Well, I guess there's no time like January to start things anew. I cannot believe that I took a full year hiatus from blogging, but 2010 got the best of me. It was a whirlwind! I think I'm just now beginning to catch my breath and looking forward to new beginnings and simplifying in 2011.
There really is so much I could say about the past 12 months. I'll do my best to recap for the archives. I seriously doubt anyone still reads this blog but with a new baby on the way I figured it would be a good time to start writing again even if it's just for family.
January 2010
Hat day at YCW
January Recap-- The kids and I got sick last year for pretty much the entire month of January. We passed around the flu, a stomach bug and a cold. We were ready for February after all that illness...
February 2010
Ava posing with her Valentine's snowman
February Recap-- We enjoyed some snow in February and Ava loved attending the Daddy/ Daughter Valentine's Dinner at Highland. She looks forward to it every year!
March 2010
Launching our first My Sister's House Consignment Sale with Kate
March Recap-- A big reason why last year was a busy one is that Kate and I started our own business called My Sister's House, a semi-annual consignment sale for women. Our first sale was in March but the three or four months leading up to the sale were extremely busy with working out details of every aspect of the business... from the website to running the sale to advertising. We had so much to learn and do (hence the blogging hiatus). Overall we felt our first sale was a success! We were exhausted when it was over but thankful for all of the help from family and friends to help make it happen.
April 2010
Pierson practicing on the ACU field. This kids LOVES baseball!
Easter in Brownwood
April Recap-- We enjoyed Easter in Brownwood with the Thompson family! Most of the month of April was spent finishing up business from the sale and doing projects around our house. We got it ready and put our Grand cottage house on the market for sale by owner in April.
May 2010
The husbands in our small group planned a formal night out complete with a 3 course dinner at a beautiful historic home in Abilene. Such a fun night!
Ava all dressed up for her ballet recital
May Recap-- We wrapped up another year at YCW (Ava's last year of preschool), enjoyed the YCW end of year program and Ava's first ballet recital. We watched some ACU baseball, enjoyed a very nice night out planned by our husbands, showed our house a lot, and got a contract on it at the end of May!
June 2010
Dad, Ava and Pierson playing on the scooter at the Pierson family reunion
June Recap--We enjoyed spending time with family at the Pierson Family Reunion. Most of the month was spent getting inspections, wrapping up details of selling the house, finding a house to buy, and packing, packing, packing...
July 2010
Our family at Sea World
July Recap-- Remembering July makes me tired. It was an exciting and eventful month! We squeezed in a trip to Brownwood for the 4th of July and Sea World in San Antonio before we moved houses, celebrated our 10th anniversary, and found out we were expecting our 3rd baby in March. At the end of such a crazy month, I managed to muster the energy to teach two sessions of Art Camp! I was nauseated and tired most of the week, but I think that the kids still enjoyed it...
August 2010
Pierson waiting for his turn to bowl on a Friday Family Fun Night at Prime Time.
Ava's first day of kindergarten at Austin Elementary
August Recap--I turned 33, Ava started kindergarten at Austin Elementary, and we continued to try to get settled in our new house. I think I spent most of August catching up on rest from the adventures of the last three months and first trimester exhaustion.
September 2010
Ava got a new bike for her birthday and learned to ride without training wheels!
We celebrated the kid's birthdays at the Gymnastics Sports Center.
September Recap--The kids loved celebrating their 6th and 3rd birthday parties at the Gymnastics Sports Center, and I loved not having to have my house ready for a party! We spent September getting used to the new realities of Ava going to school 5 days a week, and Pierson started in the 3 year old class at YCW.
October 2010
My grandparents with the Fairy Princess and "Fat Dragon" as Pierson described his costume.
October Recap-- We enjoyed a fun Halloween, Chad's 10 year reunion at ACU and all of the homecoming festivities, a visit to Abilene from Derran, Ann, Brynn and Meg Reese, and Kate and I ran our second My Sister's House sale! We were open for two full weekends with a week in between and continued to learn ways to grow the sale in the future.
November 2010
Ava and Chad running in the turkey trot on Thanksgiving day. It was freezing outside but Ava was a trooper and completed the kid's race.
November Recap-- We enjoyed Thompson family time here in Abilene for Thanksgiving. We spent some time beginning to get ready for our new baby (a girl due in March!)
December 2010
The kids showing off mom's growing belly
December Recap-- Lots and lots of holiday parties and festivities, shopping for gifts, family time with the Walters, Micks, and Quanz families in Decatur and Fort Worth for Christmas, Charlie Brown ice sculpture show at the Gaylord in Grapevine, and a plumbing leak that caused our living and dining floors to be ripped up a few days before Christmas.
Whew! What a recap... I should say that not all that happened in 2010 was as picture perfect as the few images I chose to showcase. In an effort to be transparent I want to confess that in many ways 2010 was a challenging year for our family. I struggled personally with a very early miscarriage and the emotional and physical fallout of hormonal imbalances. We had stresses related to jobs, moving, starting a new business, finances, and family. But God has been faithful. Through the joys and struggles of the last year, I can see that His hand was always upon us even when we felt alone. I am so thankful for the support system of friends and family that continue to encourage and challenge me in my faith. I look forward to the new year, new beginnings, new goals for my own personal and spiritual journeys, and a new member our family. Did I mention we decided on a name? We anticipate the arrival of Sadie Kate Walters in mid to late March!
Here's to new beginnings in 2011...