A Year in Review: 2009

Well here we are once again....the end of another fantastic year. And I'm back to do another recap of the year, picture style of course. How else would we do it?!

January started pretty much the same as it did last year, up playing in the snow at the cabin! It's a trip we hope to take every year for years to come. This year's trip is sort of on hold until Eric is released from his doctor. But we will get there sooner or later.

We inaugurated the nation's first black president.

And the picture that prompted my desire to dive into photography was taken and edited. And it's been nothing but successful since.

February brought a concert event I was extremely excited for: Jessica Simpson. I know a lot of people aren't big fans, but she's one of my favorites and I was very impressed by the show.

March brought one particular adventure I never thought I would do....wine tasting. And that was also a success because I actually found wine I like! March also brought a big event....we moved to our new house. And we'll be here for a long time (here's hoping).

We spent lots of time at the pool again this year....both the indoor and outdoor pools. I'm so glad Carter is such a little fish! He's fearless and so fun to watch. Our outdoor adventures this year were so much fun. I'm so glad we get to do so many fun and inexpensive things. The world is at our fingertips and I choose to take advantage of the beautiful weather Idaho has to offer.

I also successfully attempted the first annual girls-only weekend at the cabin. This is something I hope to continue for many years to come and the 2010 trip is already in the works!

We also made several other trips to the cabin, which are always peaceful and filled with side-splitting laughter (is that the right phrase?!). I enjoy each and every trip, and they always leave me dreading the drive back to the city.

We spent many nights at the ball field, watching the boys play.

And the serious photo-editing began.

Carter got to attend his first carnival, and later, the fair.

I got another tattoo.

We got to see Kenny Chesney in concert this year and let me tell you, what a show! We all had such a great time, and even though the tickets were pricey, I think it was worth it to see three great country acts perform.

And another big first was our first camping trip WITH Carter. This was definitely a test because any parent will tell you, camping with a 2 year old is NOT an easy thing to do. Hopefully we can cram in more camping trips this year!

Later in the summer, my photography business really took off. I have been slammed since September and I'm loving it!

Speaking of September, we took a wonderful vacation to the Oregon Coast to celebrate our one year wedding anniversary. We decided to road-trip it and we had such a good time together. The weather was gorgeous, the company was fantastic.....it was a trip I will never forget.

Halloween came and went and Carter was really into it this year - he's so fun to watch!!

In November, my friend, Wendie, came to visit and we went on our outdoor photography adventure. It took an entire day, but we had a great time. (I still need to edit those damn pictures too!)

I took a solo trip in late November to see my best friend, Meag, who now lives in Washington. It was such a relaxing trip!

And then December rolled around and we all know what happened this month!

This year, despite a few events, has been one hell of a year. I'm so grateful to have such wonderful people around me and to have the adventures that we get to have. We are so lucky and I hope 2010 is just a fun as this year has been!!

Christmas Recap

Christmas this year was a little unusual, compared to the norm. Christmas Eve Day, I dropped Carter off at my parents' house and spent a good chunk of the day with Eric. The hospital is no place for a 2 year old, and I was desperately in need of some time with Eric to absorb the events of the week. So I spent the afternoon with him, and then headed over to my parents' house for Christmas Eve celebration.

My brother's girlfriend was spending time with her family, so it was almost like "old times" with just the four of us......and Carter as our entertainment. ;) We cooked up some good finger foods, enjoyed some laughs, and opened some great gifts.

My little dinosaur lovin' boy.

One of my favorite things he got was an easel. I love that he's artistic and creative.

Christmas Day, I received the best gift I could ever ask for: my husband was discharged from the hospital. Granted, he has a 6 week road to recovery, but he was able to come home to spend Christmas with his family.

Carter's Santa present wasn't exactly presented in the usual fashion, but he was a very happy boy nonetheless! He LOVES his race track!

By mid-afternoon, Eric's family arrived at our house and the feast/gift opening began.More laughs were had. Stories were told. Games were played. And bellies were FULL.
Saturday evening was my dad's side of the family's white elephant gift exchange/Christmas celebration. There were 2 other little guys there for Carter to play with, and he had such a great time!

Someone is feeling a little better! My brother and his girlfriend, Tracy.

Carter playing with Fox and Brennan.

Have you ever tried opening a present without asking Carter if he wants to help? It doesn't go over well, trust me. Look at the glare on his face!!

But he LOVED having little friends to play with. A glimpse of his loving nature with a younger baby around? Most definitely.

Let me tell you something about Christmas this year.....I didn't even care about the presents. Not that I usually do, but this year was definitely a year to cherish family. This Christmas could have turned out completely different had one minor thing gone wrong with Eric's injury and treatment. I could have been burying him. Instead, everything went extremely well and I get to keep the love of my life around.

And more importantly, my little boy gets his daddy. And that's the best Christmas present I could ever ask for.

**Another Update**

Today was another day of big improvements for Eric. First thing this morning, they removed his chest tubes (there were 2). They also brought in the machine for the echo and got that out of the way. They basically just want to make sure the hole they didn't repair was healing on its own and NOT getting any bigger. It was about the same size, but definitely not getting any bigger. So that was excellent news. He is still being discharged tomorrow - hopefully first thing in the morning!!! That would be the most ideal since he was going quite stir crazy today. Carter spent most of the day with my parents so I could focus on Eric and the doctors. The hospital is definitely not a place for 2 year olds! So, if everythig continues on as it has been, he will be home before noon tomorrow - which is pretty damn amazing if you ask me, considering he had a nail IN HIS HEART Tuesday afternoon.