Happy New Year

2009 was certainly a tough year for our family. It was the year we lost my Mom. We miss her terribly, and the holidays were hard without her. We thought of her often, and believe she was 'with us', in spirit.

2009 also brought us a new family member. My first Great nephew, Angelo was born. What a blessing!

Here are some of the other things we have to be thankful for...

Most importantly, we all remained healthy and safe in 2009. We are thankful the flu has not hit our household! We hope for the same in 2010.

In today's economy, it's worth mentioning that D.R. continues to do well at his job with Sears. They like him there and he is very good at what he does. We are so thankful for that! Because of his continued success, I was able to stay home with the girls for another year. That's something I don't take for granted and appreciate every day.

Tia started preschool and almost immediately came out of her shell and became a whole new kid. She is more confident now, not shy, and has a bubbly personality. She's doing great in her class and loves school. We are so proud.

Gia started taking dance class and thoroughly enjoys it. She looks forward to getting dressed up in leotard, tights, and tu-tu. We think she has found her "thing". Both girls had their recital on the same night, and both did awesome. They will start again in February.
Also in Gia news...she's potty trained! We really lucked out. Although she kept her diapers longer than I'd like, when she decided it was time to give them up, she just did it by herself and was done. That's it. Simple, just the way she likes it!

As for me, I continued to interpret just enough hours each month to keep my skills polished. That's enough for me. I prefer to be with my girls!
I read 32 books in 2009. It might have been more because sometimes I forget to write them down.
I also decided to take my fitness goals to the next level and join a big, fancy gym. I'm having a great time with it and I'm feeling good. I can only hope that all this hard work will pay off in 2010!

Happy New Year from our family to yours!