On this day, I always feel as though I'm on the threshold of a door of sorts, poised between two time periods. As I look back on the year (and other years) and choose photos to include on here, I realize just how much happens. The time flies by so quickly -- too quickly -- sometimes.
So here we go. Reflections at the end of another year...amazing. Sigh.
January: New year, new growth, new adventures to look towards. Ethan turned 4 months, and Emily got new glasses and started a new year in 4-H as the vice president.
February: Our little Valentine guy turned 8. Emily was diagnosed with scoliosis. And Ethan turned 5 months and had his first Valentine's Day.
March: St. Patty's Day was fun for all. Ethan had his first "Half-Birthday" celebration.
April: We celebrated Easter and colored eggs and had an egg/candy hunt. The weather began to warm up a bit. Ethan turned 7 months, and Emily celebrated 11 1/2! Spring soccer started.
May: Mother's Day was followed by Memorial Day/our 13th wedding anniversary. Ethan turned 8 months old and started to crawl in earnest. Dance class wound down. Our first Holland Lop baby, "George," was born.
June: School finished! Emily became a 7th-grader-to-be and danced "en-pointe" in her recital. Edward changed to a 3rd-grader-to-be and finished his last U8 soccer season. We had a "fun (rabbit) show" in 4-H and took the rabbits to a hospital as part of a community service project. Ethan turned 9 months, and we pulled out the sprinkler and baby pool.
July: We watched the annual Wyomissing Independence Day Parade...a first for Ethan. We even walked there. The weather got warmer and we made many trips to the library to earn tickets for the Summer Reading Program. Ethan turned 10 months old and started to walk. U9 soccer began for the season.
August: We enjoyed a second year of "Camp Woohoohaha" and prepared for the start of school. We packed for our beach trip and drove 9 hours in the rain to get there. Edward and Emily enjoyed many lemonade stands and earned enough money for us to go to the N.C. Aquarium. Edward turned 8 1/2, and Ethan turned 11 months. All three kids earned enough tickets to get t-shirts from the library's Summer Reading program.
September: School started in Nags Head, N.C., where we enjoyed a rainy week away from home. Stuart turned 39, and Ethan celebrated "ONE." Dance started up again.
October: Emily and I had our joint-birthday -- turning 12 and 39(-and-holding), respectively. Nutcracker practices began for Emily. Edward had his first soccer game. Ethan turned 13 months. And all three enjoyed going trick-or-treating. Emily grew 5 inches since her last birthday.
November: The U9 autumn soccer season wrapped up with a "mom-son" game. We celebrated Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house. Ethan turned 14 months. Emily got re-elected as vice president in 4-H. I enjoyed my 15th annual "day-of-shopping" with an old friend/colleague.
December: The Christmas season brought with it lots of busyness: the 4-H Christmas party; the GAI-Tronics' Santa breakfast; and a big snowstorm in the middle of three Nutcracker performances. We celebrated Sinterklaas and made gingerbread houses with school. We had a wonderful (and yummy) dinner with my family, hosted Boxing Day, celebrated Pagoda Day and skyped with Stuart's parents so that they could watch the kids open their gifts.
And then tonight, as I sat and reflected on how blessed we are as a family, I realized what a difference a year -- and a decade -- makes. We praise God for all that He has given to us.
Happy "old" 2009, everyone, and an even happier new 2010!
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