Top Ten of the Year

Well, Christmas is quickly approaching, and I am getting closer to being done with my shopping but I'm not there yet. My plan was to get up this morning, take Kyra to her last day of school (and happens to be her Christmas party), and then finish my shopping. Nnnnn....wrong answer. Because this is Michigan, it is snowing too hard to go anywhere and school was cancelled. Normally, I would be okay with that, but Kyra was deeply disappointed that she was going to miss her school party. We had wrapped a gift for a gift exchange, made gift baggies for every student, and bought gifts for her teachers. Our entry way is filled with an entourage of goodies prepared for school, and now it will never happen! Needless to say we were both disappointed. And I still have to shop a few days before Christmas! Oh well, could be a lot worse. So, with the extra indoor time I thought it would be good to blog.

Last year I listed the top 10 things that happened in my life over the year, so I thought I would do the same. So, here goes....

10. Going to Florida in February and having a wonderful time escaping the cold winter land for a week. We had fabulous weather and during our stay visited the manatees, a wonderful aquarium, fed the ducks, and visited with some good friends. I can almost taste the weather right now.

9. Grandpa passing away. Although his death isn't exactly a highlight, it was nice to see so many family members we haven't seen in ages and get reaquainted with some cousins. Hopefully we can visit them in Georgia again before it's been too long.

8. Having a surprise party for my hub's father, who turned 70! It was a great party, and turned out better than expected. He was surprised and overwhelmed by the turnout of people. I think it was the first time I ever saw him speechless!

7. Going to Hessel, where for the first time since children, I really enjoyed being there. It was nice to see the kids play in the sand and water, run back and forth to "Grandma's cabin", and not have to worry about where they were.

6. Spending time with my family at the "cottage" up north. We had such a great time boating, tubing, playing games, chatting, and enjoying each other's laughter. I think we are definitely going to have to try making this a yearly event.

5. Having a 4oth anniversary party for my parents. It was another party success, and I was able to become closer to my sister in-law because of the almost 2 straight weeks we spent together. Seeing the joy on my parent's faces, talents in my siblings, and friends laughing at the party made it all worth while.

4. Spending more time at Lake Michigan. We spent more time this year going to the beach then we ever have before. Although both of my girls are not big water fans, they so enjoyed jumping in the waves, building sand creations, and having picnics. I just love watching their faces light up with laughter.

3. Going camping for the first time with kids. I was a little nervous about camping with Katie. Seeing as how she is still not out of her crib, I didn't know how well she would stay put in the tent, but she did just fine. We had lots of good food, nice cool weather, a wagon ride, and plenty of fresh air. It is a definite must for the years to come.

2. Seeing my college roommate, whom I haven't seen in years. My old roommate moved closer in the area, and visited for the weekend. It was fun seeing her and her family again, and I look forward to more mini trips in the near future.

1. And the top highlight of the year.....is finding out that we are pregnant again! We are very excited for the arrival of a new one. And although we still haven't told our kids of their new sibling to be, I'm sure they will be excited too. I am almost 13 weeks along, and am due June 30th! Hopefully that will give us enough time to get in somewhat of a schedule before the busy school year sets in again in the fall. I already had my first ultrasound yesterday, and the little peanut was already kicking around, sucking it's thumb, and hiccuping.

So there you have it. I'm sure I could think of many more than just 10 things that have made our year this past 2008. There have been ups and downs, but we recognize that God has blessed us deeply. I hope you have been too.