On a side note...

Our roof is covered in ice, resulting in saggyness and a screen door that won't open but halfway.. and I know it's not a good thing to have but I like looking at the icicles coming off the roof.

I cannot WAIT for the OLYMPICS in a few weeks! I do love them.. don't know why. It's just neat to see the world come together on a positive note like there aren't any wars or terrible things occuring.. and of course who doesn't love the ice skating and curling.. kidding. I was always a Michelle Kwan fan.. poor her.

It was really nice here for a while, I mean in the 30s nice, thus all the melting snow-turned ice business. However, it's frigid cold again. Why do we live here agian? OH, and with that melting snow, and also lots of RAIN the other day, we got some leakage in our basement. Not a ton, but it's still not a good thing. I knew the lady we bought the house from wasn't telling the truth when she swore there weren't any leaks in the basement. Hrrumph!

Sarah is attempting to crawl but can't get a grip on our wood floors. She gets really frustrated and also faceplants when she slips. Poor thing! I put my yoga mat down to help her but now she just wants to eat that. She's pretty cute about it though. She's got 2 teeth now.

I was hoping to avoid this thinking I'm just that good of a mom.. haha.. but sadly, Sarah dove off the bed the other day, hitting her head HARD on the floor. Of course I was 5 feet away doing my makeup in the bathroom and swore she was far enough away NOT to fall off.. she's ok. Good thing they don't remember these things..

What's with the sudden hatred towards peas? Sarah LOVED peas since the first time I gave them to her. Seriously, like mother, like daughter. But recently she swears I'm trying to give her poison. Also, she hates fruit. What's up with that? We have a new booster seat though, with a tray and everything. YAY! That's all I can say.. the Cheerios are evading her however. She only wants ME to hand-feed them to her. She'll play with them, knocking them off onto the floor.. but doesn't get that SHE can feed HERSELF! Lazy baby..

I am speaking in church on Sunday.. I really enjoy the opportunity and the topic but it's the actual prepping I'm not a fan of.

Bought some conversation hearts at the dollar store yesterday, only 1 bag.. love those things.

We're on week 3 of continual working out.. of course I missed Monday for various reasons and yesterday's was cut short because I think my jumping around woke the sleeping grizzly baby in the other room and she refused to go back to sleep.. but I'm doing it!

oooooooooh one more thing. I was just daydreaming looking toward my disheveled living room and the sun came through the clouds shining a warm, golden light into the room. I love when it does that! It's gone now but I'm grateful for those little moments of sunshine that remind me that God does love me. Oh! there it goes again! ..............sigh.........

For your enjoyment

Christmas letter 2009

Dear family and friends,

Another year has come and gone and we are left reflecting on
the ‘things’ in our lives. There are ‘things’ that are still with us this year, like Kurtis’ job at IBM, our lovely little house, 2 working cars (well, most of the time…) and Julie’s teaching job this past year.

There are also the new ‘things’ in our lives, such as our
precious baby girl, Sarah Elaine Tucker, born on June 11th, diapers, onesies, diapers, rattles, diapers, tiny shoes, diapers, new friends, diapers, learning to live without sleep, diapers, a messy house, diapers, toys and things everywhere, diapers, early morning feedings, diapers, blankets, oh, and diapers too.

And most importantly, there are ‘things’ that we couldn’t
live without, like each other, baby smiles, coos, giggles and
belly laughs, playing with Sarah’s little hands and feet and watching her grow up, the breathtaking change of seasons here in Minnesota (yes, even the snow, at first), our families, the generosity of friends and neighbors, good health, especially that of our little girl, that Julie can stay home with her, and for the gospel of Jesus Christ, led by Him, our Savior.

We are grateful for each of these ‘things’ and more in their own special way. We’ve forgotten, like every parent, what life is like before parenthood. Sarah is our life now and we couldn’t be happier. The next chapter in our lives may or may not take us away from Rochester for Kurtis’ MBA program this fall or other options. Although we would hate to leave our happy life here, we welcome the challenge, new adventures and ‘things’ that await us elsewhere.

We hope your year was full of similar ‘things’ that brought you joy and wish you the best for 2010. We miss you and love you dearly.
All our love, Kurtis, Julie & Sarah Tucker

Don't you just want to pinch them!

Before Christmas we had professional pictures taken.. this is just a teaser. I want to wait to post them all until family gets theirs. It's more exciting that way! Isn't she just so cute! Kurtis was the one to make her laugh so well during the shoot.

Ring out the old, ring in the new

Happy New Year! Wow, 2010! I feel like I should be seeing flying cars or crazy freeze-dried food like in Back to the Future..

I got a new yoga mat and Biggest Loser workout video..I'm a fan.. it's no joke! and have resolved to be healthier this year! I'm at pre-pregnancy weight but don't feel so healthy.. so my goal is to lose around 20lbs by Sarah's birthday-June. I also want to be better at the daily things..prayers, scriptures, keeping the house cleaner, etc. and I've got a little chart to help me. I love making goals and achieving them! So here's to a new year!