2009 in Review

I told James last night that I was resolved to blog at least one more time before the end of 2009. Let see if I make it. . . . Nope, I failed but here goes anyway

This year we. . .

. . . saw the twins turn 2, and we had a small (immediate family only) party at home. I figured that we'll have many future birthday parties with children and guests overrunning the house, so we opted for low-key this year. Happy Birthday, my twinkies! I owe both of you two blogs or letters since I have missed writing to you both years. (video to come)

. . .celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, and I can hardly believe that here we are 5 years later with 4 kids. I love it when people ask 'how do you do it?'. I always think 'I don't know.', and I'm pretty sure that most parents with lots of little ones think the same thing. It's all happening so fast, you barely have time to think about it happening. One thing is certain though. We make a good team when we're not driving each other crazy, and that's really important with small kids. They count on us to hold this thing together, and so far, I think we're doing pretty well.

. . .pulled Jameson out of school. I really regretted having to pull Jameson out of school, but daycare is ridiculously expensive for a single-earner household. I do not miss the virus of the week he would bring home, but we're still getting more than our fair share of "sickies". He is very anxious to get back to school, and I know he misses his friends.

. . .had James quit his job and stay home with the kids. This was probably the single best decision we made all year. We didn't have to think too long and hard about this one. It just made sense. Even though I tease him about being my housewife, he really does a great job with the kids.

. . . watched how our daughter had turned from infant into little lady. She is 2 going on 12, already rebelling and telling me "Stop it, Mama!". She's like a little parrot, happy to repeat everything we say. Almost from the time she was a newborn, she has had this knowing smile that says 'yeah, I know what's up'. She thinks she's part of every joke, happy to feign laughter as if she's in on it. She wakes up in the mornings telling us that we need to "change Maya" and that "Buddy's stinky" (Buddy is, of course, Truman). Here's a short video of spunky, little Maya.



. . . found out that even Truman will have the 'terrible twos'. Truman was such an easy baby in most regards. He went to bed easily. He ate whatever you gave him. He would sit happily. He would play happily. Well, unfortunately, even though he was an easy baby, it appears even he will go through the rebellious, tantrum-ridden twos. Now, he enjoys throwing everything in sight, biting you if you make him mad, picking fights with JJ, and bullying Amelia. He can be the sweetest, most sensitive little boy one second, but, look out, 'cause he's got a mean streak. That's okay by me though because I think everybody needs a little edge. Here's a little Truman craziness.



. . . welcomed Darwin into the world! Despite thinking we would have at least a 3 year break before having any more children, we found out that we could not have planned things any better. Darwin is precious and such a good baby. He is cooing like crazy, and I can already tell he's going to be a talker like JJ and Maya. I love curling up next to my little guy at night, and I am relishing the baby stage. Jameson has enjoyed Darwin since he is now fully aware of all the big brother responsibilities and privileges. Here's a video of Jameson's favorite morning activity.



. . . actually went out on Halloween, and James remembered that he's no longer 20. It took a long drive home and an early wake-up call from the twins for it to really sink it, but I'm pretty sure he's got it now.

. . . hosted James's family Christmas at our house. James's mom asked, and I wasn't sure how it would work out, but we had a great time. It was nice to get to spend some time with adults since we were able to put the kids to bed then spend some time talking and playing games.

. . . James finally saw Footloose and the warehouse dancing scene. We saw Hot Rod earlier this year, and I told him he couldn't really appreciate the dancing scene in Hot Rod without having seen the original. I also told him that you can't consider yourself a movie fan if you've never seen Footloose.






I know we had a lot more going on that I could ever blog about, but these are some of the highlights. I wish I could capture every moment, and some days I wish my kids weren't growing up so fast. I can hardly believe another year has come to a close, and time just seems to keep accelerating. I remember when I was a kid a year felt like an eternity. Now, a year seems to pass me by before I get to everything I want or need to do. I'm hoping, wishing, and praying for a happy and healthy 2010 for all our friends and loved ones.