sweet & squeaky little voice, the snow & the Christmas lights, all the delicious food, having both of our brothers in town this year, Natalie squealing with delight as she went sledding for the first time, and knowing how blessed we are to have our parents.  The not-so-good times this year? - well, why even go there?  That which is mentioned above outweighs the bad any day!

On Dec 17th Cheri & Mike had the Bair Family Christmas at their home.  As always, there was great food and tons of family!  Usually we have chili, but this year Mike made a turkey and pork loin - and you can't forget Aunt Becky's famous banana pudding!  Nat had a good time playing with her cousin, Elizabeth!  On Dec 18th Craig, Nat, Mom & Dad Essington, and I all went to church...we all sat together since it was the children's Christmas music that day. We all loved watching the little kids up on stage fidgeting around and such.  Natalie was running through the hallway before the service, tripped over her feet, and skidded right on her nose and lip.  She didn't cry too much, but we called her "Rudolph" for most of the rest of the week! :)  After church, Natalie went sledding for the very first time!  Her Daddy and Grandpa pushed her on Daddy's old sled in the backyard.  She was having a blast and so happy!  In the afternoon I was able to go do a little shopping and driving around town.  I also stopped by my family's old house on Division Street (where I spent my highschool years - my dad rents it out now).  Boy did it feel tiny...I never thought of it as a huge house, but at least bigger than it seems now when I walk through it.  Strange how different things feel as you grow older!  On Dec 19th Natalie was eager to do some more sledding!  She also had fun throwing snowballs at our dog, Bailey :)  Craig met his old highschool buddy, Dave Branch, for lunch at TGIFridays while Mom and Dad E treated me and Nat to lunch & games at Chuck E Cheese.  Daddy did meet up with us later though.  Since it was the middle of a weekday it was pretty quiet there.  Natalie was able to climb through all the tubes and go down the slide.  Dec 21st was a "date day" for Craig and myself!  Nattie enjoyed time with her grandparents so we could have time to ourselves.  We went and saw two movies back to back - Fun with Dick & Jane and also The Family Stone.  The first movie was funny, but I absolutely loved the second movie...it had alot of great actors and was hilarious, moving, and fun to follow all at the same time!  Craig then took me to Damons for a belated birthday dinner - though I told him he had already done plenty for my birthday.  What a good time!  Craig's brother, Michael, flew in from Dallas on Dec 22nd!  Nattie was able to watch some airplanes take off and land while we were waiting for Mike at the airport.  Natalie got scared when Mike's plane landed...as it was taxiing in I think she thought it was going to just come crashing into the window...she has never seen a big commercial plane up close.  After Mike's landing, the whole family went over to Eastland Mall to see Nat get her picture taken with Santa.  After standing in line for quite some time and even after watching the other kids in front of us, Natalie was terrified when we reached Santa. I tried to get her to sit on my lap next to him but she wasn't going to go for that either.  So no Santa picture this year...Natalie has reached the age where she is more aware of her surroundings and so she gets scared easily.  After the mall we all had lunch at Ming's...yum!  That evening was the Bloomington High School gals get-together!  Some of us ladies from high school try to get together just about every Christmas holiday for a night out.  This year I got to see Mandi Benson (now her last name is Birnbaum)! - I hadn't seen her since we graduated so I was so ecstatic!  She drove all the way in from her house in St.Charles, IL.  Mandi, Sara Emberton, and I met up at Eastland Mall and just cruised around and talked and talked and talked!  It was awesome...it would be even more awesome if Sara and Mandi both lived over here in Iowa so we could hang out all the time :)  After the mall, we met up with the rest of the gang at Red Lobster for seafood and margaritas.  We had a pretty good turnout with the six of us - Kara Dennis, Christi Rock, and Melissa Weinzierl were there.  We were pretty disappointed that some of the other girls didn't make it, but we refused to allow that to damper our fun!  After dinner we decided to go over to the Windjammer for some karaoke.  What a time we had! - dancing and singing to a lot of well-remembered songs and reminiscing!  We even ran into my cousin, Tara, while there.  My vote is that we do karaoke again next year!  Before we knew it, Christmas Eve was upon us!  Craig, Mike, Nattie, Mom & Dad E and I had our tradition of eating at Monical's Pizza before church.  Christmas Eve service at Calvary was beautiful as always...though Natalie wasn't able to sit through the entire thing.  So she and I spent half our time out in the foyer with some other parents and their children.  It was sort of relaxing...I could still hear the service out there, the lights were just as dim, and we were able to enjoy the pretty Christmas tree decorated with lights.  After church Craig, Nat, and I headed over to Jerry and Marie's house to spend time with my mom's side of the family.  The best part was that my brother and his girlfriend, Nichole, were in from Tacoma, Washington!  Everyone sat around talking and munching on cookies before exchanging gifts. Natalie had an excellent time with all the dogs and cats there and also getting to eat her first candy cane!  Finally we drove on back to Mom and Dad Essington's house and watched A Christmas Story on TV - the 24 hour marathon...never get tired of it! :)  On Christmas morning we attended church together before opening gifts at Craig's parents' house.  The highlight was Natalie's new play kitchen from Grandma and Grandpa!  She loves playing kitchen at church so they thought she'd enjoy one of her very own.  Craig and I received many nice items for our home...including a CD player/radio we've been eyeing for our formal living room.  After gifts we had a really nice dinner that Craig's mom cooked.  We also decided to hop in the van and drive around to look at some Christmas lights around town!  On Dec 26th we went over to my dad's house to open gifts with him, Jason, Nichole, Deanna, & Caroline.  Soon after we arrived, my brother and dad were shooting each other with these cool marshmallow guns...what a riot!  Natalie got a Sit and Spin from her Paw-Paw Bair and also a Fraggle Rock DVD...two items that are fond memories from my own childhood.  After gifts, Dad treated us all to lunch at Bennigan's.  In the evening, Craig grilled some steaks for dinner at his parent's house.  He had a glass dish of butter sitting on the grill and all of a sudden it just exploded everywhere!  Luckily, nobody was outside near the grill when it happened.  Despite their charred appearance...the steaks were pretty good :)  It was time to say goodbye to the family and get on back to Iowa on Dec 27th.  The ride home went really well...especially thanks to a great gift that we got from Mom and Dad Essington - a DVD player for the car!  Natalie was in heaven watching Dora and Blues Clues on the way home!

So we made it through the Christmas holiday!  That last sentence sounds bad doesn't it?  It's not meant to be taken that way.  We LOVE going back to our hometown to see our family and friends.  But just like any other trip, it also feels good to be back in your own home and in your own bed, etc.  As much as we enjoy visiting Illinois and all our loved ones there, it can be hard preparing for the trip - the planning, the packing, the timing.  And then sometimes you feel guilty because there are so many people you want to see while in town but you only have a certain amount of time to do it in...so then you end up worrying about others and stressing about it.  It can be a juggling act.  The biggest part that was most difficult for me this year was setting out our decorations and knowing we'd be leaving our home and not enjoying them during Christmas.  That is why I'll probably hesitate to take them down until at least mid-January (that and procrastination!).  But in the end...it would be even more difficult missing out on the festivities in Illinois:)

Our van was packed to the very brim with an abudance of gifts from our family!  It feels like we were more spoiled this year than any other year in the past...everyone was just so generous.  We want you all to know how much we appreciate everything...but the real treat was seeing our parents, our brothers, and everyone else. 

Dec 27 ~ Happy Anniversary Craig and Jenny!!  Yes, it is officially our anniversary today!  Eight whole years together..wow!  Since we had just come back from Illinois, we decided to just take it easy and share a meal as a family.  So Craig, Nattie, and I went over to The Vine for wings and burgers.  I think Nat was glad to be back home after our long Christmas vacation away.  She was not really her typical happy self this past week or so...she had a low-grade fever for a couple days and was so desperately clingy to me. Hopefully she'll have better days again soon.

Dec 28 ~ Craig and I celebrated a little more of our anniversary at home tonight.  We popped open a bottle of champagne and took our traditional picture together.  Craig also had a gift for me...a beautiful maroon colored satin pj set and some really soft slipper socks!  We had a relaxing time watching TV in front of the fireplace.

Dec 30 ~ Natalie made a discovery today...she now knows she has breasts.  (This may be too much information to be sharing, but I'm pretty much an open book and I want to remember it!)  She glanced down at her chest while I was changing her clothes and she asked "What's that?"  I said "That is your breast".  She figures out that she has one on the other side and proudly says "Another breast!".  It didn't take her but a second to decide that she wants to lift my shirt and see mine.  At first I was a little uncomfortable, but then decided that it's only natural.  So I let her see them...you could tell the wheels were turning in her little head...probably wondering why mine looked different from hers.  

Dec 31 ~ After sleeping in REALLY late, Craig made us an awesome breakfast of toast, eggs, and sausage.  Then he agreed to take Natalie with him to run some errands so I could do some much needed house cleaning!  Before dinner we exchanged our Christmas gifts.  This was the second year we've opened our gifts on New Years Eve...just trying to space things out since we already celebrated Christmas in Illinois.  One of our presents to Natalie was her very first computer...it's just a toy plastic one...but it plays games, music and has a screen and everything.  She also got her first game "Don't Break the Ice" which we played with her a few times.  Her big gift from Santa was a dress-up trunk full of clothes, hats, jewelry, etc.  The wicker trunk looks like a little dollhouse and has her name "Natalie Ann" personalized on the lid...it's so cute!  She really enjoyed playing with her toys for quite a long time tonight.  Nattie and I also gave Daddy a few things ...among them a Hawkeye clock for the future downstairs office and a six pack of Coke in glass bottles - the bottled Coke has become sort of a tradition...Craig loves the taste of Coke in a glass bottle, and Target usually has them around this time of year so I pick some up.  Craig also had a gift for me - 2 CDs of music by the group Sade!   Later in the evening, Natalie sported a party hat and shook some noisemakers in celebration of the New Year!  Nat went to bed while Craig and I stayed up to watch the ball drop on TV.  I think it would be so cool to go to New York City one year and see it in person!   Happy 2006!!