What a year.

2009 was an amazingly crazy year.

Last new years we were in our home in Germany, freezing as the kids lit their sparklers while freezing by the firepit in our yard. It was SO cold.

In February we went to Paris. It was so amazing and we had such a great time.

Early March we went to Austria with our church homegroup. Such a great time, and so many memories.

At the end of March the boys and I flew back to the States with Darryl's dad to move back and live with my parents a couple of months before Darryl. I missed (and still miss) my friends in Germany. They are like family to me and I'll never forget them.

March-June we had a great time catching up with our family and the boys got so spoiled by their grandparents. June 4th, Darryl flew home from Germany! We celebrated Caleb's 4th birthday on the 21st with family and friends.

There was supposed to be a 2 month time frame from when Darryl was getting out of the Army to him going to the FAA Academy for his air traffic control job in Baton Rouge, which was perfect for us because Darryl got paid until August with the Army. We kept waiting and waiting to find out the date for the Academy in preparation to his job in Baton Rouge, but nothing. So in July Darryl called and found out that if he still wanted the Baton Rouge position it would be January before he'd get there. Well, that was impossible for us since he was almost officially out of the Army, so he asked if there was anything else. Lo and behold, they had room at the airport in Jackson, MS and he'd leave 2 weeks later for the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. I cried because we had actually started a contract for building a house in Walker, near Baton Rouge, and because I had so been looking forward to living so close to family! But, at the same time, I knew this was God and it would all work out better than anything I could come up with myself. So, we went to the cities surrounding Jackson and went househunting. Found the house we wanted the 2nd day we were there and put an offer on it. The seller accepted and we were so excited.

In August, Darryl left for Oklahoma City and the boys and I stayed in Slidell with the family.

On September 5th Ayden turned 2, so the boys and I drove 12 hours to go visit Daddy that week so he could see his boys. It was a great time. September 15th I closed on the house here in Brandon, MS. On the 24th-25th, the movers came and brought all of our stuff. I couldn't have done it without my parents and Darryl's mom here helping me through everything since Darryl was gone. They were such an integral part of me not going insane through this whole process! LOL On the 26th Darryl flew in! He finally got to see the house again with our stuff in it and was amazed at how much was done. It was so nice to have him back.

October was spent getting things just the way we wanted everything, though it also included 2 or 3 trips to Slidell, and our friends coming here to visit!

November we had everyone here from both families for Thanksgiving and had a great time!

And now in December we've been keeping so busy, been to Slidell and able to celebrate Christmas with both families. We have had such a crazy, amazing blessed year, and I am so thankful for everything God's given us. Even when we don't know the outcome, He always does and always gives us more than we could ever ask or think.

I don't usually do many resolutions for the New Years thing, but I do have many goals for myself and my family that I hope we can achieve.

* to grow in our love for the Lord. Caleb is learning Bible verses and I hope by memorization he learns to love it and love God for everything He's done for us. Ay is still a little young, but he can memorize too!

* to be a patient teacher to my little students. my babies. I hadn't planned on homeschooling for Caleb's preschool, but I am really glad I am. I love being the one teaching him to read. It can be so frustrating, but ultimately it's so rewarding. Ayden loves learning too, and he listens to alot of what I'm teaching to Caleb. We still aren't sure as to wait we are doing for kindergarten, either private school or homeschooling.

*to play more, and clean less. A clean house is what I love, it's what really makes me happy, but I'll try to do it more when the boys are sleeping and just enjoy them. There always seems to be too many things to do and not enough time in the day.

*speaking of doing things, I hope to craft more this coming year. Craft with the kids, and just projects for the house and stuff like that. I love that kind of thing.

*to grow our own garden. I really would love to go pick cucumbers and bell peppers with the boys. I've always wanted my own vegetable garden.

* to grow in my photography. I hope to start a business this year, but most of all I hope to get as close to perfect as I can with the thing I love to do so much.

To be a better wife, mother, friend, daughter, all of the above! I can be so selfish sometimes, and could use a swift kick in the rear at those times. :) I'm just so thankful that God placed us where HE wants us to be used, and I hope we realize in this next year what He put us here for and that we do His will. Happy New Year Everyone!!

Thankfulness.

I'm thankful. I promise. But it's been SO very busy around here, I just haven't had time to blog about it!! And even though I really don't have time now because I have a huge pile of laundry to do, and floors to vacuum, and toilets to clean, I'm making time. Because if I don't, it'll be Christmas before I do, and I cannot let Christmas come without being able to share what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for..

*the cross, and for Jesus who died on the cross to save me from Hell.

*the Bible. It's the only book I have time for these days, and really the only one that matters.

*an amazing husband who supports me and loves me without fail.

*the 2 most amazing, wonderful, handsome, curious, witty boys on the planet. I love my bubbies.

*an awesome Mom & Dad who have taught me so much and have become my very close friends, they are awesome Grandparents too.

*a hilarious brother. He is such a fun person to be around and I look forward to all the moments we get together. He always has a good attitude no matter what. I'm thankful for his wife and kids too. They are SO cute and I just love hanging out with Sarah.

*wonderful inlaws who are always there for us, they are amazing grandparents too.

*the ability to drive 2.5 hours to see those grandparents. That's such a blessing. Just a year ago we'd have to take a 12 hour flight plus layovers.

*for friendships. I've made so many amazing friends in Germany and here back home. I cherish every one of them, and miss my friends I left behind!

*for laughter. It's what makes me tick. I love to laugh, and I love to be with people who love to laugh. It's just who I am.

*tickle fights. They make the bubbies dimples show. And I love their dimples.

*Freedom fighters. All of the ones past and present fighting for our freedom. They are heroes. Darryl's brother just got back from Iraq in September, I'm so glad he made it home safely We're so grateful for his service.

*Darryl's sister Julie. She's my sis, and I love her. She's grown so much in the time since I've known her, and I'm so glad to be able to call her a close friend.

* an awesome church family in Slidell who treats us as if we were never gone every time we go back.

*my bestie, Lisa. She moved to Cali this year but I got 2 months with her before she left and got to meet her baby girl, Aubrey. She's sooo cute. Lisa's been my best friend since best friends mattered. I miss and love my Wheeza!

*Our beautiful home! We were so blessed to be able to have bought our first home this year. We love it so much and so do the boys.

*webcams. They make smiles, and googly eyes, and all that snazzy stuff happen. When we were in Germany it's the only real way the boys knew their grandparents. And now I get to see Aubrey in them too! :) Score.

*Urgent care. Because even if they can't live up to their name, they still get the job done and make my bubbies better.

*Amoxicillan. It makes the double ear infections go away.

*My camera. Because I'd die if I couldn't capture these memories in still form. I want to remember how little the bubbies were, and how funny Ayden looked when he spilled the rice krispies all over the floor. Or remembering the look of amazement on Cbear's face when he was picking up acorns off of the ground. Those are things we could easily forget, but I won't, and I'm so glad I won't.

*A constant mess to clean. Because it means my boys can run around an be boys. There isn't an illness taking over their bodies, they are just healthy little, rambunctious boys who love to get into things. And I can handle that. :)

*Traveling. The chance to be able to travel Europe was amazing and I wouldn't change the 4 years we lived there for anything. I loved seeing the Eiffel Tower, Coliseum, and Berlin Wall. There were soooo many things we got to see and I hope to see more some day.

*Computers and Internet. I just don't even know how I'd live without it. It makes so much possible!

*STORES! Clothing, grocery, craft, you name it! After 4 years of not getting to shop much in Germany, I am surrounded by awesome stores 5 minutes from my house!! Good for me! Not so good for Darryl. ;)

*The moon. I love looking at the moon, and so does my Ayden. Sometimes when I'm driving at night and there's a beautiful moon I won't go home right away, but I'll take the long route and just stare at the moon. It's an amazing thing.

*books. The boys love em', and I do too. I just wonder when I'll get the chance to read one without pictures again.. haha.

*the ability to have Thanksgiving at our new home with my parents, my brother and Sarah and 3 kids, Darryl's parents and sister, his brother and wife and 2 kids, and us and our 2 kids! It was crazy but SO fun. Michael introduced us to a new game and I love it. I think Darryl and I are officially addicted to it. The grandparents had a blast making memories too. It was a great time.

*Christmas music. We LOVE Christmas music. It makes me all warm inside, and I can't stop playing it right now!

*Hot cuckoo coffee (hot chocolate) Because my boys love it, and so do I. I despise coffee, but I can down some hot cuckoo coffee!

There's so much more, but I'm out of time. You see, I'm behind on uploading pictures, doing laundry, cleaning floors, and vacuuming. I also have to start school back up with Caleb tomorrow, and I need to hop on the treadmill and run 2 miles. I have lunges and squats to do, and also have a 2 year old with a double ear infection to put down for a nap. My ears, head, and throat are also killing me, but who has time for that, you know? And I'm thankful for ALL of it. So, if you don't get by now why I haven't updated, you probably never will. But I will try to do it more, k?

I'm so very blessed and thankful for it.

~Erin

Are you happy God made us?

This was the question Caleb (4) asked me today while we were outside on our back porch eating our lunch together. It was so cute. I, of course, said yes. And then he went on to ask if I was happy God made Ayden, and Daddy, Dixie, Cosmo, Wesley, Justin, Pops, Nan, Dodo, Mimi, Pa J, Juji, and the list went on and on. Then he said, You know, Mommy, God made everybody!

Too cute.

Today was our first day of Abeka K4. It went really well, and I think we are going to love it! Please pray for the boys though, they are starting to cough and wheeze, and we've been blessed with them not being sick for awhile, but we have such a busy week ahead that we don't have time for sickness! :)