2009 Wrap Up

I've always wanted to send out "the letter" along with our Christmas cards but Jill would remind me that we see or talk to almost all of our family and friends quite frequently, so why bother with an update? Well, as usual, she was right. But now we are in Virginia and I thought, "Ah ha, this is the year for the letter!" We definitely haven't seen anybody (skype doesn't count) in a good while and rarely talk to our friends and family back home. Unfortunately, we've already sealed the envelopes and I got out voted for quickly writing a letter, opening all the cards and putting them in new envelopes with the letters. So I thought the blog would be the next best thing...

This past year has taught me quite a bit. I can't believe I dragged my family across the country for three years. Pretty wild what we do just going on "a feeling." I remember coming home from work and telling Jill I wanted to go to law school. She thought I was joking. I mean, why wouldn't she, I had never mentioned anything remotely related to it, ever. She said, "Are you serious?" "Yep." She replied, "O.K." After that, she was on board 100% and with that green light, we started preparing. It has been a roller coaster ride (think of the your favorite ride at Magic Mountain x 100) ever since and we've been learning and loving every step of the way. I miss my co-workers at "E-Z" and am grateful for how much I grew while there. This new chapter has also been an eye opener. In just this first semester I've realized how important one's perception is. Most people I talk to say how being married and having kids would put me at a disadvantage here in school because they take up so much time. That couldn't be further from the truth, it's actually the exact opposite. I wouldn't be able to be as effective or efficient if it weren't for them. I love being able to come home for lunch every day, go to the park, do the bus stop thing, or just read books together in the evenings. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Jill is still as awesome as ever. I tease her that she has more friends than I do here. Having said that, who wouldn't want to be her friend? It's a no brainer. She stays busy at home with the kids and makes life exciting for them in our little apartment. They do a lot outside if you know what I mean. Her and some other neighbor gals started a pre-school which has been quite a treat. I've sat in on a few lessons and she does a great job teaching these little tykes. The ward saw what they had in her right away and roped her into the Primary Presidency. She's a seasoned veteran when it comes to the primary thanks to our Cooper Ward back in C-Town. I'm always amazed at how much patience she shows towards the kids. She was able to further develop her organizational skills this year as well. She had the house packed up days before we headed out to Virginia and the move went off with out a hitch. Her packing was so professional and tight fitting that we even had room in the moving truck for the piano! (if this doesn't make sense, I guess you just had to be there) Then, once we unpacked here, we decided to do it all over again a few weeks later. She was so happy about that! At least it was worth it though.

Brody has been impressing us quite a bit as of lately. He turned 6 a few weeks ago and is certainly growing up. You can't get anything by him, believe me, I've tried. He finished up a year of kindersteps and is now in kindergarten. The kid loves learning. A few highlights are: he learned how to tivo his own shows, usernames and passwords for the computer, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and reading (not completely). He loves primary and singing all the songs. He is a great help to mom and the family at the house and he always lets his little brother tag along. You have to be careful with how you answer any of his questions because he'll tell you when you're not 100% right, for example, "Dad, is everybody getting ready for bed right now? (at like 9:30 pm)." "Yea, I think so." "Well, what about the people on the other side of the world, like China?" He totally gets that from Jill. We love him and his sweetness.

Sadie lady is also growing, and so is her attitude. She is our little pistol, but she's so stinky cute, you can't really get upset at her. This year has been much more calm for her than in years past, I mean, she didn't flood the house, get hit by a car, or have any major surgeries! She has made so many friends here and also just fits right in. She sings to herself all the time, mostly when she should be going to sleep. She's still into dressups and looking fancy with jewelry, painting her nails and having pretty hair. She even gave herself bangs thinking she knew more than her mom (uh hello...mom is a hair stylist...what was she thinking???). I think after this year she has only solidified what we've thought all along; that we're gonna have our hands full for quite some time with this special lady.

Rone is now 18 months and has graduated to the nursery. Well, almost. He's not really into it yet...actually, not at all. He's showing how different he is than his brother and sister. He loves to be around mom and dad, as for other people...not so much. He can drool with the best of them, I'm talking soaked from the collar to the belt. I counted the drool drips on him tonight, he had one from each side of his mouth that were dripping from his chin (2) a second coming out one side making its way southbound(3) and one dangler off his bottom lip (4 total). He earned himself a new name as well, destroyer. He doesn't care about ruining anything. Important stuff, unimportant stuff, furniture, dishes, books, markers, you name it, he can destroy it. It just another day to him. It's impossible to keep him out or away from anything. He's learning new words and tries really hard (really hard, it's hilarious) to say them. He just learned how to crawl out of the crib and roll into mom and dad's room at 2:00 am. After "converting" his crib to a bed, he can now come and go as he pleases and thinks he hit jackpot because we can't keep him in his bed anymore. But we can reverse the doorknob and lock him in!

We recognize how blessed we have been throughout 2009. Being away from family and friends has been a challenge but we've been able to adjust with a new family of friends. There is something about being on "your own" that really forces you to kick it up a notch (as my father-in-law would say). It's been a great ride so far and I'm sure it will keep getting better every year. We miss and love you all. Merry Christmas.