New Years' Lists

Since I never got around to a Christmas card (again), I thought it would be good to re-cap the year with some lists (again)! Here are some of our highlights from 2009, starting with our youngest.

Violet's highlights:
1. Gymnastics - Violet continues to love going to gymnastics every week, this year at Break the Barriers. She did not, however, enjoy the break from gymnastics to do swimming lessons. Violet is not yet a fan of the water.
2. Playing with Little People - Practically every day this year, Violet can be heard in her room, playing with Little People (sometimes Polly Pockets, now Littlest Pet Shop as well). She has a cute, tiny, high voice that she uses every time she pretends with little characters. It's pretty funny.
3. Wednesday night church - Having a class on Wednesday nights makes Violet feel pretty special. She gets to sign songs, make a craft, play with friends, and learn about God's love at the same time! Since gymnastics also fall on Wednesday, that makes for one GREAT day for Violet!

Isaac's highlights:
1. Getting staples in his head - Isaac will forever have a big, manly scar on the back of his head to remind him of the day he fell out of Uncle Aaron's grapefruit tree onto the back fence and split his head open. I'm sure he'll also remember how yummy that grapefruit juice was a couple days later when he got to squeeze the grapefruits that he'd picked and Auntie Christa saved for him on her windowsill.
2. Fishing with Elaine (and Dad and Audrey) - I wasn't sure how Isaac would do 'waiting' for a fish, but aside from golfing with Randy, Isaac has never had a better day. He loved throwing out his line, reeling in the catfish, watching Elaine skin the fish, every bit of it! He can't wait to go again!
3. Karate classes - Isaac started karate in February and has loved going every week! He graduated from white to blue belt in September. He's getting ready for his yellow belt test in March! I love that Isaac is learning to use all that energy and those wily muscles that God gave him in a constructive, respectful way!

Audrey's highlights:
1. Cross country - Participating in the cross country team this year gave Audrey a great sense of accomplishment and pride. She didn't join because of any particular friend, although I'm sure watching her dad run made a difference in her decision. She tried her hardest every practice and if I were her coach, she'd win the "Most Improved" award. She's even gone running a couple times since cross country ended to "keep herself up to speed".
2. Breaking her tooth...twice - Although Audrey wouldn't say this was a "highlight" of her year, it was definitely something we'll remember. She broke her bottom left front tooth in July when her mouth hit the back of a friend's head while they were playing in the pool. Amazingly we found the tooth half (it basically split it right down the middle) and went to the dentist within 2 hours and he "glued" it back on. It is an understatement to say Audrey doesn't like the dentist. This was not a fun trip. Well, our first morning at the beach (the week after Christmas), while eating breakfast, Audrey starts screaming, "My tooth, my tooth broke!" Sure enough, it was broken again, and this time we couldn't find the other half. She had to wait five days before we returned to the dentist and he "built up" the rest of the tooth. There were lots of tears, but only a few screams. Through lots of praying and the use of an iPod (Audrey and Randy made a playlist together the night before), Audrey was much calmer overall this time. And the composite should last 3-5 years, which means (hopefully), we won't have to do this again anytime soon.
3. Father/Daughter Dance at school last April. Audrey loved spending the evening with Daddy all to herself. She had fun dressing up, participating in the hula-hoop contest, and dancing with her dad and her friends! She also has a special picture from the night to remember it all!

Jamie's highlights:
1. Our summer roadtrip to Kansas. I know that is pretty broad, considering we were on vacation for three whole weeks, but that is one of the reasons why it was my #1 highlight. Randy has never been able to take off three whole weeks since he started working at Children's Hospital 13 years ago! I loved the adventure of traveling, spending so much time with my husband, kids, and parents, and everything else that we did! Being at my parents' house is possibly the most relaxing family vacation I could ask for! My mom loves to cook, so I get the chance to help, or take a break from meal preparation if I'd rather. I always feel 100% confident that my kids are well taken care of if I want to sneak in a nap or get out for the night with Randy! I also love to hear my dad preach, which doesn't happen unless we're at their church. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better summer vacation!
2. Weekend in LaQuinta. Last January (a whole year ago), Randy gave me an entire weekend "off" to go and be with some of my girlfriends. I had such a great weekend...lounging by the pool, hiking, biking, laughing, cooking, eating, sitting around the firepit under the stars, and more! I loved being able to have so much uninterrupted time to myself and with my friends. It was very refreshing!
3. Thursday morning Bible study. This past fall I was invited by a friend to join her at a women's Bible study every Thursday morning at Trinity Presbyterian. I was a little nervous considering my past experiences with the child-care at big churches. Over the years, there have been a few Moms' groups or Bible studies that I would have liked to attend, but the child-care was not reliable enough (in my own opinion) to return. I was pleasantly surprised this time! Being confident that Violet is well taken care of, I can enjoy my time with my friend Kristen and the other 10 ladies in our small group (we studied Philippians and Ephesians this Fall), as well as the "big group" time when we rejoin with all the small groups and listen to Pastor Patty sum up our teaching for the week. It has been a very encouraging and growing time for me, and I am looking forward to the spring semester's teaching on Esther and Ruth!

Randy's highlights:
1. Running a faster half-marathon. This past November was Randy's second time participating in the Two Cities Marathon and Half. He had been running regularly for about a year and a half and really stepped up his training to see how much he could improve his time. He finished in just under an hour and 40 minutes, cutting off 10 minutes (almost exactly) from his 2008 time. He is currently training for the San Francisco Marathon (it will be his first) in July.
2. Completing his four-year term as church moderator/having more time to run! Randy was very honored to be the church moderator for four years, and he had a wonderful experience. However, all good things must come to an end. Last June he attended his last Board of Administration meeting and "passed the torch" to his great friend, Rod McNeely. Now (as you may have noticed in the heading) Randy uses many of his free mornings to get up with the sun and get in some running before work.
3. Three weeks off with the family. Our summer road trip was a highlight for Randy as well. He was not only getting three weeks off from work at the hospital, but from church business as well (having just finished his moderator term). It was a very relaxing time for him to recharge as a dad and a husband. He also enjoyed all the runs along country roads and through wheat fields while in Kansas!

I would be remiss not to mention a few more highlights that our entire family shared over the past year:
1. Two trips to the beach. Our family loves living so close to the coast (less than a three hour drive). It was a special treat when we got to spend not just one, but two weekends at the beach this past year.
2. Saying "goodbye until we meet in heaven" to Great-Grandma Lena this past February. I would not refer to this event as a "highlight" per-say, but rather an event in the life of our family that will always be remembered. The year's holiday celebrations were markedly different without Grandma Lena there, and Audrey always mentioned that she missed her Great-Grandma when we would sit down to our meals (Audrey always sat beside her). We do miss you, Grandma.
3. Welcoming Clark! This past April, we were so excited to welcome my (Jamie) nephew, Clark, into the family! I had the privilege of flying up to Portland in May to meet him in person! And the rest of family met him in July, when they all came down to Fresno for a family wedding. 4. Visiting Rocky Mountain National Park. Maybe this sounds redundant, since visiting RMNP was the last four days of our summer road trip (already mentioned in Randy's and my highlights). However, RMNP was so great, it bears repeating! It was so beautiful and different from the National Parks in CA! And I enjoyed that our kids are now old enough to be able to explore not only all day (no more naps needed), but without strollers or backpacks! Violet was a great little hiker on all the trails! We hope to visit again someday soon!
5. Reading together. Along with Bible stories before bed, our family enjoys reading novels together. Our favorites this past year included Indian in the Cupboard (read at Grandma and Grandpa's house), The Dawn Treader (the third book in the Chronicles of Narnia, and our favorite so far), and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (read the week before Christmas).
6. Growing a garden. Once again, we had a great time as a family growing a summer garden. This year we had fun planting straight from seed with our carrots, lettuce, spaghetti squash, radishes, spinach, and chard. We also added a fig tree in the front yard, experimented with potatoes and tomatoes (not a high yield with either this year), and had enough basil to make pesto for days! I also had a great time honing my canning skills this fall as I made plum jam, peach jam, apple sauce, pear-apple butter, and pomegranate jelly with friends!

We hope that you have also taken time to reflect on some highlights of 2009 as you plan ahead for 2010. We look forward to making new memories (maybe some with YOU) in this new year!