2009 Year End Review

January

• Jace turned 4
• We took a day trip to the lake
• The kids learned the art of a "camp-in"
  

February

• The great flu epidemic: we pass the flu around for 2 whole weeks.
• Amy turned 25.

March

• Tyler leaves for Wyoming.
• The kids rediscovered bubbles and baseball and Uno.
  
• Jace and I made cookies for Tyler that we never sent.
• I finally take Jace's picture to complete our Christmas 2008 portraits.
  

April

• I learn how to amuse a little boy without his daddy.
• The kids fly kites and jump in mud puddles.
• Mallori looses her first tooth at our house and then looses the tooth before she can put it under her pillow!
  
• Easter comes with church, egg dying, and hunting them.
  
• The cops stop me while I'm taking Easter portraits of the kids downtown.

May

• One of my best friends from high school, Hillary gets married.
• Jace demonstrates that he is ready for Tyler to come home by painting his fingernails with a pink marker and skipping around the house singing "I'm a pretty lady."
  
• I go to Wyoming.
• Tyler comes home!!!
• I start my Project 365 blog.
• Mallori finishes kindergarten.
  
• Nana gets her swimming pool.
• The kids turn into fish!
• Jace gets stung by a scorpion at our house.
  

June

• Tyler and I forget about and then celebrate our 6 year anniversary at the farm.
• We get Jenkies, our new puppy.
• We get Zonks, our new kitty.
• Jace finally saves up enough money to get his $120 dollar dinosaur.
• We put our house up for sale.
• We celebrate Father's Day.
• We go on our first "camping" trip as a family and Tyler wimps out and retreats to the air conditioning!
  
• The kids make and paint Jenkies a dog hosue.
• The kids participate in VBS.
  
• We go on vacation to the Aquarium and Children's museum in Houston and then to the beach.
• Tyler's ear problems begin
• We loose our kitty.
  

July

• We celebrate the 4th of July.
• Mawmaw Joyce has her 80th birthday.
• The Old's family has a reunion.
  
• I fall in love with Tomato Basil Wheat Thins.

August

• Mallori and Jace start karate.
• Jace starts pre-school.
• Mallori starts 1st grade.
• Tyler starts a new job with Aflac.

September

• Mallori and Tyler start soccer.
  
• I get Jace's costume for Halloween.
• We make 2 trips to the farm for fishing (for fish and shoes), branding and herding cows and fun!
  
• Mallori participates in the paw pack at football games.
• We go to the park.
  
• Flat Stanley is sent to Pawpaw James in California.

October

• Soccer wraps up.
• Mallori turns 7!!
• The Bolenbaucher's have family renuion.
• Mallori passes her first karate belt test.
• Tyler has his wisdom teeth removed.
• We attend the Evadale homecoming parade.
• We carve and decorate pumpkins.
• Jace goes to dinosaur day at the Energy Museum and trick or treating all in one day.

November

• Pawpaw James comes down for a week.
• Hunting season is in full swing and many deer are spotted from the back door and one one deer killed at the farm.
• Tyler turns 27.
• Mallori dresses as Junie B Jones for book character day at school.
• Jace has a Thanksgiving feast at his school.
• Mallori and Jace help Tyler get ready to fry turkeys.
• Thanksgiving is celebrated at Gramma's and Nana's.
  
• We take family pictures for our Christmas cards.

December

• Christmas decorations are up.
• Jace and I have our candle lit dinner of macaroni and cheese.
• Mallori and Jace make snowball soap for Gramma.
• Jace sees Santa 4 different times.
• We even get to meet his reindeer once.
• I have my work Christmas party
• We celebrate Christmas 5 different times (and that's just with family!)
• Tyler started a new job!
  

2009 was definitely a year I will remember. While I've tried to list the good that happened, it's all to easy to focus on the bad. I find myself doing that all too often. Hopefully, 2010 will be better than 2009 with just as much good, but not as much stress and bad events. We know there will be some, even know what some of the things we will face will be. However, I want to continue to try and focus on the positive. I think 2009 was a rough year for most of us and if we would be honest, not one we would like to go through again!

Here's to a wonderful 2010 for everyone!!