Another year is here....what will it bring?

Sorry to all for the negative post last night - I really am so thankful for everything that has happened this year. Here are some highlights of 2008....
** We adopted Lilly, our sweet and goofy English bulldog puppy. After a horrible bout with pneumonia and a cherry eye surgery, she is finally healthy! She is our baby and such a funny addition to our family.
** V started 3rd grade at a new school. Her previous school (where I teach) only goes up to 2nd grade as it is a primary school, so this brought some nervousness on both of our parts. Her first time in a new school AND her first time not at school with Mommy. However, we both survived and she is doing really well! She made "A" honor roll for the first 9 weeks so we are incredibly proud of her.
** Tim survived a crazy freak accident at his work where the roof was blown off and his office was destroyed. While he wasn't there at the time, it was a long few months while the roof was being repaired and he had to work in a makeshift office. Thankfully he is back in his office and able to get things back in order.
** We found a fantastic new doctor's group for V's ADHD. This may not seem like a big deal to some, but it was a huge help for our family. I LOVE her new doctor and psychologist and they have been a huge asset as we transitioned to the new school this year.
** My niece Madison Brooke was born in July. She is such a sweet blessing to our family! We enjoy spoiling her -- V loves being "the big kid" who gets to help take care of her. Plus, it's the best arrangement - I just give her back to my sister when she gets fussy or needs a diaper change. :)

So, that was our 2008 in a nutshell. What happened for you and your family this year? I am so excited to see what will happen in 2009!

Happy freakin' new year

I am not normally a grouch...those who know me well can attribute to that (my husband does not need to add any input here). However, there are a few things that rile me up and annoy me. I HATE fireworks. Now, if it is the 4th of July, I think they are great. I love buying sparklers and small fireworks and doing them in the driveway. But on New Years Eve? Really??? Right after college, when Tim and I had first gotten married, we lived in a small apartment (which seemed so big to us at the time lol) across the street from a family of some Oriental descent. They LOVED shooting fireworks and would pick the oddest days of the year to shoot them. Tim and I used to joke that we knew all the Chinese holidays after living there. We had a golden retriever at the time who was terrified of fireworks and I used to get so annoyed seeing her so scared and hiding in the bedroom. Fast forward almost 6 years - now we live in a neighborhood down the street from these people who will shoot fireworks for any occasion. They just started about 15 minutes ago. Are they done? Nope - they will shoot them on and off ALL.NIGHT.LONG. We don't have our golden any more but we have this 72 pound weenie bulldog named Caedmon who HATES fireworks. He just started crying and whining and will keep it up all night long. To top it off, V just got woken up too. She has been up late several nights over this break and has been having a hard time falling asleep at her normal bedtime. She just fell asleep...now she's back up. Arrrrghhh....I hope you guys are having a better New Year's Eve!