The Year in Review

(I have received several letters from friends and family about their family happenings. I have also had the pleasure of reading several such posts on your blogs...I am not one to be left out and since we have passed on the customary Christmas cards this year, I shall attempt to write one such letter here.)

This has been an interesting year.
I use the word, "interesting" because I really cannot summon any other word to my mind. It has certainly been a year to remember and I feel I need to give it adjective of some sort. "Interesting," will have to suffice.

We moved to NEPA (North Eastern Pennsylvania). We lived with Bobby's parents. We bought a house. (!) There have been many ups and downs but we are acutely aware of our blessings. We know that prayer changes everything. We know that tithing is a life saving principle. We know that marriage is a sacred union and have learned not to take it for granted. We know that laughter can chase away the tears and we KNOW that we are not alone.
We are eternally grateful for the gospel.
We are grateful for the love and the grace that has seen us through this year of years.

Bobby has become a passionate and skilled hunter. This is his first year with the bow and we are happy to report that our freezer is stocked with meat. He still pines for the moment when he can pull feathers out of his very own turkey, maybe next year....
We are so proud of his achievements in his field. He has become an ASE Master and is only a few classes away from becoming a Nissan Master.
He has torn our new house apart with his bare hands and is in the process of painstakingly putting it back together. I am always impressed with his handy man skills and am learning not to doubt him in this area.
He is a wonderful provider, a great friend and a fantastic daddy. We love and appreciate all that he contributes to our little family.

I, as you know, am pregnant. This is probably my biggest accomplishment of the year. We are so thrilled to add to our family and Bobby swears this one is a girl (we shall see).
I spend my days watching Thomas the Tank Engine and playing "This Little Piggy." It is a tough job but somebody has to do it, and as the mom, I take one for the team.
I am still working on the Scentsy thing. I am hoping the move will be good for business.
I have indulged myself with many a good book this year and resolve to continue reading until my eyes go bad.
It has been a tough move for me but I try to keep my hand in His and know that it will all work out for the very best.

Murdock.
What can we say about Murdock this year?
He is walking, talking (sort of) and has now started telling me when he has soiled himself. Is the potty just around the corner? Let's hope!
His favorite this to say is, "That's nice!" I was wondering where he got it from and then I realized that I say that. And I say it a lot. There is nothing like a little boy to let you see yourself better.
He is such a gorgeous little thing and we cannot imagine our lives without his little smile to light up our home.
It is an amazing thing indeed to see your heart walking around outside of your body.

Aisha the dog has had a rough go of things. She had a massive lump removed from her rump. It healed but recently she has become obsessed with licking it. She now has no hair on her bum. We are trying to get to the bottom of it.

It is a bittersweet thing to see this year come to a close but we are happy. We have each other. We have faith. And we have hope.
"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." -Hal Borland

Much love to all of you for the laughter, the support and the blogging!