Happy New Years!!!

2010 is here and I couldn't be more excited!!! 2009 was a HARD year for our family, and I am looking for to new beginnings and being more true to myself and my children in 2010! It is going to be a year of healing, growth, rediscovery and FUN in the Soares Family!! And we have started it out fairly well too :)

We rang in New Years Day by heading to the beach for a little stroll before work. I really love the beach and enjoy taking my children there and teaching them about the glory of where we live.

I think my little Audrey takes after her mommy and is well on her way to becoming a beach lover!

She just ran and splashed and had a grand time.

Nathaniel is a bit more serious about it all. And much more reserved at the beach.

But there was nothing reserved about this little girl. The one I told NOT to get wet!

Another new thing we did was visit the fish market for dinner makings yesterday. We are blessed to have a family friend visiting us right now, and we were even MORE blessed that he chose to make us a special family dinner last night!!!

So for the first time ever my children were introduced to Cioppino.

YUM!!!!

Here we are all family style dinner.

We live right here on the Central Coast with all of this yummy fresh seafood, and yet it was amazing to my how little the kids knew about seafood! Better get on that and introduce them to more I guess.

But it sure looked like they were all having fun getting INTO their dinner last night!

Nathaniel REALLY got into his dinner.... hence the bare chested boy at the dinner table. But man did it save his shirt!

Nathaniel especially liked using the clam shells as his spoon.

Josie was pretty funny. The total "I don't like seafood, but I am going to eat it to be nice." child kept saying "What is this?? I love it!!" Silly girl.

Audrey liked the shells too.

Nothing like making the kids work for their dinner.

But NOW it's is time to pack up the car and head off for our FIRST family vacation of 2010, and really the first family vacation since we opened up Butterfly Boutique.... we are on our way to DISNEYLAND today!!!!

So you soon!