Growing up my brother and I frequently had our photos taken with Santa, but I don’t remember any photos with the Easter Bunny.

This has led to some interesting holidays with my girls. I have one photo of Rapunzel sitting on Santa’s lap at Walmart when she was 7 months old. She was not very happy. This was the first and last photo we have ever done.

Christmas 2007:

Santa stopped by my Gram’s house to remind the girls to be good and go to bed early. Having an in with Santa is a great thing. While Rapunzel played along, SuperChic was blown out of the water when he showed up. As soon as he left she looked at me and said with a straight face, “that was Grandpa.” I kept assuring her it wasn’t Grandpa and she kept insisting it was. When she saw my Dad drive up to the house and walk in with a bag from the grocery store she was flabbergasted. Her Grandpa couldn’t have possibly been Santa if he’d been at the store. Which meant she had met the real Santa.

Christmas 2008:

SuperChic asked to see Santa at the local mall while we were there. Why not, we’re already here. I’ll tell you why not, 4-6 hour wait, that’s why not. We didn’t wait, she cried. A week or so later we were there at an odd time, there was no line. She walked right up and sat on his lap. I don’t have photos because I wasn’t going to buy them and they wouldn’t let me take my own.

Easter 2009:

As we entered the Walmart Saturday morning, the day before Easter, we had no idea there would be a giant bunny sitting in front of the men’s department.

SuperChic walked past the giant bunny, tossed her hair and declared, “I am NOT taking a picture with that bunny.” I hadn’t even suggested it, because it’s not something we do for no reason other than the fact that I’m not paying for photos.

I said that was fine, I didn’t care, it was up to her. And it honestly was. I hadn’t planned on taking photos with a giant bunny, but when it’s free and there’s no line you kinda rethink things.

Twenty minutes later, shirts for my Dad in hand, we head back past the bunny. I look down at SuperChic and say jokingly, “are you sure you don’t want to take a picture with the Easter Bunny?”

Amazingly she said yes, and even smiled.

When I asked the girl if I could use my camera she said, “the picture is free, you just have to come back later to pick it up.”

I told her I didn’t live there, which is true, so I didn’t know if I would be back or not.

That was only part of the truth though. A bad photo with a good camera is so much better than a bad photo with a bad camera. And I have enough of those.

It seems like Walmart is where I can make the memories happen.

Here I sit in the mostly dark living room.

The girls are watching movies and trying to stay awake to bring in the New Year. I’m pretty sure they’ll make it, and if they don’t I’ll tell them they did.

There’s nothing better than ringing in the new year surrounded by family.

While it’s true that my Husand and FIL are somewhere in Oklahoma, my MIL is across town, my SIL and family are at the beach, and my parents, brother and Gram are all in the High Desert, they’re all here with me.

They’re in my heart and in my memories. I know most people spend tonight making resolutions for the new year about changing for the better. Not me. I mean, I know I could do with a few changes, but a resolution isn’t going to help me to make them.

I’m using tonight as a time of reflection. A time to remember the parties from the past with my parents and neighbors. Parties that lasted well past midnight. Parties where the music was loud, the beer ran freely, and everyone (except us kids) was at least a little drunk. I remember these times and smile.

Those times are so different from my new years of the last 11 years, but they aren’t any better. The last 11 years have mostly been quiet new years. I think my first NYE with Shawn we stayed up until midnight and played Monopoly. I fell asleep with his hand on my belly, I was 19 and four months pregnant with Rapunzel.

I remember new years six years ago. We were all so sick our vacation was extended by 2 1/2 weeks. We spent one of the evenings before new years in the ER. SuperChic was 6 weeks old, running a fever, and not keeping anything down. We definitely did not stay up to midnight that year.

I’ve spent many nights up well past midnight, but in the last 11 years I think most new years I was in bed by ten. Yep, ten, I’m just a party animal.

You know what, I guess there are a few things I want to do in the new year, but they’re not resolutions. They’re things I work on everyday. Some days I may fall a little (or a lot) short, but everyday I try and that’s all that counts.

I want to be the best Mom to my girls as I can be. I want to be the best wife to my Husband I can be. I want to be the best daughter and DIL I can be. I want to be the best sister and SIL I can be. I want to be the best friend I can be. I want to be the best granddaughter, the best niece, and the best Auntie I can be.

If I accomplish all those things. I think I’ll be happy.