Goodbye 2009

Goodbye 2009. We, as all families, have had ups and downs this year. As I think back upon it all, it seems like we had a great more downs this year and ups, but we had God and our family and friends to help us through them all. We would not be who we are today without the downs, and all in all I'm so very thankful for what all God has blessed us with.

Here are some highlights from this past year and for the most part I am only including the good things for my sanity's sake.

January:

Joe was ordained as an elder in our church.
Joe celebrated another birthday.
Josie had the second surgery of her short life having a new set of tubes put in her ears and her tonsils removed.
Josie celebrated her 3rd birthday with an awesome Dora party.

February:

The girls change from going to daycare at Cain's Chapel to "Ms. Erica's" house.


March:

We rearrange letting each girl have their own room.
Joe gets a speeding ticket.
I painted the kitchen hiding that horrible paneling.


April:

We got to do all the Easter activities with the girls for the first time. (Josie's first easter she was too small and her second Easter she was recoving from her first surgery where she had tubes put in and her adenoids taken out.)


May:
Joe and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.
We participated in the Kidney Walk in honor of Caden.
We finally get Josie completedly potted trained!!

June:

Jolie goes off the paci.
We took a family vacation to Kentucky with Grammy and Emmie and my two aunts, two cousins, and grandmother from Pennsylvania that we had not seen in seven years.
Mary Kelley and I teach VBS and create an awesome room including a moutain, waterfall, and swimmming hole :)
I climbed a very tall pole and did the zipline.
Josie climbed as far as she could up the pole and then "flew like tinkerbell."
The girls spent a week in Panama City with Grammy & Emmie without Mommy & Daddy.
We put down new flooring in the kitchen.
We put in new countertops in the kitchen.

July:

I celebrated another birthday.
We spent the 4th of July weekend on the Lake and we all got way too sunburned.


August:

Our sweet nephew, Tanner, entered the world.
Tanner's baby dedication.
Joe starts teaching Sunday School at church once a month.
Joe and I attended a Scottish wedding which was an awesome experience.


September:

Our cat Claire joined our family.
Jolie celebrated her 2nd birthday with an awesome Minnie Mouse party.
We find out that probably in a year Jolie will need to have her tonsils removed.
Mary Kelley and I make an amazing transformation of our Sunday School room to get ready for Rally Day.


October:

Josie was a bat for Halloween and Jolie was a butterfly. We decorated pumpkins and they got to feel the guts of the pumpkin for the first time.
Jolie moved out of the crib and into a toddler bed.
We had our first Kirkin of the Tartin service at church (a Scottish ceremony in honor of us Presbyterian's Scottish roots.)
We attended the fair and Jolie got to ride on amusement park rides for the first time.
Jolie got her first haircut.
I volunterred at the Coosa River Challenge.
We took the girls' to Joe's work to ride around the golf course.

November:

We made a trip down to Grammy & Emmie's (it had been over a year for me and Joe).
The girls jumped on bungee trampolines.
Our hermit crabs Spiderman and M.J. (short for Mary Jane, Spiderman's girlfriend) joined our family.
Thanksgiving (of course)
Josie went to work with Joe for the first time while he actually had to work.
The Iron Bowl Game -- Roll Tide!
The girls got their pictures made with Santa.
The girls became fascinated by outdoor lights on people's houses.
We decorated the church as a family.

December:

Christmas parties and Christmas.
Our precious niece, Ansleigh, entered the world.
Both girls participated in a children's skit at church for Christmas.
The Tide won the SEC Championship game.
Joe and I attended the Christmas on the Coosa Ball.
Josie went with Uncle Ben to Florida to surprise Grammy & Emmie the weekend before Christmas since they weren't able to come up this year.

So there they are. The good highlights of the year. I have a lot of expectations for 2010. I hope for a little less stress and drama. I hope for a lot more fun and enjoying time with family and friends.

In looking back I think about how much a year changes a person. I know that I am working on myself and some issues that I have. And it is amazing to look back and think about the girls. Jolie can talk, sort shapes, color, help around the house, fight with Josie, name some of her colors, count a little, sing songs, and the list could go on and on. Josie can say her ABCs, count to 20, recongnize some of her letters as they are written, write some of her letters, draw a circle and a triangle, color and pretty much stay inside the lines, sing tons of songs, do a little sign language, name some of the presidents, tell you about some of the people from the Bible, and the list could go on and on. God has blessed us immeasurably with these two precious angels. They are my world and I love them more than I ever thought I could love.

I wish each one of you the best 2010! I hope that you accomplish some of your goals and that you hold fast to your dreams. I pray that God bless you abundantly so that your cup and saucer overflow.

Love you all and Happy New Year!