2010 in Review

I can't believe that 2010 is almost over! I really believe that your life just goes into fast forward mode as you get older. We have had a pretty basic and busy year. Enjoyed spending time with our loved ones this past Summer and our children have grown and kept us busy.

We are so grateful for our blessings!

I am not a great blogger, but would love to do better at writing and journaling about our little family.

This year:

January and February: Nicholas turned 7! In Feb. I hurt my back pretty bad.. didn't enjoy that too much ;). We had a lovely Valentines day and Shelley was busy playing Volleyball.

March and April: Birthdays anyone? Richard turned 38, Matt became a teenager, and Holly reached four years old! We ate lots of cake :) We enjoyed Easter and stayed busy with the everyday life.. school, work and piano.

May and June: Had the Spring Piano Recital where the 3 older performed. In June, we attended the funeral for Richard's grandmother Bernice. Saw all of Richards family in Idaho. That was really nice. We went to the Wiedrich Family reunion in Colorado up in the mountains. It was so wonderful! Shelley stayed in Wyoming to help with her new little cousin Maddison.

July and August: Celebrated a fantastic block party for the Fourth of July! Went swimming lots with the kids. For my Birthday several friends took me out and surprised me! (I have the greatest friends here) The kids went back to school. Matt started 8th grade, Shelley the 6th, Nick started 2nd and Holly started Pre-school... although she would still like to stay home with mom.

September and October: Husker football started!!! Matt played football for his Jr. High. Loved the weather and went to a fantastic Halloween party with amazing friends to sing Karaoke!!!

November and December: Saw lots of family over Thanksgiving and through the Christmas Season. Shelley turned 12 and started Young Womens. Matt and Nick played Basketball! Enjoyed and LOVED the Holidays and had a magical Christmas with my parents in town visiting. Looking forward to a new and exciting 2011!

The Children are doing so well. Read about their activities in the posts to follow!

I am so thankful for an amazing family! We are so blessed with such amazing friends. Really, Omaha is the coolest place to live. We feel like we belong here and love our Church family, our jobs and our friends! We Wish you all a wonderful New year and hope that you had a magical Christmas!

Holly Anne

Isn't she darling? She is so sweet. She constantly tells her daddy and I how much she loves us. She loves to twirl our hair when we snuggle her. She started Pre school this fall, and actually isn't a huge fan. She doesn't like to leave me home alone.. and would prefer to stay home with mommy. It is good for her though, and I know it will help her prepare for Kindergarten next year. (Which blows my mind!!!!) She loves to go to Primary and she sings Primary songs all the time. Sometimes mixing up the words, which makes it pretty hilarious. She is so loved by her siblings. They think everything she does is the cutest. I can't believe our baby is so grown up! We are so lucky to have her!

Nicholas

Nicholas is so fun! He has grown up so much this year. He's makes us laugh all the time. He is doing a great job as a 2nd grader and is reading really well. He has been learning piano and loves sports. He played Basketball this fall. He would wear sweat pants every day if I let him, and usually I have to argue with him to get him to wear a nice shirt and jeans. Silly kid. He loves to spend time with his family and is excited to get baptized in January. He is such a cutie too!!! I love all those precious freckles!

Shelley

Beautiful Shelley! She just turned 12 and is in Young Womens! She loves Volleyball and is Very TALL! Already over 5'7" plus! She is so sweet and loves babies. She is a great babysitter and a wonderful help around the house. She is doing so well at the flute and especially the piano. Learned "Fur Elise" this year. (Her mom is very proud;). She is a wonderful daughter and friend!

Matthew

Matthew is a great kid! We are so lucky to have him in our family! He is a delight to have around.. loves the Gospel and achieved many wonderful things with Scouts this year. He loves sports. He is a huge Husker fan, wonderful example, great big brother, friend and son. Isn't he so handsome??? We are so proud of him. Became a teenager last April.. can't believe how grown up he is! He played football and Basketball this year and has excelled in school!!!

Could someone please tell me why my posts will only put pictures above my text instead of below? it is so annoying! Do you see what I mean? I wanted this photo to go underneath what I wrote. Ugh.. I am so technologically challenged. This is a picture of the kids on Christmas Eve. They had so much fun with their cousins!

Still here

My Valentine!

Here is a picture of me with the love of my life! Isn't he so cute?

Last week was a long one! We found head lice in Shelley's hair and consequently spent the following days vacuuming, washing bedding, going through her hair and making sure we were getting it all gone. Holly got a very mild case.. and that flipped me out at first, but we got a prescription cream for the girls... and it took care of it. It was so exhausting though. It was all encompassing for almost a whole week. It cost so much $ and just really was no fun at all. But, we survived! Thanks to prayer and the strength that I know only comes from Heavenly Father. We are all doing better this week. We are all sick and tired of winter! Seriously, I don't know why.. but every February I freak out because I am just sick and tired of being cold!

I hope all of you are staying warm and bearing the winter the best that you can!

Hugs!

This I Know

In the book club I belong to we are reading a book called "The Language of God" by Francis Collins I think.. (sorry the book is not by me :)

I am so terrible about actually reading the books lately, that one of my sweet friends actually got the book for me this time. So, I have been reading. It is really insightful. It is a Scientist's proof that God does exist.

A leading Geneticist (spelling?) writes about his journey from Atheist to a Faithful Believer in God. I have always been sure of my faith in the Lord and Jesus Christ. I have always been sure of my testimony of the LDS church. I have always been sure of my testimony of the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon. These things are as real to me as the air that I breathe.

It was interesting though to see that it is harder to disprove God's existence then to prove that he does exist. There are so many answers that Science cannot explain. So many people want Evidence. If we have EVIDENCE than we would have no need for Faith. I don't need any evidence... but it is refreshing to see that such a brilliant man would take time to write this information down. I am just in the beginning stages of the book, but it is very cool.

I can't imagine not having the knowledge that I have. I know who I am. I know where I came from. I know where I am going when I die.. I know Heavenly Father loves me and my family.. and each of us are his Children. I can't imagine the pain our Father in Heaven feels when we think we can live our life happily without him in it. I can't imagine a life where he isn't the center of my life, my home and my family.

I am looking forward to 2010! I am looking forward to growing and becoming a better person each passing year!

So, these were the things on my mind tonight.. pretty deep huh:)

Happy New Year Everyone!!!