2007 Reflections

On the night of the first day of 2008, I am grateful that I have the chance to reflect a little bit about the past year (Ellie and Annie are asleep, and Matt is watching football).

We have been incredibly blessed this year. We've added a new member to the family. Annie has brought so much joy to our family. Ellie has grown by leaps and bounds; her vocabulary and reasoning skills have exploded. It has been so fun to watch her sweet personality really develop.

While Matt had a very busy work year, he continues to enjoy his job and the people he works with. He got his longed for piano and it has brought beautiful music into our home and will for years to come. We managed to pay off a little more school debt (still way too much left) and we started college funds for both of the girls.

I spent almost the entire year either pregnant or postpartum. So it's been a physically and emotionally demanding year for me. I kept up my exercise goals during my pregnancy, which I am proud of. I created a babysitting swap which as given us the chance to have date nights every Saturday. It has been a big success and I am thrilled that we are starting it again after a brief break for the holidays. Otherwise, I've enjoyed my bookclub, going on fun day trips with Ellie, and daydreaming of how we are going to pay off school debt.

We've hosted many visitors this year - my sister, Emily, and her husband; my sister, Lissa; the Joneses; the McNivens; Matt's parents; my parents; Matt's brother Randy and his family. We love having visitors and can't wait to see who is going to come this year.

Not a whole lot of trips this year since Matt's work was so busy. But we did take Ellie on her first camping trip in the Shenandoah National Park. We took quick trips to Hershey, Pennsylvania and Westmoreland County, Virginia. And Ellie and I joined our friends Laura and Grant on a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. This coming year, we want to actually take some real vacations - we are starting next week on a trip to San Diego. Can't wait.

So all in all, it's been a great year. We have so much to be grateful for. Farewell 2007, welcome 2008!