Year in Review

I can't believe that 2009 is almost over...just a few more hours left in the last day of this decade. Amazing how quickly has been flying by lately. Is that a sign of me getting older? Or is it just because me and the kids are so much busier these day...Yeah...I'm going with that one :)

Let's see...'09 started out with me and Toby celebrating our 11th anniversary, and Aaron celebrating his 7th b-day, both on the 3rd. A few days later, Grandma Conrad passed away. She was my last living grandparent, and I have missed her very much this year. We all know the old saying "You don't know what you have until it's gone." Well, that's how I feel about Grandma.

Aaron played indoor soccer in the spring, and had tons of fun. Aaron also started guitar lessons last January, and has gotten pretty good at it over the past year, especially when he practices. The songs he practiced the most (without me or Toby even reminding him to practice) were 2 Bon Jovi songs..."Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Blaze of Glory." I'm hoping that he will continue to enjoy the guitar and continue to get better and better at it.

Sadie took gymnastics and dance (ballet and tap) at AC...I love that my kids get a big discount for classes there. I'm sure I'll love it even more when they are actually in college :) Sadie really loves to dance and sing, and spent hours watching "The Wizard or Oz" and "The Nutcracker" and practicing her moves and her vocal abilities. She is such a ham and loves being center stage...Wonder where she gets that from?

Both kids finished out another year at St. Mary's...Aaron's finished 1st grade while Sadie completed another year of Montessori. We love St. Mary's School and are glad that we are a part of the St. Mary's family. Our kids are able to attend a small school, while we enjoy "big city" life. Wonderful!

The summer was a blast. We spent a lot of time in Groom riding Aaron's new dirt bike. So that I could keep up, I even learned to ride Corkey's big dirt bike. Now when I say big, I mean it's a 100 cc or something like that...not too big, but definitely big enough for me just learning how to ride. Sadie loved riding on the little 4-wheeler. We can't wait for the weather to warm up so that we can start riding again! I also attended an ACTS retreat (Adoration, Community, Theology, and Service). It was an amazing experience and would recommend it to anybody and everybody! The next Women's ACTS retreat starts the Thursday before Valentine's Day! We also spent several days (at the end of summer) at Red River, riding horses, hiking and riding the ski lift. The kids loved it, and are ready to go back!

Then, in the fall, school started back. Aaron is in 2nd grade, which is a big year for Catholic kids. He made his 1st Confession in November, and is now preparing for his 1st Communion at the end of January! I can't believe how he is growing. Speaking of growing, he is growing physically too. He grew 2 inches in 6 months. Before too long, he'll be taller than me. Scary.

Sadie started her last year of Montessori. I can't believe she will be in kindergarten next year. It doesn't seem possible. She is really excited about kindergarten, and ready for this year to be over.

Also, in other family news, we paid off our house in November! So exciting! And because of that, I am planning on only working one more semester full time at AC. Then, next fall, I *hopefully* will be working part time. I am really hoping to spend the other part of my time helping out at St. Mary's (school and church), and finding more time to exercise and clean and cook. Wish me luck!

As for Toby, he is as amazing as ever. I wish that I had his drive. He is a morning person, and he can't just sit around (like I do...surfing the net, playing video games, watching TV). He has built several book cases this year, and even built a really neat (and big) hutch. He is still (thankfully) working for the railroad and we're hoping the economy turns around soon (or at least doesn't get any slower) so that he can keep his job. Otherwise, my plans to switch to part time work will have to change...

So, those are a few of the highlights from 2009. It was a great year, and we're hoping for even better things to come in the new year and new decade! Hopefully, I will do a better job of chronicling those happenings throughout 2010 than I have done over the past few months...