Goodbye 2008

Disclaimer: This is a long post, but an easy read!

Here it is the Eve of New Years Eve. I am writing this today rather than tomorrow because contrary to the fact that I have decided not to have anymore birthdays, my family has the day all planned out and they have not scheduled in any computer/online time.

2008, started out just as any other year had, with relief that the previous year was behind us. Every time the new year starts over, I also turn another year older and start over. Since turning 30 in 2005, I don't really anticipate these birthdays with much excitement. But I have realized that with each year of getting older I also get a little wiser and a little more mature. Now for all of you that would like to contradict that statement, I have to say that I know I have not reached the pinnacle of wisdom that is why I have so many more years ahead of me.

Last January, Heath and I celebrated 11 years of marriage. Those 11 years have been full of ups and downs, but Heath and I have learned so much about each other and ourselves in that time. We have learned what true love really is all about and that it does not come easy. In just this past year we have had more passion, more give than take, and more honesty than even we have expected.

In February, the whole nation celebrated Valentine's Day. Karston, Josiah and Alyssa and I made homemade cards for all the people that we love. We waited while all the snow and Ice melted but the temps stayed cold. It was a short month.

In March, Our female dog, Juliette, became a woman and had to start wearing pull ups to keep from bleeding all over our house. Maybe one year later we will finally get her Spade. We started Family Game Night every Friday night. It didn't last all year, but it is now a really special treat when we make a plan for Family Game night. My Sister started her own blog and my husband Heath started putting more post on his blog. They are both listed in the links on the right hand side of the screen. We started attending Fusion church on Sundays while still attending The Chapel on Saturday nights. That didn't last very long, we eventually made the switch and are now happy to call Fusion our home church. Easter came early and we celebrated with egg hunts and dinner with Heath's parents. Alyssa started potty training and was very excited about her new panties. While at first she made progress, that too was short lived.

In April, we welcomed Spring time and we got outside a lot more. I got back to taking more amature pictures and posted some of them here. Alyssa turned 2 and we had a wonderful Tea Party to celebrate. We invited family and everyone got their own tea cup with Alyssa's pictures on it. I have so enjoyed watching my little girl grow and while most people will say that the two's can be terrible, our two year old was mostly an angel. I bonded with each of my children in a special way this month. Also Heath's youngest brother and his wife and baby girl came for a visit. We participated in the March for Babies, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and we enjoyed every minute of their being here.

In May, was a month of blessings for us. First came Mother's day. We celebrated our grandmothers and my kids blessed me with their own handmade gifts. Then we were blessed by a couple in our church when they GAVE US a their car. Thank goodness for those people in our lives that obey God. Then more blessings came in the way of trash piles. I went with Heath's mom to the annual putting out of the trash in one of the most prominent cities in the nation, Lake Forest, IL. We got many good things for the kids including a giant play set for outside. Then an expected blessing came unexpectedly. My nephew, Eli was born premature. He spent some time in the NICU but did really great! Then Heath's other brother and his pregnant wife came to visit for Memorial day weekend. We went to Chicago Botanical Gardens and had a great time as a family.

In June, School was finally over and after their annual field day we cooled off at the local Spray Park. Alyssa graduated from the crib to her big girl daybed. The boys started Swim lessons which meant we spent lots of time in the sun and the water. I got to go away on a much needed getaway/reunion in TN. with some girls I have known since we were preschoolers. It was a great time of relaxing in the cabin and in the water as we went tubing in the river. The downside was that I had to miss my son's actual birthday. I know he had fun with the rest of the family, and I think I made up for it later.

In July, we spent time with some of our friends from out of state and had a great Independence Day celebration. Then we started a class call Financial Peace University or FPU, which was the beginning of God testing us in extreme ways. Our finances became a major goal for us. Many of our decisions were becoming financially driven. It was a hard month and my kids could feel the stress that was beginning to build. We felt our friends and family's prayers for us. We also welcomed my sister Angie with open arms when she moved into our house. The boys enjoyed a rafting/camping trip in Northern Wisconsin with their dad and Papa. It's an annual trip that they always look forward to.

In August, Heath and I participated for the second year in a row in the motorcycle ride for kids. It is a charity that supports Pediatric Brain Tumors and we are always so proud to be a part of it.
We had a huge 4 family Yard Sale, inspired by our FPU classes. We met many great people as they came by to plunder through our stuff.We also implemented Surprise Thursdays. So for the last 6 weeks of summer, every Thursday, I would take the kids somewhere for a surprise. It was always something free so it was a bit of a challenge, but it ranged from The Jelly Belly Factory, to just going to the park and playing all kinds of sports. The kids looked forward to it every week and I am looking forward to bringing it again next summer. Then the boys started the first and third grades. School was back in session.

In September, we hosted a Ice Cream Social in our backyard as way of getting to know our neighbors a little more. It was great! Then came the annual block party and we again enjoyed getting to know more of our neighbors. Heath and several of the other men stayed out really late playing the bean bag toss game that is so popular in these parts. We also began having weekly campfires outback and several times the neighbor right behind us and her daughter would come by and bask in the fall atmosphere with us. This seemed to be the year of beginning the blogs. My father in law started his blog. We went to our annual visit at the Spina Bifida Clinic and was pleased to get a good report this year.

In October we celebrated two birthdays, my hubby Heath and my oldest son Karston. Karston's birthday party was done in conjunction with his brother that never really got a party back in the summer. We took them and their friends bowling and then came back here for pizza, cake, ice cream and root beer floats. The boys had a blast! Our boys also started Cub Scouts this month. Then came Trick or Treat where the boys were Harry Potter and his best friend Ron, and our little girl dressed as her look alike Shirley Temple. We had friends come and walk the neighborhood with us and were able to introduce the art of getting candy for free to friend's parents from Germany.

In November the kids and I worked on our crafts for Christmas presents, we officially gave up on potty training, for now, and Josiah lost his first tooth. Then we welcomed another nephew to the family. Heath's brother and his wife finally brought their little boy Jude into the world. Then we left home for two weeks so that we could head south and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with family. We first spent time with my family, hanging out on the beach, going to a big family get together with my dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and taking some time to be with my mom. Then we went to GA. to get together with Heath's family on the farm. The farm is one place where you can't ever predict what will happen and how everyone will respond. This year was no different with the hunting down of an alligator. We did take time for eating turkey and giving thanks.

In December we have concentrated on the Christmas season. We joined together with other families to take dinner and gifts to ten families in need. It was an incredible experience as went to bless these families and each one left us blessed as well. This was the first year that Christmas didn't seem stressful. We had budgeted for gifts and it was nice to be able to get just what our kids had asked for and more. We spent time together and that was the most important part of this season. We played games, ate a lot of food, and had some great Quality time together.

Overall, God was good to us this year and the biggest lesson that I have learned is that we Are blessed because we are Together. So now we say goodbye to 2008 and look forward to how many times we can have Quality Family Time this year. Keep an eye on this blog to read about all the fun times ahead.