Looking Back {2013}

Tonight we will say good-bye to 2013 ... it has been a hard year to say the least. God had our family on a journey that required us to invest all of our time, money, and our hearts. We would never have imagined that the journey we were on would end this fall in such heartache.

While part of me would like to just pretend 2013 never happened I cannot look at it that way ... trials are a part of life. And, looking back at 2013 there were beautiful moments ... those were blessings in disguise now as I reflect on them ...

{Lots of ballet ...}

{... and baseball}

{Fun fieldtrips ... like this rock climbing one}

{Our family spent a month in a European country ~ amazing lessons in culture and history}

{Fun times with friends ...}

{... and family}

{Ave Mae cast as Cindy Lou in "How the Grinch Stole Found Christmas"}

Good-bye 2013!

Hello 2013!

Such a wonderful night ... we had a fun family friendly party! {complete with Midnight toast using ginger ale.} Lots of friends and food ... tons of crazy silliness. Only one or two injuries during the after dark game of tag.

You know it is a good party when the last guest departs around 2am. {love you Susan!!}

{even Maggie made it to Midnight}

{the fire pit and smores bar was a huge hit!}

{writing with sparklers is always fun}

Good Bye 2012!

2012 is coming to a close ... tonight at Midnight we will welcome 2013 with a celebration with friends! Just a quick look back at our year ... and what a year it has been. {pictured above - February week long vacation at Disney World}

{June - Lexi spends a month in summer dance intensive and Devin spends the month doing All-Star baseball}

{August brought a family vacation with our friends, The Hanback's, to the beach in Florida}

{Christmas this year was spent with an orphan from Latvia in our home}

God has blessed us in so many ways this year ... love seeing how He works in all of our hearts. Looking forward to 2013 ... my word for the year- PEACE. I will find peace in whatever plans God has for me and my family.

Parting Shots {2011}

Happy New Year!! I hope y'all had a wonderful New Year's Eve ...

I am posting a few of our Parting Shots for 2011 before I take a week off from blogging. Need some downtime while we clean up from the holidays, slowly transition back into homeschooling, work on opening an Etsy store {a goal of mine from last year that I never got around to}, and enjoy another week off from all of our extra-curricular activities.

We celebrated the last day of the year by letting the kids spend a couple of hours at one of their favorite "jumpy" places.

Then we enjoyed an evening by the fire - watching movies, being silly with sparklers, snacking, and watching a 20 minute Year in Review DVD slideshow I had put together with around 200 of my favorite photographs from the past year.

The evening flew by and before we knew it ... Midnight was close at hand. Time to launch our sky lantern, toast with some bubbly, and sing "Auld Lang Syne".

Wishing you all the best in 2012! See ya back here in a week or so ...

Welcome 2011!

Last night we welcomed the New Year with some friends ... we decided it would be fun to let the kids celebrate Midnight at 8pm. We enjoyed snack foods and the kids played until the designated hour when we had a balloon drop and wished everyone a Happy New Year!

After our guests left our kids still wanted to try and make it to Midnight ... Devin was the only one who succeeded. I have to say ... I barely made it to Midnight and even at that did not even finish my glass of champagne. I think I might need that 8PM celebration more than the kids.
Today we began the "fun" task of packing away Christmas. As I pack away each item it always gets me thinking ... "what does God have planned for us this year - when I unpack these items next Christmas what will our year have been like". As I carefully put away all the precious ornaments the kids have made this year - many with their picture on it - I think how each child will be a year older next Christmas. I will have a ten year old and my youngest will be seven ... I just can not even believe that.

Happy New Year!! May God bless each of you in 2011!

Goodbye 2010 ...

Another year has come and gone and it always makes me think of a song from the Broadway Musical Rent - "Seasons of Love", especially these lyrics:

Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.

In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?

This year had some changes and milestones for our family ...
We found a new church home and made lots of new friends, my husband and I began singing in the church choir, Devin and Lexi were both baptized, Ava Mae began Kindergarten, we took a week long trip to Disney World, we had several snow falls - including a white Christmas, we celebrated my Dad's retirement after 38 years of teaching at the same high school, my husband and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, we enjoyed a family reunion with all of my siblings - parents and nieces, and we began our 5th year of homeschooling.
I love looking back at my blog at the end of the year - realizing all the ways God has blessed our lives this year and answered prayers. My words for this year were "JOY" and "CONTENTMENT" - finding joy in everyday life and being content. I think in today's society we can become so wrapped up in the next best house, car, life ... it is so freeing to just be happy where God has planted us and with what he has given us.

Looking forward to 2011 ... loving the journey!

New Year's Getaway

We spent New Year's at our friend's vacation home in the mountains. It was a nice getaway ...

New Year's Eve we let the kids have fun with sparklers ...

Some of us made it to Midnight ... others did not.

New Year's Day we enjoyed a traditional Southern meal of Honey Baked Ham, Black Eyed Peas, Collard Green and Red Velvet Cake.

We are home now and the fun of packing up Christmas begins.