Ok, so maybe it is! However I wanted to blog about many things last year and never got a chance to do it. So these are my 2009 highlights (in no particular order):
1. Wow...this is even 2008! I am such a slacker!! I cant believe I didn't blog about our Christmas in Colorado 2008!!! We had a blast as a family and then the Holloways joined us for some more fun. We ended the trip by spending the first of 2009 with our dear friends the Davidsons in Lubbock. Love that both these friends are the kind that even though you don's see each other often, you can pick right back up where you left off!
Paul and Leighann Holloway
My great friend Jenifer Davidson..we got some shopping in :)
Having fun while the men went hunting
Ok, so John would NEVER brag about himself. But I totally will. :) He received an award in law school that he doesn't talk about it. As a matter of fact he didn't even tell me until a few years after we were married. Anyway, the Order of Barristers (according to Wikipedia) is a national honor society that provides national recognition for individuals who have excelled in advocacy at their respective schools. Basically an award that is given to only a few of the best orators in certain law schools around the nation. Only a couple were chosen in John's class. On our way out of Lubbock we stopped to see Tech and saw this plaque with his name on it in the Law School. We were so proud!
2. After 11 years of working at least 2-3 jobs at the same time, my vert intense and hard working husband began working from home!! Yea! Woo Hoo...LOVE IT!!
3. Birthdays! I blogged about some but not all. Rebekah turned 4 in January (of course she just turned 5 in 2010) and Hannah turned 11. My hubby....just got more distinguished!
Rebekah- January 10
Our amazing Nana gives her grand-daughters American Girl dolls on their 5th birthday. This is Nana and Ruthie!
Hannah-May 20
Anna, Katie and Jed also joined us. We actually celebrated Katie too bc she and Hannah share bdays. We love these two girls so much! They lived with us for almost 2 years and were sad to see them leave in August. We all knew it was God's timing and that made it a little easier but we still miss them. You know, these kids grow up and leave home :)
John- November 16
4. Summer Vacation- We spent several weeks in San Antonio visiting my family. We had a blast seeing my grandparents, my awesome brother and my amazing aunt whom I love and miss dearly.
We stayed at a hotel and they gave us a golf cart to get around. It was one of the highlights of our trip. :)
Girl cousins! Mimi got them matching shirts.
My grandfather with John. This man is such an inspiration. He fought in WWII and retired a Lt. Col. in the air force. He is a hard worker and extremely disciplined. I love this picture of him really laughing!
We also went to Sea World...fun but really HOT!! I love these two pics of Rebekah and John with their red cheeks!
Feeding the dolphins. I love John's expression here :)
5. Our 12th anniversary. We spent the actual date, July 5, at the 4 Seasons. John surprised me with a weekend stay there with lots of spa treatments. We had so much fun. I Loved it!!
We forgot it was July 4th and started hearing all the fireworks. From our balcony we saw 6-7 firework shows going on around the city all at the same time.
6. Anniversary Cruise to Alaska. A few weeks later we headed off alone (only our second big vacation since we've been married) to Seattle. We had a blast there and totally was not expecting that! Then we boarded our ship and ventured up to Alaska. It was a wonderful trip and the scenery was breathtaking!
Oh, Seattle...how we heart you!
At the original flagship Starbucks
A fun morning jog in downtown Seattle then off to Starbucks :)
Me with Tammy & Gerald Vince...this was a total divine appointment and worth all the sea sickness I experienced. They are definitely heart friends and I am so thankful to Jesus for the amazing hook up!!!
Butchart Gardens in Victoria, BC
7. Pink Purpose and Young Women's Retreat- I had the privilege of helping with Pink Purpose that was held after our annual women's conference, Pink. This after party was for young women (18-30) and was a total blast for me. I love, love, love these young women. God's word for them was, "Cherish." I also attended a retreat in November that was held specifically for this same age group. It was amazing. God is so faithful to love on and set his daughters free!
My man even helped decorate...only a REAL man would do this for his woman :)
Here is one of my dearest friends ever. Jen came and helped me and offered moral support and of course hilarious laughs :)
After Pastor and Elder David Smith shared God's Father heart for these girls he prayed over us and the Lord's presence was so sweet.
8. Houston- I had not been "home" in almost 2 years so the kids and I packed up the Suburban and headed south. We had so much fun visiting Mimi, Jon and Alicia, Grandpa Vince and Bertha and Poppo. I also got to visit my most favorite fabulous hairdresser, William Chow! Oh how I heart him! He fixed my hair from the dreaded Dallas bubble!
Me and my Daddy! I sure love this guy. He is a wonderful father and I love that he always makes me laugh.
My wonderful grandparents treated us to dinner and then we had a fun time with them in their home. I am blessed to have them. He is a POW MIA from WWII and has an amazing story and she is a funny, feisty little grandma with lots of strength and wisdom. I love them so!
Sleeping at Mimi's!
9. Princess- We added a family member in August. My kids have been praying for a girl Golden Retriever for about 2 years. On a walk one morning she followed me home and has become our own little Princess. We did take her to the shelter where they held her and tried to find her owners but no one claimed the little orphan. SO we have adopted her! She is a fabulous dog and we all love her...Mom is still a little germ-o-phobed about the hair but who am I to reject a gift that my kids have prayed for for years!!
Our first weekend with Princess was spent at our lake house.
10. Longview- We got to visit family and friends and had a wonderful time celebrating Sherri's "20th" (wink,wink) birthday. We also got to see our long lost sister, Staci, from Germany whom we miss terribly.
All the girls
Alllll the grandkids! Talk about being fruitful :)
John and his little sis, Sherri.
11.Thanksgiving- Another fun trip to San Antonio. I got to watch my grandma stuff her last bird..she said she is done fixing turkeys!! I also had some great alone time with my wonderful aunt, Deniece. She is so special to me and I loved being together. I only wish we were closer. :(
My sweet Bamba after stuffing the turkey! I love this picture of her...it makes me smile.
We went downtown to see a display on the history of San Antonio. My great grandfather is in one of the pictures. He is the one in the white cowboy hat on a horse.
Sarah with my brother, Rob.
Since we were downtown we headed to the Alamo. Interesting tidbit: My 4th great grandfather was the youngest known survivor from the Alamo. He was released with his mom after the war was over. I think he was around one. This is the room where they kept the women and children. I was totally NOT supposed to take pics but I did. Just think, if he had died....
15- The Bus- We had 13 people from Teen Mania that needed a place to stay last minute. SO, a few hours later the bus pulls up and here they came. A bunch of cool, young worshippers who are passionate about Jesus stayed with our fam and we had a blast! Also, about the same time our new amazing Nanny joined the fam! She is the one on the floor next to Rebekah :)
12. Passport to Purity- Hannah and I took a special weekend away to celebrate being a girl! We had a blast! We laughed, cried, got nails, toes and hair done, shopped a little, and ended with a fancy dinner at Tuscany. Here I got to present her with a purity ring to remind her her heart is the Lord's. I am HONORED to be this young lady's mom. She rocks!
This picture is too much! She is such a beautiful young lady..not my little chubby baby anymore. Where did these years go??
This is her purity ring. The gold heart represents hers, the large one around represents God's protection and heart for her, and the two little silver "balls" on each side represent her daddy and me helping her guard her heart and uphold her in prayer.
13. Fun Dates- I try to have a date with each kid at least a few times a year. Here are some fun pics of our times together. I have the coolest, most fun kids ever! Also, my hubs is still adamant about a once a week date and I am so thankful :)
14. Fall Fest- Gateway puts on a great fall festival. Here I had to young jedi's ready to fight for their candy! :)
I thought this was hilarious. Hannah with a cut out of Pastor Robert :)
!16. Christmas- We stayed home this Christmas and had a wonderful time as a family. It actually snowed on Christmas Eve day...ALL DAY so we woke up to a white Christmas! I will have to do a full post on our Christmas. Too many fun pics :)
This is just the tip of the iceberg of all the happenings of our 2009. God has been so faithful to our family. While it was not without some trials, the word that comes to my mind for this year was God's abundance. Abundant in His love, provision, and sweet grace. Lord, thank you. I am undone by your mercy in my life
"The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus." 1Tim 1:14
4 comments:
Nicole! I click on your blog every so often b/c I'm one of "those people." What a beautiful family you have -- you are incredibly blessed! Looks like you guys have so much fun!! And your home is absolutely amazing :) I enjoyed looking through your 2009 yearbook! All the best for a wonderful 2010!!
Fondly,
Cindy Baker
YAYYY!! I love the catch up:) Your family is absolutely precious and inspiring!! Bless you guys!
Just stopped by from the LPM blog to say how happy your profile picture makes me! I simply love it!! It is such a picture of a godly couple.
Blessings,
Holly Smith
alrighty, so after peeking in on your blog a little more, not only are we both Siesta SMT-ers and have 5 kids, but some of them even have the same names. how fun is that? mine are jacob (almost 11), rebekah (almost 9), lydia (7), joseph (4) and anna (almost 2).
blessings!
shana
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