20-10

Well, here we are. A new year is upon us. I don't know about the rest of you, but I am hopefully optimistic about this year. It is an EVEN numbered year, and that is a GOOD thing! Odd numbered years in my life have always been too dramatic for me.

Christmas was so nice this year - between the snow and the quality family time, it was probably one of the best low-key Christmas' we've ever had. New Year's was also quiet. The years of big parties and nights out on the town are so far behind me that I have no desire to try and get out with the rest of the crowds to bring in the new year. I'm blessed with a husband who hates crowds and was content to sit home with his family on New Year's Eve.

Tristen has officially entered three-hood. He is both entertaining and frustrating on a daily basis. We are in the potty-training stage, so bodily functions are a daily topic of conversation around the house. I used to think people were so wierd for running around talking about these things with their kids - now I get it. They had no choice. It was the KIDS who were weird -- now we have one of those weird kids! :) Tristen has also discovered "BOOBS". Yes, my son has become enraptured with boobs. He likes to let us know who has boobs, whether or not they're big boobs, and he knows that girls have boobs and boys have pee pees. Once this stage is over with I'll be happy. It is a little embarassing to be walking through the store with him pointing out all the girls with boobs!



Today we are going to have a bonfire with Gigi and Poppy. It's going to be about 56 today -- a good day for a driveway bonfire (remember our driveway camping trip last summer?) over which we're going to roast marshmallows and hot dogs.

In other news...

My sweet cousin Lauren left for her 2 year term with the Peace Corps. She is in Guatamala and we're following her blog here: {Laur's blog}.

Our dear friends Jed and Jaime Redcay, and their children Simeon and Titus, started their 3 year missions term in Costa Rica last August. They should be finishing up language school in the coming months and will be leaving the city to go and be with the rest of their missions team. We have been so blessed by them as friends, and now as missionaries. You can follow their adventure here. I promise you won't be disappointed. We are hoping that at some point during their stay in Costa Rica we'll be able to make a trip over there to see and assist them. It's one of those "long term" goals, but one we're seriously working to make happen. We miss you Redcay Family! :)

My bestest bud (and other half of my brain )Kristy is coming back for a visit in February -- we didn't get enough of her in October, so we're thrilled that she's decided to come back and visit. Now we have something to look forward to during the slow month of January! Tristen fell completely in love with Krispy, so he's counting down the days until she arrives. In his own little way ...


We're excited about the possibility of homeschooling Tristen and are making plans to attend THIS event in June. We've started researching and praying about how we can homeschool Tristen when he is ready to start school.

Our seed catalogs are already arriving in the mailbox and I'm secretly hoping Trevor will be interested in planting a small raised bed garden. In years past we've had some beautiful gardens (my man has quite the green thumb!!) and I'd love to have a garden in our backyard again.

I always get this way at this time of the year. I am a summertime gal and I crave lots of greenery and fresh veggies. I would also like to get some honeybee hives, but Trevor isn't really keen on that idea. Can't figure out why!

There is never enough time to get everything done that we want to do, including updating our blog. This year I will try to do better than I did last year. We have so much to be thankful for -- God has been good to us. We wish all of our friends and loved ones a wonderful new year. We look forward to seeing and talking to each of you.