Welcome 2009!

It is about to be a New Year! I thought I would use this post to reflect on the happenings in our home throughout the past year, so here it is.......


January:
Gabe turned 6 years old this month. Where has time gone? We celebrated by taking him and two friends to see a movie and eat Japanese! They had a blast. Can't believe we are about to celebrate his 7th...I sure don't have babies anymore!

Joey and I began temporary foster care during the Christmas holidays. We started this process to eventually adopt a little girl. We feel this will happen when the time is right. Our first child was a special 3 year-old girl that needed lots of love! She lived with us for about 6 weeks and was able to experience a Hallmark Family Christmas. We were sad to see her go, but she is living in a wonderful place now!


February:
Joey and I attended the Kindergarten Jam with Gabe on Valentine's Day! It was hilarious! Gabe danced for several songs, but REFUSED to do the "tootie-tah". He stood there, hands by his sides, and watched everyone else stick out their bottoms and dance silly! His face was priceless! I will definitely never forget that.


March:
We were very excited to have another visitor this month. A sweet little girl from up north flew down and was placed with us for 6 weeks. She was precious! I LOVED seeing her transform while she was in our home. When she arrived, she was scared and had no idea of what affection was about. We were able to see her learn to hug, play, and smile! We sure did enjoy our time with her. She is now in a wonderful adoptive home.


April:
This month was spent playing baseball and doing more work on the house! Joey helped coach Gabe's team this year. They had a lot of fun playing together.


May:
This month was FULL of graduation trips! My brother and niece graduated from high school.

Michael graduated from LaGrange High School. We attended a LARGE graduation party at my parent's cabin. It was a lot of fun! We all danced and ate until we couldn't! We also watched him walk down and receive his diploma. I can't believe my baby brother is now in college. He was only 5 when I left home! He attends Georgia State University in Statesboro, GA. It was a little farther than everyone thought he would go, but he is doing great! We have really high hopes for him... he is a sweetheart!

Cassie graduated from Marion High School in Marion, Arkansas. Our family made the long trip up to Memphis and watched her receive her diploma. She was valedictorian of her class and now attends Union University. She will be a great teacher someday! What a precious girl. We ate at the famous "Rendezvous" in downtown Memphis on the way home. Afterward, Joey and I decided to start a daily exercise routine. It sure has changed our whole outlook on life!


June:
Summer is here! Both boys finished up school early this month. We started the summer with lots of swimming and playing on the waterslide. My boys sure do love the water! Joey and I also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. We took the boys to Charleston and Isle of Palms to celebrate. We loved it! We were able to enjoy downtown Charleston, the beach, and some landmarks. We even saw Kung Fu Panda for the second time during a rainy day. It was a great trip!
We also celebrated Cole's 4th birthday at Chuck E Cheese with some friends. He had a great time! What a big boy he is now!


July:
We traveled almost the entire month of July! We spent the 4th with the Hallmarks on the lake. That is always lots of fun. We spent time intertubing with the kids and enjoying the "Memphis Hallmarks". Cole had fun playing with Kayla's friend Ashton or "Jashton" as he called her!
The next week, we drove down to Millry with my mom and sister. We were able to visit my grandmother and two great-grandmothers. How lucky I am to be able to spend time with them! We rode horses, had a fish fry, and played in the country. Gabe and Cole always LOVE going down there. They have plenty of cousins to play with and lots of "country boy" activities. We definitely need a house in the country one day! After all our traveling, the month was almost over. Oh yeah, I also had a birthday this month..... I am now 31!


August:
The summer flew by! We went to the beach during the first week of this month. We took our annual trip to Panama City. Joey LOVES going there. We have found a wonderful place to stay and there are always TONS of activities for the boys. We decided to do the Pirate Cruise this year. It was well worth the money! The boys were able to ride on a "real" pirate ship on the ocean and do all the fun pirate activities. Gabe enjoyed them all EXCEPT swabbing the decks! He didn't think that was such a good idea! Cole thoroughly enjoyed sword fighting with everyone on the ship. We will definitely do this again next year!
School began at the end of this month. Gabe began 1st grade and has had a great year, so far. Cole began 4k and has made many new friends. I think the rest of the year will be lots of fun for both of them.
Joey also celebrated his 37th Birthday. We always have fun celebrating his special day. He got an IPod from all of us. He continues to enjoy it during his 5:30 workouts. He has stayed very fateful to the "Y" this year!
The month ended with a 50th Anniversary party for my grandparents. It was wonderful seeing all of their friends and relatives and being a part of the celebration. My mom made a special video of their 50 years together that we were all able to enjoy. They sure have shared some special times together and with our family. They are truly a picture of a wonderful marriage!


September:
This month began my busy Fall! I am GradeParent for both Gabe and Cole's classes this year. These duties have kept me very busy each week. I enjoy planning their parties, reading to Gabe's class, and helping out the teachers. This is a lot of fun for me!
Gabe also attended his first "spend-the-night" party. He had a blast! He really did not want to come home the next morning. He loves being with his friends!
This month was also when I decided to go back to school. I will begin classes in January to get my Master's in the Art of Teaching. (MAT) I can't wait! I have always wanted to do this, and we feel the time is right!

October:
October was full of fun Fall activities. We were busy with soccer, Fall Carnivals, Trunk or Treat, Hallelujah Night in Alex City, Field Day, Fifties Day, and trips to the pumpkin patch. I organized the Bake Sale for Gabe's school carnival. It was quite a big deal, but ended up great! We also had a little girl at our house for a week this month. She was a sweetie! And let us not forget....my mom turned 50! Wow, that was a busy month!!!

November:
Elections, Thanksgiving Parties, Food, and Family.....that sums this one up!!!

December:
Christmas Time! We had a wonderful Christmas this year! The boys were super excited about everything and we were able to spend lots of fun moments with our families. The boys particularly loved the bonfire at the Hallmarks, and playing with cousins at my parent's cabin. Our Christmas in Anderson was very low key and relaxing! We were able to sit back and really enjoy the boys and our time together. That is what Christmas is all about! We even had the Hallmarks with us for a few days at our house. I LOVE this time of year!

Now on to 2009.....This year should be full of fun and new things! I am starting back to school on January 5th, Cole and Gabe will both be playing sports for the first time, we are continuing our adoption / foster care process, and Joey and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage! This is a wonderful time in our lives and there is never a dull moment in our house! Things could never be better. I am really looking forward to another year, but wish time could slow down just a little......