2009 good bye, see ya, so long...

Exactly one year ago today, we took a couple Aunts and drove to our ultrasound. I was SO SURE I was pregnant with a girl, but nervous, after Jackie had just delivered the 5th consecutive grand-daughter.
Afterwards, we celebrated our wonderful news, with friends, while ringing in 2009.
One year later, I admit 2009 was not the best year. It has been tough on me, our little family and my large extended family. Illness, heartbreak, turmoil, stitches and stress.
Given all that, this was still a year in my children's life. And I can find happiness, in that.
I do not believe in New Year's Resolutions.
Instead, I have made a life resolution.
I would like to smile more, focus on the positive and project a belief, in a better life.
2010 feels like the perfect year to start that.
I will kick off my warm fuzzies, by remembering a few great moments of 2009.

The Double Shower Head. Yea, baby. During our remodel, we replaced the shower and followed very sound advice from Ditta, to install a double shower head. I will keep this PG13 and confess, this shower has yet to contain double occupancy (unless you count me and the little girls.) Still, it is the single most awesome thing to happen to our home! Warmth and happiness surrounds you! Now, if I could just ignore Tink, chatting on the other side of the curtain....


This is my favorite 2009 photo of my Tink. It captures her beautiful eyes, crazy hair, my T-shirt as her pajamas and almost loving her sister, while still making life about herself.


I spent the majority of my summer exhausted, in a baby haze. My children, however, filled our summer with smiles. This is the most perfect picture of The Kid, full of life. He swam, at our pool, the town pool, the beach, trips with both sets of grandparents...etc. He was tanned, tired and smelling of chlorine every day. I always love him, the most, that way.


We gained another god child. My count: one beautiful god-daughter, one handsome god-son. Two, perfect reminders, of how lucky I am. (I am not resting him on a giant bag of pink cotton candy....that is me, 8 1/2 months pregnant. Somebody could have told me, big girls, should not wear pastels.)

Bringing me to the best, 5 minutes of my year....
I had a very rough, second half of my pregnancy. I was not well physically, which made me not so well emotionally. Growing my Coco, took much out of me. When I view the first half of 2009, I see it from my self-imposed cave. I can remember thinking, God is giving me one heck of a bad time now....but He will reward me with the sweetest baby yet....He just HAD too.
And He did. This photo may look staged, our faces may look too posed, too movie-ish. It was not. A nurse grabbed our camera and randomly snapped this, as I held Coco for the very first time. That look of awe, amazement and love, is real. At that very moment, I am feeling a wash of relief, as I fall in love. That moment, was easily, the best five minutes of my year. I have barely let her go since.
While this year, was a challenge, it will forever be the year my 'Baby' was born.
Making 2009, one of the best, of our lives.

Now...2010...we are waiting and more than ready for you.

Please bring us and our extended family members, much:
Joy, laughs, love, resolution, good health, forgiveness, dancing, hugging, surprises, faith, growth and memories.