A Look Back...

Looking back at the year it feels as though we gained a little and lost a little. Grandpa Bryan passed just before 2006 ended, which started the year of with a loss. I started a new job shortly after that, which had Jeff and I working opposite shifts during the week and making up for lost time together on the weekends. Leah was still in pre-school and loving every minute of it; she was also enjoying one day a week at day care. The boys were a little unsure about their time at day care but started enjoying it after a little while. In February we celebrated Owen's 1st birthday with a party at home. March had Jeff and I headed to Las Vegas to celebrate our 5th anniversary with a Dave Matthews Band concert and a weekend without the kids. Easter was well received with the joy and mess of coloring eggs, an egg hunt at the park and a visit from the Easter Bunny.

In May, Mom/Grandma moved to Washington to start a new job and be closer to Martin. Owen and I drove up with her and then Owen had his first trip on an airplane when we flew back to Salt Lake the next day. Owen was a great passenger!!! The beginning of June saw the kids and I traveling to Montana for my cousin, Barb's, graduation. The middle of the month had us meeting in the middle to pick up my other cousin, Clay, for a summer visit; and the end of June we packed up all of our stuff and followed Mom/Grandma to Washington. What a busy month!!! Unfortunately Jeff was not able to transfer right away within Comcast, so he headed back to Utah until something came through. Luckily for us, he was able to stay with friends, Josh and Janice, until August when he joined us in Washington just before my birthday. (What an awesome present for me!!) The kids and I took a break from getting settled here, grabbed Clay and headed south to California to meet Jeff, who flew in from Salt Lake to meet us for a fun filled trip to Disneyland in July. We enjoyed our time with Grammy and can't hardly wait to get back. July and August also brought a whale watching trip (the whales were not out that day), a trip or two into Seattle and a few other sight seeing opportunities in our new area. Aunt Melissa and Uncle Eddie came at the end of August to pick up Clay and get him home in time to start school.

September saw Jeff and I settling into our new place, welcoming a new kitten named Pumpkin into our family and Jeff getting acclimated at work. In October Pat came up from Utah to visit and we celebrated Leah's 5th birthday with her favorite meal of Fetticine Alfredo and a Tinkerbell cake. I also started working overnights at my new job, which left me a little "worn out" while I got used to a new sleep schedule. Let's not forget about Halloween which had our sweet little kids transforming into SuperGirl (Leah), a sometimes scary and sometimes nice dinosaur (Matthew) and Davy Crockett (Owen). I was looking forward to November, Thanksgiving to be a little more specific, as all of my brothers and sisters would be coming to Washington for a visit. It was the first holiday we had celebrated together and was, as far as I could tell, enjoyed by all. My brother Charlie started the trip with his girlfriend and left with his fiance, Jennifer (for those unsure of that statement, he proposed and for some crazy reason she said yes, lol). Matthew did not think there was enough excitement though and had us, well me, "rushing" him to doctor's office and later to the ER via an ambulance. Long story short, he was having trouble breathing and had to have multiple breathing treatments before his oxygen level went up and stayed up. He was diagnosed with asthma and still asks if he can ride in the ambulance again. December did not slow down at all, with an early birthday celebration for David, which was shortly followed by another for Matthew. Somehow between working, birthday parties and holiday parties we managed to find some time to get all of our shopping done and be ready (barely) for Christmas. Leah was very excited this year about Santa Claus and made us move the fireplace screen so he would be able to get in and out. He must have made it in okay as the stockings were all filled when we woke up on Christmas morning.

Now the year is coming to a close and as I said before, it feels as though we gained a little here and lost a little there (and I'm not just talking about the pounds on the scale). We hope you had the Merriest Christmas and wish you the Happiest New Year!