2009

What a year, filled with highs and lows. Moving is always rough, but this time it has been rough in ways that I was not anticipating. We thought we were moving for a more stable job, but it turned out to be the total opposite. I still think Craig regrets it all and then I know he regrets selling the house. I wonder if at some point these feelings will change, time will tell.

The kids transitioned well into their new school. Cade and Reid made friends and Trey loves Sonshine preschool. (He has finally stopped saying, "me miss my house" and making me cry.)

We had many bouts with illness. I got to know the attendance secretary by first name. Stomach flu, respiratory flu, mono, strep, eardrum rupture and H1N1... Reid had chest x-rays and blood work, Trey had blood work, and Cade made a trip to the hospital. We found a new doctor very quickly.

Cade and Reid made new friends through sports. They both played basketball at the Y. Cousin Jaxon was on Reid's team. Then Spring soccer, Cade's team made it all the way to the championship game. Baseball and T-Ball overlapped soccer. It was a very busy few weeks. We had some time off during the summer. Then fall soccer started up the same day that school did. The last sport of the year was volleyball for Cade. His team was undefeated and he absolutely loved it.

We took a family vacation during Craig's summer shut-down. We traveled to Tennessee and Georgia, visiting Uncle Don, Uncle Todd, and Uncle Brad (and their families of course). It was a blast and the kids traveled great.

Since we don't actually have our own house, we spent a lot of time at Grandma and Grandpa's. It's been really nice now that their addition is finally finished. I don't think the chaos ever bothered the kids though. They still were able to get lots of attention from Grandma and Grandpa, and the got to know their Uncle Bob and Aunt Judy even better. (Side note..... 99% of Aleah's wardrobe comes from Grandma and Aunt Judy's trips to Michigan City)

Trey's speech has improved greatly over the year. He was able to qualify for a summer study and that led to a big burst. Praise God for that. If there is one fact that makes me glad that we have went through this move, it is that.

All three boys are doing well in school. Aleah is growing up and definitely has her own opinion about things. Fun and exciting to see her growing, but also hard and exhausting.

It's been a hard year, but it's still easy to see all the blessings.

"Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" Job 2:10