As 2009 Draws to a Close

There are only about 6.5 hours left of 2009. It’s been a good year overall, but we have dealt with some unique situations this year. We dealt with 3 weeks of furloughs for Dan, but in the end, he still has his job and the company he works for is really busy right now. We moved and took on some serious deferred maintenance problems. We knew we needed to clean and paint our new house, but we also encountered roofing, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical problems. We think we’ve solved those issues! I got granite countertops in the kitchen and the wild, bright colors have been painted over! While moving is a big adjustment in itself, we have fabulous new neighbors and Nolan adjusted to his new school easily! We tried our hand as landlords and quickly decided that we are not cutout for that profession. We learned how the legal system protects “renters” but eventually, after jumping through all the hoops, will help you get your property back. We learned that stuff is just stuff, damage can be repaired, and that lost rent is just that. We know what is important and grateful for that knowledge.

Jonathan and Nolan earned straight A’s in school. Miles learned to walk and has become very verbal. Nolan played lacrosse and cruised in the pool. Jonathan completed in Knowledge Bowl and Math Counts. Jonathan went to EFY. Miles dances to any beat. Jonathan got his braces off and Nolan meets with the orthodontist January. Nolan began playing the violin. Jonathan continued playing the clarinet and saxophone. Both boys discovered that classical music is cool and are looking forward to going to the symphony in 2010. We all have been healthy. Dan wasn’t seriously injured in his bike vs. car door accident. We had lots of extended family time this year… 4 family reunions! The boys loved their whitewater rafting experience this summer. I think we've come to appreciate each other more this year. The big boys seem to enjoy hanging out with each other at last.

While I am happy to see the end of the challenges that 2009 brought to us, I am grateful for all the blessings and opportunities we had. My wishes for 2010 include health, family bonding, peace in our home and around us, and a sold house in Pleasant Grove!

Snowman

It’s been snowing A LOT for the past 24 hours. This was supposed to be a fast moving, “occasional” snow showers storm, but it seems to have gotten stuck on top of us. We’ve shoveled about a foot of snow from this storm. Luckily, it’s light, fluffy snow, but it’s still snow and still has to be shoveled! Miles loves the snow. He also loves his snow boots! He’s always happy to come out in the snow while we shovel. Sometimes he “helps” shovel with his own little “ub-ble”. Sometimes he likes to wander off. So long as the sidewalks have been shoveled, he will take himself for a walk. The other day he wandered 4 houses down the street before Dan made him come back. He loves snowmen right now. He love pictures of snowmen; he loves his wind-up walking snowman. This snow has been too fluffy to make into a snowman though. But after Dan shoveled the deck off, the snow compacted as it fell to the patio. It compacted enough that Dan was able to make Miles a little friend!

If You're Happy and You Know It...

Miles now knows all the actions to "If You're Happy and You Know It" and he almost showed off the actions. My favorite is when he does "nod your head".

Big Beautiful Eyes

There's this book called My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes. Yes, 'Jing likes to hide in boxes, but so does Miles. I caught him peeking out the hand-holds on a Costco diaper box. Wow! He has big, beautiful, brown eyes!

My Toe

Isn't it pretty? Man, my feet are ugly.

Random Ramblings

Last night Miles was parading around the basement with a flag and smacked Jonathan in the head with it. Jonathan responded by calling his 14-month-old brother an "idiot". That brought out the "mama bear" in me and made me mad. Jonathan is off his standard sleep schedule and can't deal with life. Guess what he's going back to tonight?

Yesterday I wasn't watching where I was walking and kicked a table that was in a weird place in the family room. I broke my middle toe, left foot. My favorite EMT is in California for Christmas Break and wouldn't come back here to tape my toe for me. I bet it heals with a bump because I had to tape it myself. :(

I laughed so hard today in Sharing Time that I thought I was going to die! There is a class of 5-year-olds that is funny-naughty! Every week they do something that makes me laugh and feel grateful that I do not teach that class! This week, Sammy was asked what his favorite church song to sing was (and for this little guy, specifying church song is necessary!). Sammy was having a hard time coming up with a song. "Snowman" song was suggested to which he replied, "No Way! I HATE that song". Well, he wasn't able to come up with a song before his good buddy Brigham shouted out "Just sing something already"! It was hilarious.

Today I said good-bye to my Sunbeam class. They've been a riot to teach and I've loved almost every minute of it. As of now, I am the nursery leader for the youngest kids. Miles will join me in there soon!

My Gift to ALL the Boys

This year I decided to make Jonathan and Nolan fleece NASCAR pajama pants for Christmas. Thanks to my mom, they turned out just fine. I told Jonathan the story of "Pumpkin Saves the Pajama Pants" and he thought it was really funny (I followed the directions, but somehow the legs became the waist/crotch and the waist/crotch became the legs! I called my mom to bail me out and, via the phone, she was able to do just that!). Anyway, I finished Jonathan and Nolan's pants and showed them to Dan who told me that ALL the boys needed them and that I needed to make Miles a pair. Well, I had leftover fabric, so I did. Then I got to thinking that Dan said "ALL the boys" and that meant he needed NASCAR pajama pants, so I made him a pair too!

Do you like Dan's new biking jersey? I found it for a killer price and bought it as a joke for him! It is so not Dan!