January!!

January actually flew by pretty surprisingly quickly -  because it's usually the slowest month of the year for me. As to some of my January goals I can say that I accomplished a lot of them but some of them didn't happen due to certain reasons. We planned on going tubing up at Bogus Basin but I got dragged (literally) into coaching Upward cheerleading and so every Saturday until mid-March has been taken up with a basketball game to cheer for. Yes - it only takes about 45 min. of your Saturday morning but the prep work and getting actually out the door of the church takes about 1 hour and by then it's lunchtime and Rhett is ready for his nap. Needless to say our family activity didn't happen. And - our hardwood floors have been postponed as well - my husband can't make up his mind if he wants to have the store's people do them or do them himself. - So they are not done yet!


So - with that said here is the results of what I did accomplish:

Books Read

Her Daughter's Dream - Francine Rivers (good easy read)

Dare to Discipline - James Dobson (learned more about the older years in parenting and found a few teaching tips as well)

Urchin and the Heartstone - M.I. McAllister (children's book about a squirrel named Urchin and his many adventures on the island of Mismantle - very cute stories)

The Heir of Mismantle (the third book in the mismantle series)

No Wonder they call Him the Savior (chronicles of the cross) - Max Lucado (awesome!!!)

Crafts completed

January snowflakes (nothing original about this but once Addie learned it she wanted to make many - and she did - and they adorn our back sliding glass door)

crochet washcloth (I know not original either) - not complete yet because I'm still learning but am surprised at how much I enjoy doing it and am looking forward to making more than just a few lines.
felt play board for addie - as I was unpacking a calendar I found that lovely square cardboard piece that comes with it that I usually just throw out - then it occured to me that I could use it for something. I remembered that I needed to do a craft this month that was original so I decided I would use materials that I have and create something for Addie to play with. (She was being extremely "needy" on this day). So - I got out my felt, the scissors and glue and we made a felt board. She played with it for a long time and enjoyed telling stories with the characters. She made a few of the pieces herself and we look forward to adding to her felt collection whenever the crafty bug hits us again. It was a fun project!

No - I did not help her but to make one middle cut on each snowflake - pretty impressive for a 6 year old!

New Recipes

Candybar Pie - I made this when we had a group of family over to watch the Seahawks lose to the Bears. I was unable to try it due to my diet but the general concensus seemed to be one of "it's really good but extremely rich". If you make is then you will need to slice into very thin pieces because it is just too much!

Recipe:
5 Snickers bars, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 pastry shell (9 inches) baked
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp. whipping cream

Place candy bar pieces in the pastry shell; set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, sour cream and peanut butter; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 min. or until set. Cool on wire rack. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate chips with cream over low heat until smooth. Spread over filling. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Cut with warm knife. Makes 8-10 servings.

Speedy Burritos - I made these when I had my parents over for dinner one night. I forgot to take a picture of them but they looked like you would expect burritos in enchilada sauce and topped with cheese might look. It was a very quick meal (just like I like it!) My family really enjoyed them and they will probably join the rotation of dinners in our house.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped (I only used half an onion)

10 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup

10 3/4 can tomato soup

10 oz. can enchilada sauce

1 1/4 oz. pkg. taco seasoning mix

12 10-inch flour tortillas

2 cups cheddar cheese

Brown beef and onion- set aside. Combine soups and enchilada sauce and taco seasoning - mix in a mixing bowl - set aside. Spoon beef evenly into tortilla centers; role up. Place seam-side down in an ungreased 13x9 baking pan; top w/ soup mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 min. sprinkle with cheese and bake until melted. Yields 12 servings.

New movie:

The "A" Team - my husband grew up watching the "A" team on TV so when he knew there was a movie coming out we attempted to see it in the theatre a few times but it never quite worked out. So, the first week that it was available at the redbox I went and picked it up. We both really enjoyed it - there were a few less then friendly words exchanged in the midst of gunfire but other than that it was pretty clean and very funny. It may be one that will have to grace our movie shelves in the near future.

Update on "other" goals
Budget - we started off great but then came along a lot of unexpected expenses and the budget went out the window. I'm supposed to finally be getting Microsoft Office 2010 in the mail any day now and I can't wait to put our budget on a spreadsheet. I plan on doing a budget for February and doing better at sticking with it.
Handwritten letter - whoops! Needless to say I have two letters to write this month for catch-up purposes
diet - I survived an entire 9 days on the HCG diet before my body began to feel the effects of starvation. I had done this diet previously in 2010 and lost 19 pounds so I know it works and works well. I just did not have the patience this time to see it through. I lost 8 pounds on it and then my body began doing weird things and I decided that I needed more than 500 calories a day to be a good mother, wife, teacher, etc . . . So - I decided to give it a week, try and maintain my weightloss which I did and then I subscribed to the weight watchers online program a week ago. I LOVE it!!! I feel like I can eat throughout the day and not feel hungry and in the beginning I gained three pounds back ( I think my body was storing up in case I decided to starve myself again) but those three pounds came off last week and now I am looking forward to more weight loss in the next few months. I know if won't come off as fast but at least I'm happy and can eat.
Bible Study - I just finished the third week of the new Beth Moore bible study at our church on Tuesday mornings. It's great! It is about the inheritance that we have in Christ and that we need to live out our inheritance right now and not wait until we receive it from Christ in heaven. It's been eye opening and I'm so glad that I decided to do it - I look forward to claiming my "land" and rejoicing in the harvest with those that will be by my side.
Something new for our house - I had planned to be reporting on a new hardwood floor but as I mentioned before that project remains unfinished at the moment. However, we were lucky enough to score a new light for our guest bathroom. Ever since we moved into this house we have wanted to replace the light fixtures, hardware and other "brassy" things that have glammed up our home. It's been slow going but this month Jeremy found some lights in his store that were not going to be used and so he brought one home and we put it up in our bathroom. It looks great and we paid nothing for it. Thanks Nampa Floors!! We also printed off a few pictures from the internet and purchased a calendar of old vintage movie posters that we plan to put up in our family room. It's just getting started but this is what we have so far.

Other:

 I DID make my own dish soap!! Can you believe it? And I like it ten times better than the store boughten stuff. It leaves no streaks or water marks and the dishes always come out looking and smelling clean. It's great!! I'm excited about making my own laundry detergent this month once our store stuff runs out. I hope it works as good as the dish soap does.

Addison began her journey as a cheerleader for Upwards basketball. She was unable to play basketball due to not very many girls registered so she chose to do cheerleading instead. I think she enjoys it but tires easily - I don't think she REALLY wants to pursue a career as a cheerleader. She would probably do better playing basketball because it has a little more action involved. Maybe next year. AND I am her cheerleading coach which is a laugh in and of itself. I have never coached cheerleading, or had a remote interest in cheerleading except in junior high when I cheered for a few months but it was mostly for the dance routines. I was completely out of my element when I got roped into it!! I have to say however that it has actually been kind of fun - the girls on our squad are super fun and super cute and I feel so blessed to be able to get to know them. I think it will be o.k.!

We have enjoyed getting to know the ins and outs of a new game called "Settlers of Catan" that we absolutely LOVE!!! We play it any chance we get. Unfortunately Jeremy and I can't play just the two of us so we have people over all the time who like to play. I would rather sit down with family or friends and play games then watch TV or a movie. So - Jeremy and I have expanded our game cupboard by leaps and bounds in the past few months to get as many fun games as we can. It's kind of what we're into right now!! And Addison has been right on top of the game thing as well - she is always wanting to play a game!! Her favorites right now are "Life" and "Go Fish". It won't be long before she is going to be asking to play the "big" people games. She LOVES them!!

Settler's of Catan - Cities and Knights played often with my parents and our friends Nate and Becky!

Our favs - we are still trying to figure out Pirate's Cove but it looks fun!

Addison LOVES playing LIFE but ONLY if she lands on spaces where she gets kids :)

Other events that deserve at least a mention:
Uncle Derek's birthday celebration
Jumpin Jungle with friends for a birthday party (Rhett asks to go EVERY day since then)
Telling our kids that this summer we are going to Disneyland - They were SO excited!!
finally finding new jeans (I've been looking for 9 months now)
cousin sleepovers - always fun!!
fashion show starring Addison and Rhett

Fancy Nancy and a Dragon

The Little Mermaid and Woody

A Fairy Princess and Lucky the Dalmation

Of course no fashion show would be complete without a song so we were serenaded with songs that went along with each outfit - too funny!!



Craftiness from December

I just remembered that I had done some crafts this past Thanksgiving and Christmas and I forgot to blog about them. So here they are:

felt "be thankful" sign for Thanksgiving

felt monster for Rhett for his stocking

felt monster for Addie for her stocking

felt pillows with the ABCs on them - I have gotten to letter Gg but will be finishing them hopefully in January. They will be for Rhett!

The backs of the pillows

button hairband

Dr. Seuss puzzle blocks that I made for my nephew. There were six-sides of fun. I had previously made some for Addie and she loved playing with them.

Another one of the sides to put together.

Ummm . . . . .

I woke up this morning and said to myself, "I need to write another blog". But then I realized that I really don't have much to write about. Life has been happening just like life usually does and nothing out of the ordinary has happened - except for the Seahawks (after a losing regular season) win a playoff game against the reigning Superbowl champs. Crazy huh? and exciting. And we are looking forward to cheering them on against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

I feel like I have a bit of the winter blues right now. I have spent my days off at home with my kids, an occasional routine trip to the grocery store has not brought any bright sparks to our day and the fact that I can spend an entire day at home and not have much to say for it when the day is done is not very comforting. You know, dishes still in the sink, clothes on the floor, things undone and me just sitting on the couch watching cartoons with my kids or groaning over the fact that due to this new diet I'm on - I'm literally starving and yes that does occupy my mind every single minute. I have little energy and cleaning the house seems like an enormous job that I just don't want to tackle, especially with a growling stomach and no hope to put any food into it until noon. I have seriously thought that it would be a wonderful thing to just sleep the day away. When you are asleep you don't realize that you are hungry.

As far as my monthly goals go I'm trucking away at a few of them. Books are being read, pounds are being lost, money is being saved (especially if I just stay at home :), I'm planning on trying my new recipes this weekend, we are trying to find a time to schedule our hardwood floor to be installed and I know the craft that I'm going to do but haven't been motivated to start on it yet. Maybe today!!

I hope I can get out of this "funk" soon and get some energy back. I'm looking forward to putting January behind me and am praying that it will go super duper fast! And that my monthly goals will be met - here's hoping!

What's Ahead . . .

who knows? It seems I go into every new year with a plan and I'm excited about it. It lasts about 1 or 2 months and then life seems to take it's regular path and all goes back to the way it was, the way that's comfortable, the way that's mundane but safe. I end up staying in my comfort zone bubble and I like it, it's home to me.

However, it seems like I'm going through a bit of a mental epiphany in which I want change. The weirdest thing about me saying this is my personality has been anything but "change". I don't like it - at all!! I'm one of those people that wears the same jeans for three years until they get a hole in them, or the same coat until it gets replaced or gets too worn out, or remains the same "weight" because I can't seem to fix the mental devil in my mind that keeps telling me "just eat one more - what could it hurt, you've already have three of them what's one more." - I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I guess I'm tired of it!

So - this year I want change - even if it's small, I'm craving it!! The kind of change I want is a little unrealistic but I'm going to tell it you you anyways. I want to move (not necessarily out of Nampa - just to a different house). I want a older (o.k. - really old) farmhouse on some property (not much - just a few acres - enough where my kids can run free and play and explore), I want to have my own cow and chickens and maybe some sheep (cuz they're cute) and I would love to own a few horses ( but that is probably out of the question because my husband won't even agree to a big dog let alone a horse). I want to make my own bread, have my own milk (from the cow), eat my chicken's eggs (and maybe some of the chickens ;)). I also want a barn so that when we entertain large groups (I really do love to entertain) we can camp out in the barn and have dances and parties and lotsa fun!!!! - Ummmmm . . . . .

Even though I REALLY do want those things I mentioned above I realize that my "dream" house will never live up to what I have layed out in my mind. I'm sure that with an older home comes lots of problems - leaky pipes, mold, mice, leaky roof, etc . . . and with the animals comes upkeep - poop, cleaning up the chicken coop, dirty, smelly sheep, risking injury but dealing with a fussy milk-cow, or pecking chickens. Sooooo - I will begin this new year with a few less drastic changes - but changes nonetheless.

#1 - We took the Dave Ramsey's FPU course a few years back and we were able to keep a budget for about a year - and it helped a lot. We have somehow slacked off on the budget thing in the year 2010 and it hurt our finances so we are jumping back on the budget bandwagon and setting a budget for this coming year. Each month I will set a budget for the finances that we are guaranteed to get. One change that I am making is that I am going to take out cash for our groceries, eating out and entertainment - that should help us cut back because I can physically see the money leaving my hands.

#2 - Each month I am going to try and read three different books, a fiction, a children's chapter book and a self-help book. I don't really "do" self-help books due to the fact that I can be kind of proud and say that I don't need any help (in raising my children, being a good wife, a good Christian, a good teacher, eating healthy, etc . . .) but the reality is - I do need help and I'm going to force myself to read them - and hopefully be better for it! HOWEVER, as I just researched the top ten best sellers for self-help I realize that the world views "self-help" in a different way than I do because the top ten included books like, "how to love myself, How to pleasure myself and not feel guilty, how to make the most out of your life" - what??? Those books hold meaningless words to me due to the fact that I am a believer in Christ and my entire worth comes from Him, not some author that thinks they have it all figured out. So, I'm changing my "self-help" idea to Christian books on parenting, loving others, being a better wife, growing closer to God, etc . . .

#3 - Each month I'm going to make a different recipe that I've never made before. It's going to be a dinner meal and then a new dessert that I've never made before. I'm looking forward to breaking out of my comfort zone and seeing if I enjoy foods that I am unfamiliar with, or have never made before.

#4 - Each month I'm going to plan a family activity. Whether it's with our small family of four or if we include other family members to join in our fun. Each month will have a special activity that will involve family. I'm looking forward to it! Creating memories is one of my favorite things to do and sometimes I will look back on four months and realize that we have not done anything out of the ordinary.

#5 - Each month I am going to write a "hand-written" letter to one of my friends. I want to encourage people and tell them how much I appreciate them and who they are.

#6 - Each month I'm going to do a different craft activity. I'm going to try and utilize as many materials as I have already to lessen the cost of these projects. I'm also going to make them original - my own idea!!! One of my downfalls in the crafting world is to create things that others have created - nothing wrong with that but the satisfaction of creating it is plagued by the reality that it's not my own idea - I copied it!! I promise to share them with you even if they were complete disasters!!

#7 - I am going to be doing the HCG diet again beginning next week. I did it last year and lost 19 pounds in 23 days - crazy huh? However, the diet got the best of me and the "promise" that the pounds would stay off was another one of my fantasies. Didn't happen!! As the holidays crept closer, the scale crept higher. It was my own fault because I did not follow the diet properly - I hope to this time!! My goal is to do the diet twice, get to my goal weight and then maintain through the use of weight watchers. I'm actually looking forward to it.

#8 - Each month Jeremy and I are going to watch a new movie - one we've never seen!! Whether it's an old one or a new one in the theatre.

#9 - This year I am looking forward to doing some new Beth Moore bible studies at my church. I am excited to see how God is going to work in my life and even though this is not necessarily a "change" for me as far as going to bible studies, I'm changing my approach to bible studies and look forward to drawing closer to God and listening specifically for what he wants me to do with my life. I'm also going to change the way I pray for people - I hope to keep a prayer journal and monthly update it.

#10 - Each month Jeremy and I are going to buy something for our house. We have needed to upgrade different things in our home ever since we've moved in and we never seem to do it - so hopefully this will help. I will set aside a few bucks each month to do something for the house ( drapes for the kitchen, lighting fixtures replaced, doorknobs replaced, kitchen faucet replaced, shelves, etc . . .) I'm looking forward to how this house transforms in the coming year.

#10 - And to keep myself accountable for all of these shananigans I'm going to be keeping you posted on my blog. (I'm pretending a lot of people read it) I will give montly updates on the books I've read, recipes I've made, movies I've seen, pounds I've lost, bible studies I'm studying, family activities, letters I've written, crafts I've made, household items purchased and money I've saved. It should be fun!! And hopefully I can keep it up for 12 months.

I am planning on doing other "crazy" things like - making my own laundry detergent and my own dish soap. And also baking my own bread. I think I may change my hair more once I reach my goal weight, a different color or something weird, I don't know!! I'm looking forward to what this year is going to hold and the memories that will be made. Bring on 2011!!

Addison's Favorites 2010

Favorite phrase:  "Rhett, give that back" (said very loudly and with a lot of drama)

Favorite food: broccoli cheese soup

Favorite snack: fishy crackers, peanut m & m's

Favorite movie: Darkwing Duck,Tangled

Favorite book: You LOVE lots of book but you like SkippyJon Jones and the Big Bones

Favorite game: Disney Sing It (Wii game), Go Fish

Favorite toy: Squinkies, Rupunzel Barbie, Woodeez families and school

Favorite daily activity: watching movies, coloring, pretending

Mommy and Daddy love it when you: are kind to your brother, do what we ask the "first" time, sing and color us pictures, say silly things

Favorite thing to do with mommy: Play Disney Sing It and coloring

Favorite thing to do with daddy: play games

Favorite thing to do with brother: read to him

Chores: keep room tidy, help mommy around the house, fold towels

Friends: Kenna, Brenna, Landon, Eli, Chade, Mia, Emily, Jewel, Julia, Katelyn, Mauryn

Nickname: Addie, Addie Gracie, Punkin Pants, Sunshine girl

Birthday: For your 6th birthday you wanted to have a Candyland Party. We decorated with a lot of different types of candy and you had your friends over to play. You had cupcakes for your friend party and grandma Nancy made you a Candyland cake for your family party. You had a lot of fun playing with your friends and as their goody bags you gave them gumball machines.

Other moments:
* You caught your very first fish this summer at the cabin with the help of Bapa Doug.
* You played your very first team sport - teeball and you were on a team with your cousins and some church friends
* You began kindergarten this year and your teacher is Mrs. Drescher. She keeps you on your toes because you like to talk and be ms. social. You are rarely in trouble but have your days when you have a difficult time paying attention. You are a daydreamer like your mommy.
* You enjoy school but don't really enjoy homework.
* You LOVE to create and color and have a hard time picking up after yourself. You are to excited to get on to the next thing and don't want to worry about clean up. Your room is often a disaster. You are a free spirit!
* You like to dress up like a princess but I may find you outside in the dirt wearing a princess dress. If you are not wearing a princess dress you are dressed up in sport clothes (your first choice is your tball shirt, shorts, tennis shoes and hat.)
* You had whooping cough throughout the summer and coughed for about 3 months straight. You didn't seem miserable but you looked and sounded like it. You were such a trooper.
* You are a very good big sister and have a lot of patience when it comes to your brother. You do get after him more often than I would like but I'm surprised by your love for him.
* You are very dramatic and everything is the end of the world. Even if we say "no" to you wearing a certain shirt (tank top) in the 32 degree winter weather. You would have thought that your best friend had moved away. You are definately 6 going on 16 and I'm dreading (o.k. - praying) that the teenage years do not hold the same amount of drama that you do at this age.
* You are so much fun and hold so much energy and light and love that we are so blessed to have you as our daughter. I admire your patience (at times) and your insight. You were so calm and supportive when grammy jojo and bapa pouie passed away. You were matter of fact and kept telling me that they were dancing with Jesus and that is ten times better than what they were doing here. You've helped me through the grieving process more than you know. I love you my precious punkin pants and I look forward to your 6th year and all of the fun memories we will share in 2011.

Rhett's Favorites 2010

Favorite Phrase: You have a rather extensive vocabulary for a two-year old. You can carry on a normal conversation with an adult and sometimes it's rather amusing. Right now you say "because" statements all the time even if it doesn't make any sense. Our favorite one is when we ask you where something is you immediately says, even without looking for it or glancing in any whichway "I don't see it".


Favorite food: horndogs (corndogs) and macaronis (mac n cheese)


Favorite snack: fishy crackers, pirate's booty and oranges


Favorite movie: How to Train Your Dragon, Toy Story 3 and any Winnie the Pooh movie


Favorite book: Brown Bear, Brown Bear


Favorite game: You like to play chase with your sister


Favorite toy: you are really into puzzles right now and you play with them a lot. You also like to play with your cars, buzz lightyear and your new dragon Toothless


Favorite daily activity: doing puzzles, reading books, watching 'The Heffalump" movie, playing with your sisters things


Mommy and Daddy love it when you: talk (almost everything that comes out of your mouth is funny), dance and sing


Favorite thing to do with mommy: read books and do puzzles


Favorite thing to do with daddy: wrestle


Favorite thing to do with sister: take her things and run with them so she will chase you


Chores: letting the dogs outside


Friends: Sam, Mauryn, Brenden, McKenna, Alex


Nicknames: Rhettster, Bruiser Boy, The Beast, Mister Mister


Birthday: This year for your 2nd birthday we had a Mickey Mouse birthday party. Grandma Nancy made a Mickey Mouse cake and we celebrated with friends and family. You had a lot of fun opening your presents and eating your birthday cake.


Other moments:
* You LOVE the cabin and talk about going there ALL THE TIME. You want to go "throw rocks in the river".
* You are so good a cleaning up after yourself. After you are done playing with something you always put it away - even if we don't ask you to. In fact, we will find you picking up after your sister if she isn't doing it.
* You take great naps and it is no problem to get you to go to sleep at naptime. Or at bedtime for that matter. The problem lies with you sleeping through the night. You always wake up and crawl into bed with mom and dad. Mom and dad need to get with the program and make you stay in your own bed at night. We have just been lazy.
*You and sissy both had whooping cough this year and it was the most frustrating thing I had gone through. You coughed for about 4 months straight but never lost your energy or your love for life.
* You enjoy tormenting Solomon and tend to do so more when you are tired.
* You are a ball full of energy and are always moving, never walking, you are always running or jumping or bouncing. You have gotten better with your balance though and don't run into as many things as you used to but you head still takes a beating from time to time.
* You have restrained from putting things in your mouth as often unless it's snow (even if it's been on the parking lot for three days and is now dirty slush - you will eat it), or burning candles (you put one of those in your mouth at the Christmas Eve service and burned your lip).
* You definately keep mommy and daddy on your toes and we are constantly laughing at you. You are such a sweet boy who loves your family and your sister. You have brightened up our lives so much and we look forward to many more fun memories with you in 2011.

2010!!!!

2010 has been an interesting year. It brought many highs and lows. I've had to search deep within myself this year and so some soul-searching, especially recently. It's been tough on me emotionally and yes physically as well. I've loved and lost this year and can only hope that lessons will be learned from it. I am going to highlight a few of the major things that have happened to us this year and I am going to be completely honest about my feelings.

I turned 31 (not a major deal for me - birthdays have yet to have a negative impact on my life - luckily! I'm sure there will come a day)

We went with some of our great friends to Lagoon for a family vacation. We had a lot of fun playing Rook (winning at rook for Janna and I) and watching the kids enjoy the fun rides at Lagoon. We stopped off at Shoshone Falls on our way home and snapped a group picture.

We met with Jeremy's family for a Franklin Family Reunion in Cheney, Washington on Jeremy's uncle's ranch. We had a lot of fun playing horseshoes, exploring the ranch, going on hayrides and participating in a mystery dinner.

We spent many weekends up at the cabin with both sides of the family - and loved every minute of it. We floated the river, played many games (including our new favorite "Settlers of Catan"), and watched many movies. Addison caught her first fish with the fishing pole she got for Christmas with Bapa Doug.

We said goobye to our beloved small group! This was an emotional process for me - feelings were hurt. Tears were shed. I guess when you love much, you open yourself up to the disappointment that close relationships can bring. It is still a sore subject for me to discuss because it brings up negative emotions that I hold inside. I love each an every one of the people that were involved in our small group - I really do!! It's my own shortcomings that I'm dealing with. I miss them all and I miss our group. I will always hold the times we shared as wonderful memories!

small group girls ( love them all SOOO much!)

We grew and maintained a garden for the first time this year. We produced corn, green peppers, lots of cherry tomatoes, strawberries and raspberries. It was rewarding and fun and we are looking forward to doing it again in 2011.

Coached volleyball again for the first time in 3 years. I had a lot of fun but realized that it took quite a lot of time away from my family and am not sure if I want to do it again in the near future. I LOVE it but may want to wait a few more years until Rhett is in school and able to withstand some time at practice.

Said goodbye to two of the most important people in my life - my precious grandparents. They both passed away in November and the wound is still fresh. I still cry often while thinking about them. I miss them soooooo much! I am so grateful that I will see them again and rejoice that they are having a blast in heaven but selfishly I miss grandpa's hugs and grandma's listening ear. This next year will be tough without them.

We also said goodbye to some of our closest friends. Friends that only come around once in a lifetime. Friends that made us feel completely comfortable to be ourselves. Friends that we've laughed with, raised children with and shared life experiences with. They received a call on their lives to become pastor's of a church in Redmond, Washington. We are so proud of their courage to follow God's path for their lives and look forward to hearing about how God is working through them to reach the lost in the Seattle area. We wish them the best of luck but selfishly miss their laughter and their presence. This next year will be a little more dull due to their absence.

We ended off the year with some fun family activities. We rode the North Pole Express to the North Pole, enjoyed intimate family time building forts, watching movies and playing games. We enjoyed watching the children open presents at Christmas and discuss the real meaning of Christmas. It was a great way to end the year.

I'm actually glad to leave 2010 behind me. I look forward to the coming year and the challenges and new experiences that it will bring. I'm a planner (kind of) and have enjoyed planning the coming year - I have some crazy ideas and I will be posting them soon.