Happy New Year!

Wow! It is hard to believe that 2009 is here already! I remember all the fuss when 2000 came and people were really worried about all the technology not converting to the new year. That seemed like it was yesterday. And now we are 9 years later. Wow! Time is flying!

This last year has been a bit different for us. In February we had a bad wind storm that took a tree down behind our house. It landed on the power line and took out a few poles with it. So we ended up with no power for 5 days in the cold of winter. Thankfully we were able to stay with friends until it was fixed. Than in March we went to Washington, DC to see the museums there. That was a lot of fun with the highlight being the dinosaur bones at the Museum of Natural History. The runner up was the Air and Space Museum with all the cool airplanes and space shuttles.
Alex enlisted with the Army National Guard in Virginia and got out of the Air Force in November of 2007. So this year he had to complete all of his training in order to be up for reenlistment this last November. With that came a lot of time away from home and family. For six weeks, during May and June, he was in Texas and Oklahoma for some refresher basic training. Then for a couple months after that he was stationed in Petersburg, VA for his tech training. Thankfully we were able to see each other on weekends since it was only a three hour drive from home.
In August Michael celebrated his 8th birthday and was baptized. We also took a little vacation at Virginia Beach and got to go over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We all had a great time at the beach with Alex. Last year me and the kids went with out Alex. So it was a lot of fun having him there this time. Then in September, when Alex finished his training, we went and got a new family van that seats 12 to accommodate our growing family. Things settled down in October and on November 4th, Sarah Hartzell Thomas was born at 8:20 am. She was a bit early, but other than one complication with me, everything went well with her homebirth. She weighed 7lbs 10oz and was 20in long. Everyone loves her. And now all the kids are asking when the next baby is going to come. Oh, my!
In December we celebrated my 30th birthday by going out to a little restaurant that serves bison. I loved it and had a great birthday. Then, of course Christmas. The kids are always excited for Christmas and their gifts. This year was no disappointment even with being a bit sick, they still enjoyed the season.
Overall, we have had a busy year, but exciting with all the changes. Hopefully this next year will bring new, and good, adventures for all of us.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!