I am stealing this idea from my friend Dave. I loved his post so much and thought it gave a good account for the year 2009. What better way to ring in the new year than with a list of fun memories and pictures from the past. Without further ado:
January – 100th day of school…Call me crazy, but I think this is one of my favorite days of school, right behind KY Derby week and Dr. Seuss week! The kids all dress up like they are 100 and we do activities all day that revolve around the number 100. It is crazy fun.
February – My birthday, what else!! I also did a fun art project for the nursery with an old student, T-, who is kind of like an adopted son for us.
March – 10 years of bliss (combined dating and married) with my wonderful husband! He surprised me with 10 gerbera daisies (my favorite), throughout the day and even a surprise lunch. He also put together a photo album, with a picture for each year we have been together. There was also a sweet visit from Catherine mixed in there. We had fun just hanging out, driving around forever trying to find a place to get a pedicure, and then painting pottery. It was a great last hurrah before Mikayla was born!
April – The birth of my dear sweet Mikayla…enough said!
May – Ben graduated from seminary…Hallelujah! Three years of no social life, lonely nights on the couch (me) and endless hours of studying (him) were officially over. I don’t know who was more excited, me or him?
June – Lots of mini road trips and first meetings for Mikayla. We traveled to Somerset where she met her great grandparents and adopted grandma (Cindy Kerr). Then on to Mayfield, Kentucky to meet Mignon, another great grandmother. Finally, a trip to Kentucky Lake to meet the extended Kickert clan (great Aunts and Uncles and second cousins). It was an exhausting month, but a lot of fun! She also met T- and his brother, M- (see February for more information on these two)!
July – I finished up my “internship” at the Kelly Autism Program which meant I finished my Rank I (no more school for me)…Can I get another Hallelujah? Sorry no pictures of this for the month, but here is one of Mikayla! This is her classic pouty face!
August – Adventures in Baking and back to school. I spent a lot of time in August cooking. Homemade pizza, salsa, okra stew, stuffed jalapenos, and a first attempt at sushi just to name a few. It was hard to leave Mikayla at the beginning of August and head back to school but we managed. Ben did such a good job of taking care of her, even if he did try to cook her!
September – September was a slow month for me. I worked and when I wasn’t working I was spending time with my family. I guess you could say the most exciting thing about the month was developing my love for BabyLegs. Hey, I told you it was a slow month!
October – Smokey Mountain fun with the Altmaiers and celebrating my five year wedding anniversary with Ben. I have said it before, and I will say it again, these are some of the best friends a girl could ask for. We have known them for so long and it never fails, with each visit, we just pick right up where we left off. There is no awkwardness at all. We could go weeks without communicating and then jump right back in when we do. They are our go to couple when having a marital dispute and more like family than friends! Seriously, it doesn’t get much better! This is perhaps one of my favorite months of the past year. Fall + Great Friends + Five years of wedded bliss = A great month!
November – Another slow month, not much to report besides Thanksgiving. We had a great time visiting with both sides of the family and ate until we could eat no more.
December – My favorite thing about December was starting new traditions with my little family. We decorated the tree, opened stockings, drank hot cocoa, took pictures, ate some Chinese, and enjoyed some wine. It was a great way to end the year. Oh and those yummy cinnamon rolls!
I hope that 2010 brings as much fun, excitement and joy as 2009 did! Happy New Years everyone.