A GREAT 2008!!!

It's hard to say goodbye to such a wonderful year! As a family we have accomplished so much, but as individuals we have much to be proud of as well.

We started off with a race to the finish. For M that race included the marathon and school. He trained in all his free time for the marathon and by sheer bad luck got the flu two weeks before the race. He was a trooper...or maybe he's just stubborn...anyway, he complete the marathon and has a cool medal to prove it.

The real race was the one we'd all been running for the past year and half. M had one more semester to complete and we knew it was all going to go by so quickly. In April he had the first ceremony - an awards banquet. All 4 of our parents we with us to celebrate the end of this chapter. A few weeks later he completed his finals and we were ready to head to China! We started off our big excursion with a stop in San Francisco. It was our trip to us - for hanging in there when we barely had time to see each other because of a group project, reading assignment, quiz, etc. Those three days were wonderful - just the two of us. That stop was the perfect beginning to our big trip ahead. We'd been preparing for China for months with shots and luggage and clothes - not knowing what to expect. Excited and nervous all at the same time. It was the trip of a lifetime and what better way to travel than with 100 of your closest friends?! So I had Starbucks every morning and lived off of granola bars most of the trip...but I'd it again in a heartbeat for a chance to go back.

Three days after we returned, M walked the stage at his graduation. There were tears of joy, relief and definitely satisfaction on that day. I was so proud of him, but even more proud of us! The next day little A turned 2! We were very lucky to have all of our family with us to celebrate both of these special occasions.

In June we headed to Port Aransas for our annual trip with my family. The kids loved every minute of it...even if they were fighting by day 3. :) Oh well. What can you expect? :)

Then a week later we went down to Galveston to celebrate the 4th of July with M's family. We had just been to the beach so we were a little beached out, but we still enjoyed spending time with family members we don't see as much. Even his sister and her family made the trip down from Las Vegas to be with us! The highlight of the trip was fishing off the back deck. Z couldn't get enough. Especially after he caught his first fish. A on the other hand didn't have as much sucess. Unless you count breaking a window with his head as successful. Ugh.

The rest of the summer was a blur. We went canoeing with the boys, went zip lining just the two of us, IBM family day at Sea World and had many other fun outings on the weekends.

In August Z was placed with the perfect teacher for him. This will be his last year at First Foundations and we have truly enjoyed our time with Mrs. Garcia. She has 4 boys of her own and the minute I heard that my heart was at ease. He loves her dearly and she knows just how to challenge him when he needs it most.

Along with school for Z, the fall was filled with soccer practices and games. It was his first year to play and he was a mighty Leafhopper. The season started off a bit rough as I knew it would but eventually it worked itself out. He was blessed to have a patient coach. :)

Little A also played soccer through the Soccer Tots program. He thought it was really neat to have something of his own to do once a week. But don't try to take his soccer ball. He doesn't like that! This year he was mainly Z's cheerleader. Although he did benefit from all the team snacks.

M stayed busy with the Longhorns and now has both boys chanting and keeping track of scores. It's one of his true loves. :)

I continued to play with my camera and borrow my friends' kids. The end of the year brought a huge surprise with people I didn't know calling and asking little 'ol me to take their pictures! I was flattered and overwhelmed all at the same time. I hope to grow in my photography and "clients" in the coming year.

The holidays came and went so quickly! M's mom came to spend Thanksgiving with us and it was a treat to have her here. The week after we hosted a Christmas party with lots of laughs and not enough Jell-O shots. (We'll fix that for next year.) Four days later we were off to Winter Park, CO. for Z's 5th birthday. That was a blast!!! The boys loved the snow and can't wait to go back. There was even quite a bit of whining about leaving as we drove to the airport our last day there.

By the time we made it to Christmas...WOW! A little crazy, but isn't it always? There's not much more I can say about that.
So, we're all another year older. Z is growing so fast. I can hardly pick him up anymore. Little A is not so little either. He's had his own growth spurts, both physically and with his speech. He'll tell you how it is now. :) M has a degree and marathon under his belt. And me? I've got a great business opportunity ahead of me.

Here's to a divine 2009!!