January 2010

The new year began with a "family" lunch at Cheddar's in Lexington! Aunt Carol and Unlce Joe drove over from Louisville to see us. We sat and ate...and ate...and apparently had several glasses of iced tea. I think all I did that meal was run kids to and from the bathroom! It was a nice visit - and gave us a chance to say goodbye to Mom and Dad before they headed back out to Arizona where the WARM weather waited for them. Apparently this is about the time I lost my memory card... because after January 1st, I don't have any more photos until February. Either that.. or we were snowed in.....? At any rate...this is my way over due January post. :)

Year End Shots

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the end of 2009! They are mostly family shots... but I had to include one of my dear Sweet Molly in here as well. Her last birthday phot with me...she turned 11 on December 28, 2009. If I had known that this would be our last real photo together, I would have made her pose a little. She was such a nervous Nellie - and the cat was in the house.

My neighbors (who I always defended to Tim and Cory) have ruthlessly told me how vicious this sweet dog was. If they had only known...... Molly was afraid of Picabo, Rocky (our rabbit) and especially Bob! Maybe if they had known - they would have been fonder of her. Who knows?

When she passed away, Tim and Cory and I debated long and hard about where to bury her. We ended up settling on a space outside of the dog pen, close to Jodi's Sweet Shelby. Her head and heart are facing towards the house...

Her rear end...?? Well... it's pointed towards the neighbors house! ;)

'Nuff said!! (Don't judge me... I had to find whatever humor I could during the time. This was my form of dealing with things...) ;)

A Little Something: Blitz to the End of the Year - 2009

Shelby left and went away to college...and McCaleb turned FIVE!!!

And Rachel danced at Castle Post for the "Hope for tomorrow" Fundraiser

I have started this post about 100 times over the past few months. Honestly...I really have. But I've just never gotten around to finishing it. ;) (As I sit here now writing... it is actually 05/18/2010...wow.)

I stopped blogging after Cooper's visit. LAST YEAR. Not because he wore me out...Cooper is a doll baby!! I just honestly made a very deliberate effort over the past year to put down the laptop and stop letting it take up so much of my time. I think that during the adoption process of waiting for Sara to come home... I became OBSESSED with being online each and every night. I wanted to know where everyone else was in their process, how their cases were going along, did they visit their child... were their pictures on their blogs to see?? Then I began a facebook page... and it just seemed to snowball.... I didn't want that. I don't want that. So... I put the laptop down.

I don't want to feel like I am spending time with a machine, when I can be cultivating my relationship with God, my family and my friends. So I put the laptop down - and I really spent the last year investing in better priorities.

However... I have to say... since I was sort of using this blog to "chronicle" the adventures of the Hanks Gang... I am a little sad that I didn't do a little something.

Hence... my post. This is a "little something" about the end of our year: 2009.

I will hit the high spots - maybe a few low spots... and round out the year with a photo montage. Looking back... I will at least know that I spent my time the best way I could... which is with my family. We are so blessed...and as I sit here tonight... to finish this out... it's 08/19/10....I realize that I have to get started on my 2010 blitz....but I better pace myself. ;) I don't want to overdo it.