2009 Year End Review

As I sit here in the early morning on this last day of 2009, I ponder back over this last year and reminisce of the blessings and good times that God has bestowed upon my little family. There have been things about this year that have caused heartache, but I am trying ever-so-much, and especially here lately, to look at the good in every situation. God has richly blessed us and we can either choose to realize His blessings or go along with our head hung low and look at the bad. I am choosing to look at the GOOD! Here is just a look back to the past year...

JANUARY...

held some cold weather and a snow day or two. Jacob really enjoyed getting to play in the snow and make his infamous snow angels :)

Firsts are always important and Jacob lost his very first tooth on January 24...gotta love visits from the Tooth Fairy!!!
Ever so sad, but another first...the first broken bone! Matthew fell backwards over a container of Cars and broke his right arm right above the wrist :( This picture was taken on the night of the break, which happened to be the night the horrific ice storm of 2009 hit! Thankfully, I had thought ahead and the boys and stayed with my parents knowing that they were calling for messy weather and that I had to get Matthew to B.G. the next day to have his arm set in a cast. I figured we would be that much closer in case of inclement weather...I had NO idea what we were in for!
I am SO thankful that we did stay with my parents. When we woke up that first morning to no power, we made the decision to go ahead and drive up to my grandmother's house since she had a gas fireplace (and we would need to go that way to get to the orthopedist.) We did get Matthew to the doctor and got his arm set in a cast. We also began our long stay away from home due to no electric. Jason was trying to get to us and along the way a pine tree fell on our car while he was inside. Praise the Lord that He was looking out for him and that the boys and I weren't in the car. So much to be thankful for!! We went for a very long time without power and stayed with family until ours was turned back on. That's why that since Christmas is now over, I'm ready for Spring :)

FEBRUARY...

started with us still without power. We had previously gotten tickets to the Kosair Shrine Circus through Jason's work and decided we should still go since we would only lose our money if we didn't. The boys enjoyed the performance and it was enjoyable for us all.

On February 23, Matthew turned 11 years old!! It still seems unreal that he should be that old and it won't be long until he has another birthday! This is a picture of me with the birthday boy.

On the 28th, I was surprised with my new car...my Ford Edge. It was certainly a shocker and the boys and I have definitely enjoyed cruising around in it ;)

MARCH...

began with my Daddy facing open-heart surgery. On the 11th, Dad went into operating room and did remarkably! It is amazing how a surgery so delicate, has become so routine through the years. He recovered well and we enjoyed spending his "off" time with him. It was more than a blessing to be able to feel that Dad would come out of surgery just fine, but even more so to know that if something had happened to him, there was no doubt he would have been okay.

Here's my sweet boys on St. Patrick's Day...no pinches for either of them!

More March fun was waiting in line to get my edition of Twilight on DVD :) It's always a memorable event when the Cullens come home with you! We also enjoyed Jacob's class basketball games!

APRIL...

is time for spring, Easter and white shoes :) We enjoyed our Easter dinner at Mom and Dad's and of course the kids had their famous egg hunt that resulted in a free for all over the lucky egg! Tip to the girls...don't get a manicure the day before! April also marked the beginning of t-ball season for Jacob.

Let's not forget that April was the month I had a run-in with the Lindseyville Chihuahua! It was also a month of worry for me as Jacob had been so sick. He had several sicknesses over a span of a few weeks and then he ended up in the hospital with what we feared might be appendicitis. Thankfully, it was not. He had a pretty severe stomach bug of sorts that left him making lots of trips to the potty, caused his blood count to get all out of whack and quite frankly scaring me to death! I was truly afraid with his blood counts like they were and with him having so many illnesses, but thank God he turned out okay and has been doing well since. More blessings!!

MAY...

is one of my favorite months for so many reasons :) First is Mother's Day. For me, it's not about the gifts, but more about the reasons that I am a mother...

There were field trips for the boys, Prom for my niece, Ashlee, my 31st birthday, and decoration days. Of course, Matthew's prime event of the warmer season is...

Yep, the boy loves the boat, and I do too!! We sure didn't get to make enough trips to satisfy any of us this year! One of the best parts about May...THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!

JUNE...

was a blast! We started by making our trip to Holiday World! Let's not forget that it was the coldest day in June for the past few decades, and we all ended up buying sweatshirts! Mine has sure come in handy this winter :) We really did have a great trip though, and I definitely want to do it again!!!The following day, Jacob got to go to his very first Major League baseball game! Daddy and Uncle Jonathan took him to Cincinnati to watch the Reds play the Cubs.

On June 7th, Jason and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary. A few days later, I took one of my all-time favorite pictures of my two boys!

June also held the mum planting season, as well as my claim to fame...HA! Remember, I had to sing at the homemakers annual day and I also did the on-camera interview for KAP??? Not something I want to repeat! Also fun for June was Father's Day. We went to Sunday School and then met up with Jonathan and Tiffany for a Hot Rods game in B.G. Extra special for the day was that Daddies and their kiddies could take the field after the game for pitch and catch...

We also got to take a little vacation with our boys to the Smoky Mountains. We all had lots of fun, can't you tell...

JULY...

boasted more boating fun...

It also held retirement for my Momma!! We've both been enjoying that! :) Let's not forget the Fourth of July festivities and my ONE AND ONLY attempt at Shredding with the dreadful Jillian!! Whew, live and learn is all I can say! July was also the beginning of a very hard time for our home. Matthew began having his episodes that changed a lot for us. I worried SO much about him. I had no idea if there was an underlying medical condition or if this was something we would just have to learn to live with.

AUGUST...

always means the start of another school year.

Matthew going to sixth grade...

Jacob, my big second grader!

Now that it's half way through the school year, I can still hardly believe my boys are in 2nd and 6th grades!

Matthew's episodes grew so severe in August, that we knew something had to be done. We found another neurologist who did a CT scan on Matthew and thankfully all came out clear. We were pretty much told that this had to do with his "condition", but he was started on medication which helped with the episodes, but left Matthew a different little guy. We've altered dosages and I can see more of the old Matthew coming through, but I've also found out he is going to have to remain on this for some time...I've tried weaning him off of it, and it's just not going to work. He still has horrible sleep habits and I can see my sleep schedule has changed to align itself with his :/

A great accomplishment for Jacob in August was that he learned to blow his nose...YIPPEE! He also celebrated his 7th birthday on the 25th of the month!

The very next day, the 26th, my beautiful niece Ashlee, turned Sweet Sixteen! I still find it hard to grasp that the tiny baby I once packed around like my personal baby doll, now has a driver's permit!! I couldn't be more proud of the fine young woman she has turned into. I am so thankful to have her in my life and I pray that we will always be close!

SEPTEMBER...

yielded a bountiful harvest of mums, pumpkins, gourds and more! A little exciting news for this coming year...my bubba's business is growing and I'll be sure to share new updates about it before long. We had a fun Labor Day cookout at Mamaw's... We also went to the Zoo with some great friends. It was superhero day and Jacob wouldn't even have his picture taken with them! Don't my guys look happy here...

We found out during this month that we would be getting a new sister-in-law and the date has been set for June. Matthew also began the semester at WKU. They began him with a new device, the GoTalk, and I have great hopes for future use! September also means Fair Day...

and in our case, it also meant FLU! Matthew tested positive for the flu and its believed that it would have been the swine flu as the seasonal flu had not reared its ugly head yet. Thankfully, he made a pretty hasty recovery other than the pesky cough that hung around forever!

OCTOBER...

held our very first camping adventure! We stayed in Grandmama's camper at Nolin and the very next day was Jason's 34th birthday :) We definitely enjoyed fall break! It held another first, as we saw our very first 3D movie and we went to Jackson's Orchard for some Fall Fun ;) We went to the Family Fun Festival at WKU, and had our annual hayride and bonfire at Mamaw's.

Of course, October isn't complete without some spooks and goblins...

NOVEMBER...

was Fall Festival time at Kyrock... and they had their Veteran's Day assembly.

Let's not forget to mention that I got another view of Eddie-boy as New Moon made its way to the big screen :) It was a fun night and great movie! Another first...Jacob's first Christmas parade and his first time to ride along in one.

Thanksgiving is another highlight of November for us, and for whatever reason, I forgot my camera this year :(

DECEMBER...

is a month of decorations, gatherings, and most importantly, the the celebration of the birth of Jesus. We were able to go on a Smoky Mountain Christmas vacation with my family, and it was FUN! It would have only been better if we'd had more time to stay. On the 12th, we celebrated Michael's 14th birthday! What a truly special boy who can make me laugh at any given time! Love him LOTS!! Of course there was Christmas with my boys... And that brings us right back here to today. December 31st...New Year's Eve! I know it's a cliche, but my how time flies! Even more so after you have children, and then again it seems to speed up when they are both in school! I just want to say how thankful I am for this past year and all the blessings that it held for my family. I'm not making any resolutions this year, as I have enough promises to uphold anyway. I just think I'll go into the new year just asking for "the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference." A very well known saying, but I can see how this could apply to me in many situations. I love my life, my family, my sweet boys and most importantly the One who saved my soul 22 years ago.

I wish you all a very Happy New Year and that it be blessed beyond measure!