y baby A is now officially 2 years old! I can’t believe it. We didn’t do much for his birthday yet, but are taking our very first trip to the zoo this weekend. I am really excited for that. At even 2 years old, he is all boy. He has an emotional attachment to his toy cars, he takes a few to bed with him every night even. He is all rough n’ tumble, getting dirty, 100% boy.

In other news, updates are now finished! They were actually done some time ago but it took a bit to get some other things done with this update. One of which is the groovy new “Share This Post” button. Try it out. I will be posting as much as possible this weekend, but should be back to the regular schedule on Monday.

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ow, it is so much fun to see places from a birds eye view.  This is above our home in Colorado Springs, Colorado; a place we hope to live again some day (well in the city not that specific apartment complex).

Our apartment complex in Colorado. Click this map to play around with the features.

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did one of these last year, I am glad I remembered to do it again.

What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?
- There are so many new things you experience with a first child, far too many to list. We did take our first real family vacation.

Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions? Will you make more for 2007?
- I didn’t have much of a resolution last year. I resolve to make 2007 a healthier year, in every way. I just thought of another fantastic resolution, and also just forgot it. It’s too bad, maybe it would have changed the world.

What places did you visit?
- Our first family vacation to Florida, and a mini trip to Colorado.

What events marked 2006?
- J started a new job. J bought a car. I started my photography business, and many websites.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
- Everybody is having babies lately.

Did anyone close to you die?
- No, it has been a pretty healthy year for everyone.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
- Saved more money (just like last year), taken more trips to the park.

What do you wish you’d done less of?
- Could have spent less money (although I am sure that if I had it to do over again I would spend the same or much more). Could have eaten less, that would have been great. (Those two things I took directly from last year, man I am predictable.)

What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
- I think we are buying a home this summer, that will be fantastic. I would also like to have health insurance that costs less per month than paying for a doctors visit out of our own pockets. (You don’t want to get me started on the problem with health care in this country. We are so much more fortunate than so many of the world’s people, but we could improve on this.)

What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory?
- I am not sure that there is one. Nothing sticks out to me for a specific date.

What “things” did you want and get?
- J got a new car. A got lots of things. I got lots of things for A that make my life as a SAHM (Stay At Home Mom - **it as* ho mother****er) much easier.

What “thing” did you want and not get?
- The social life of most people our age, although we have really grown out of that.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
- I turned 24. (wow that’s just 1 more than last year. This questionnaire was made for geniuses.) I don’t think we did anything specific on the actual day, but our family vacation was just the week before. That was the best trip I could have ever hoped for.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
- More sleep! More time with husband J! (again the same as last year, I’m not sure this is an answer that will ever change)

What was the best thing you bought?
- I think it was this year that we purchased my camera that allows me to have my photography business. It is a great camera, although I really do need a more professional one, specifically one that costs an unfortunate $3000.

Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?
- Husband J. We are always calling each other and sending each other messages.

Compared to this time last year, are you……Happier or sadder?
- I think I’m about the same.

Thinner or fatter?
- I plead the 5th.

Richer or poorer?
- Richer I suppose; although we spent most of it.

What were your favorite films of this year?
- I love movies. The recent ones that stand out are V for vendetta, Lucky Number Slevin, and Casino Royale.

What was your favorite TV program?
- CSI (the original in Vegas, not those other crappy ones), Shark, House, Till Death, The Loop.

What was your greatest musical discovery?
- When I get around to it I will ask my husband the band names. I do however really like all of Justin Timberlake’s new stuff. He has come a long way since the boy band days. This is his best musical accomplishment. Amazingly, I couldn’t want him more after this song.

Who were the best new people you met?
- I don’t know that I really met any new people.

How many different people did you kiss in 2006?
- The answer to this question will never change.

How many people did you have sex with in 2006?
- Will also never change.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
- Hate is such a strong word.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
- My photography business. Hopefully the achievement for next year will be for it to have actually made some money.

What was your biggest failure?
- If I could think of one I don’t think I would admit it.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006.
- I am working on a whole new page for this. I will link to it here once I finish it.

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n unfortunate resemblance to a semi-daily event in my home (unfortunate that it happens so often, and that for me - not me exactly, but my son A - that it involves a different bodily substance, a smelly smelly substance - “People Order Our Patties”, A quote from SpongeBob SquarePants)

dooce: I resolve to eat more leafy green chocolate
“In classic Armstrong fashion our new year began when we walked into Leta’s room yesterday morning to find that she had decorated her body with puke during the night. Red twizzler puke. With chunks of refried beans and a glaze of Sprite. A festive quiche of holiday vomit. It was in her ears, in her hair, up her nose, wrapped around each knuckle, lodged in the zipper of her pajamas. Her right hand had been covered in puke so long that when I finally washed it off, her fingers were so swollen with wrinkles that she couldn’t even wiggle them. They were frozen in place. Stuck. Five little rigid reminders of what can happen when someone lets a toddler go to bed with gum in her mouth.”

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heers! Boy, what a holiday season this has been. There is so much to tell I’m not sure I can get through it all right now. Between my son A getting the flu, and husband J hurting his back, we had an eventfull weekend. It really was a great Christmas for all of us, and most importantly A got to brush up on his gift unwrapping skills, and just in time for his big 2 birthday next month. I hate to overwhelm anyone with too much Christmas spirit in just once post, so I will save all those little bits for later. I hope you all have had a great holiday, and continue to ring in a phenomenal new year.

Cheers!

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