Top Ten of 2009

Wow, I guess it's been awhile since I posted here. Life is busy.

In my annual attempt to remember the excitement here at the Party of Five, with full knowledge that I am not as young as I used to be and therefore, not retaining memories as well....

The Top Ten of 2009: (sans pictures....computer crash ate all my pictures!)

10. Owen turned 2! This little boy brings a smile to my face any time of the day. Even when he's mad, he's cute. He's learned some interesting catch phrases, "Oh, no, he di-nt!" (complete with hand gestures) is one of my favorites. His laugh is infectious and I'm grateful he still likes to cuddle and let me kiss his cubby little cheeks!

2010 goal: Potty training and trying not to imitate everything that his sibs do.

9. Ellie turned 5. And went to Kindergarten. All Day. Everyday. It was a well-prayed for decision and we're happy to say she loves it. Loves her teacher, her friends, the bus and even her "homework." She's still gets tired and I'm beginning to realize she might need some wellness days off occasionally. But all in all, she is surprising me everyday by the things she learns, remembers and is interested in. Her birthday itself came and went fairly quietly, as I'm afraid it will too often (a birthday right before school starts is tricky!), but, thankfully she still young enough not to remember! (shh..don't tell!)

2010 goal: honesty, a calm spirit in the face of conflict and a way to harness her creativity (which usually ends up on the walls, table or any other surface besides paper).

8. Josh will be 8 in February. Although this isn't an event in 2009 technically, we're already thinking about it. (having a birthday a month after Christmas is tough...wait I'm noticing a pattern here). He is an excellent student, so full of energy and a real interest for all things family. He's our tradition-tracker, making sure that we've remembered "family night" and any other activity that keeps up hangin' together as a party of five.

2010 goal: Find out what to do when things are hard for you and continuing your talents in sports (we're so proud!).

7. Family nights have been our refuge. We've endured some interesting weeks, ones where we lacked serious family time and Friday nights have come to the rescue. The Red.box is our cheap family entertainer. We intersperse our nights with some game nights as well, knowing that our ultra-competitive first-born will most likely end up in tears if he doesn't win. We've had to say "no" to Bible study this fall, so we could keep our sanity, and also refocus our priority to the five of us. So many good memories have been had, snuggled up on the couch with a good movie, chomping on popcorn, and chatting about our favorite scenes, lines and characters. We miss our adult friends, but know that this time is fleeting and we're just trying to hold on as long as we can.

2010 goal: Find the balance between time with family and time with friends.

6. New niece and nephew. Oh how fun it is to rejoice with family on the birth of new babies! Ashlee was born in January and Andrew was born in June. These little ones are a joy to hold (and give back!). I think about how wonderful it is that our extended families are expanding. Each niece and nephew has their own distinct personality and I love seeing us all together. It reminds me of how much fun I had with my cousins when we were young.

2010 goal: Keep updated on what the little ones are doing (big and small ones!)

5. My knee surgery. Ugg. If there is one thing that will bring you back to reality it's a health crisis. You find who you can depend on, and who depends on you. As any busy mom will say, it is very difficult to take time for yourself. This forced me to stop and take time to rest. If this was a test on how well I could handle chronic illness, I can't say that say that I passed. No flying colors here. But, the support of my amazing husband and the surprising assistance and independence of my kids was a silver lining in an otherwise dismal situation. I am happy to report that I can run, play and move without thinking about my knee and it's month-long recovery in June.

2010 goal: Get strong so that this will become a distant memory.

4. 14 years of marriage. I have only recently realized what an amazing man that I am walking this life journey with. I run out of superlatives to describe how he supports our marriage, our family and our church. I'd add more, but some things are best said just to the ones we love.

2010 goal: Celebrate 15 years with an amazing man in an amazing place (hopefully!)

3. I sang in front of a crowd. This is one of those "Bucket List" items. It was my cousin's wedding and it was a silly song, but ~ I sang. People laughed (at the words, I hope) and I can proudly cross this one off the list. 2010 goal: Who knows!

2. A recharging trip to DC. After a month long recovery from my knee surgery, the hubs and I went to our nation's capitol to celebrate his cousin's wedding. Without kids. It was glorious. We did some sight seeing, reminding me of the fact we need to head back there some day with our kids. We did some laughing, reminding me that life is funny. No matter how sad it may seem some days. And we danced. On a rooftop. With young people who probably don't even remember the 'Macarena'. Reminding me that life can be a party like none other. Instead of feeling old and hobbled, I was able to boogie in the open air, with my oh-so-groovy dance partner for life.

2010 goal: Dance more, laugh more, get out and go places!

1. In some ways, it was an uneventful year. In other ways, I should be blogging every other minute about the wacky, happy, sad, eventful happenings of our little Party of Five. But, I think that in all that happened this year (big and small), I saw that my Savior is the one with His hands on the controls. He saved us when He saw fit, He held us when we cried, and He danced along with us when joy overflowed.

2010 goal: Lean on Him for everything. Everything.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!