Goodbye 2010!

We woke up on New Year's eve to a beautiful snowstorm, which made me so happy! I love putting on my warmest sweaters and socks and snuggling up with my family. I just wish the storms weren't so short-lived here in Colorado.

Trenton spent a good part of the morning with Emma in the snow, and I think they were both more than happy to be snuggled in their cozy sweaters as well.

Heather had a New Year's eve celebration at her house.









We headed home before ringing in the new year because it appeared that, in the several short hours we were at the party, both our kids came down with pink eye! But I now know that it is possible to have a prescription filled at the only 24 hour Walgreen's open at 11:15 pm on New Year's Eve. Trenton and I celebrated the new year with two sleeping children, pizza, in our pajamas. What more could you ask for?

Baby Ian was blessed the following Sunday. I guess Shannon stayed up until 4 am the night before to finish sewing his blessing outfit...which was adorable. I felt for her though- it's so hard to carry on like you're fresh as a daisy when all you feel like doing is crawling back into bed. After the blessing we all headed back to the Foote's home for brunch.

I always find it funny that we (as in the crazy Mamas and Dadas) put so much effort into baby blessings. We fuss over the day and time, who will be invited, what they'll wear, and go to the trouble of making a beautiful meal after. And in every single "baby blessing" photo I've ever seen, including my own babies, this is what the center of all that fuss is doing...



2010 was pretty balanced on the misery/joy scale.

• Trenton started a new job in January and there hasn't been a day we haven't been thankful for that blessing.
• We endured broken pipes, which caused total damage in the kids' bathroom, and some damage to the living room wall, and garage. But that forced us to fully renovate our bathroom- which we love!
• We had a rotting deck, so Trenton had the opportunity to build a nicer, more foundationally sound deck with much better materials.
• 4th of July not only brought fireworks, but one of the worst hail storms on record for Colorado Springs- leading to severe damage to our roof. But from that misfortune, we not only got a new roof, but we were able to paint the exterior of our house a soothing sage color.
• In 2010 we had to replace our refrigerator, but I finally got my ice maker.
• We replaced our dishwasher- and now I don't have to scrub each individual dish before loading.
• We replaced our water heater which had corroded so badly that it leaked a half-inch of water in our crawl-space, but we got a bigger tank, and now I can take warmer baths. That mishap also forced us to drag all our storage out of the crawl space and I found things I had been looking for, for several years...including our wedding pictures, and my passport!
• I had a miscarriage. And from that I am growing to appreciate my blessings far more than I ever could have before. I don't take my two children for granted, and I gained compassion for anyone who has ever been through something so heartbreaking, and dark.
• I underwent laproscopic surgery, which taught me to have faith, and how much my friends and family love me. It also taught me that my body can handle anesthesia, which was a major concern of mine, and that I have more bravery than I thought.
• I had the pleasure of witnessing my nephew, Ian, being born. He is such a darling little boy.
• My best friend got engaged to a wonderful guy!
• I took up Yoga, and that truly changed my life.
• Emma turned 3.
• Ben turned 1.

I have been sick for a while, but the symptoms are getting worse. Part of the reason it's gotten this bad is because I haven' t taken my own health as seriously as I should, and I have taken my body's ability to heal it's self for granted. So, I guess that's my New Year's resolution- to get well.


Janet, Trenton, Emma, and Ben