2010..a year in review

I can't believe that 2010 is over! It went by so fast! We had a lot of things happen in our family so I thought that I'd post some of the highlights. So, here I go..

My family lost an amazing person in January. My Aunt Maureen passed away after a long battle with cancer. Felicia and I were able to fly back east to attend her funeral. And, since we were there Felicia was able to see some of the sites like Washington D.C. and Gettysburg. She really enjoyed that part of our trip.
We also lost my Grandma's brother Uncle Joe right before Christmas. He was an amazing man and I learned alot about his life (and some of my Grandma's) at his funeral.
Neil turned 36th on the 4th of January. It's really hard to get him presents because his birthday is so close to Christmas that it makes it hard to shop for him. But, the kids and I still tried to make it fun. He still works at St. Marks hospital. And, he's still teaching the concealed carry and hunters education courses. So, he's plenty busy with that. He also hunts a lot so that helps to keep him out of trouble.
I turned 34 on the 24th of February. I really don't like to celebrate my birthday, it just reminds me that I'm another year older. But, the kids and Neil really do try to make it a fun day for me. I still work with the 3rd and 4th graders at Woodrow Wilson. I really love my job, even though it gets to me every once in a while. Some of those kiddos life stories just break your heart and it's hard not to bring it home with you. I am in cubscouts again, I only have 4 boys and I'll lose one this month because he turns 12. I truely hope I can be a good leader and help this group of boys, although small, earn their awards (especially their Arrow of Light).
Felicia is 14 yrs old. She loves the 8th grade and she's made honor roll every term so far! She babysits for a lady in our ward most of the week afterschool. She really likes it, especially the money. She loves Young Womens and is really involved in it. Her Young Womens group is small, so they pretty much combine the whole stake together. But, she likes that because most of her friends from school are in our stake.
Andrew has had a banner year. He is 11 (almost 12). He earned his Arrow of Light and really worked his behind off to get it. He has improved his grades in school, going from incompletes and C- to A's and B's. I'm so proud of him for that accomplishment! He is truely all boy and he keeps me busy. He can't wait to turn 12 and be in boyscouts and start on his path in the priesthood. I can't believe that in 3 months he'll be one of the boys passing the sacarament. I'll be one very proud mommy on that day! He is learning to play the trombone and he really enjoys it. He is also part of the "cybercore" at Woodrow. He helps the teachers setup their Wiki pages. He also takes photographs for the school and posts them on the schools Wiki site. He really enjoys that, and tech stuff like that is right up his alley. He also was able to go on a motorcycle trip with Neil. They made it to Arkansas before they had to turn back because of tire issues. Which worked out really well, because about a week after they came home, Andy was able to go on a cruise to Alaska with his grandparents! He really had a great summer!
Nick turned 8 and was baptized. Neil and I wanted my dad to baptize Nick for us because Nick's middle name is the same as my dad's. And, my dad graciously accepted. It was a very small, but a very nice baptism. Nick was the only one that day, so it was up to my family to come up with the program. That made it very interesting for me. Nick was so excited he couldn't stop talking about for weeks. He loves 3rd grade, especially his teacher. He is getting very good grades and really enjoys reading the harder books. He started scouts and is very close to earning his wolf badge. He only has a few more things to pass off. He is my little monster. That kid has no fear and does the stupidest that most people would probably end up in the hospital over, but not him. And, the things I find in his pockets..oh my gosh!
I am so grateful that my family, pretty much, made it through the year safe and healthy. I am also so grateful for the gospel in our lives. It is so neat to be able to see my children grow and gain testmonies of their own. And, I love listening to their prayers at night, they are so sweet and innocent (and sometimes funny). I love being a mom, and the blessings that I've received from my children is unbelievable.
I hope that this year will be just as great as last year was, even though we had a few sad events, last year wasn't bad at all.