A look back at 2009

This picture was taken in January. She had recently gotten a hair cut and was all about curly Sue. It is amazing to see the difference a single year can make in the face of a child. All of the pictures on this post start with one from Jan. 2009 and end with one taken at Christmas time.

Avery is our child wonder. Not a day goes by that I am not amazed by this child. She has a tender heart, she is kind, she is a quick wit and she can hold her own. She can put a smile on everyone's face and she will melt your heart with her quips and sentiments.

Avery turned 4 and had a Tinkerbell party at the Como Zoo in July. We had sub sandwiches, saw the Sparky the Sea lion show and Grandma Fish paid to have her face painted and her hair done all whacky and hot pink. It was truly the first highlight of her birthday which was soon followed up by the gift from Grandma and Grandpa Fowble which was her very own bounce house! The kids have enjoyed that gift almost as much as I have :)

This summer, Avery took swimming lessons at the Shakopee pool. She was awesome at it and had no fear. It was amazing to watch her swim under the water at only 4! She also learned to ride her bike without training wheels on her birthday. She picked it up very quickly and was off riding down the street with neighbor Brandon everyday.

We did gymnastics with her as well and I think that she really enjoyed it. But, when the summer was coming to an end I asked her to choose between Dance and Gymnastics and after a few back and forths she settled on dance. We signed her up and she started back at Studio 4 in the fall and she is absolutely loving it. Her BFF Sophia is in the class with her which is always a good thing and her new friends Kameryn and Keira from last year are there with her as well.

This summer, Avery, Bria and I took a trip to visit the Fowble's in Kansas City. The girls and I had a blast on our girls only trip and Avery loved her together time with Grandma Janet. It is amazing how the dynamic changes when there are only 2 kids involved.

Avery is in her last year of preschool at Shepherd of the Lake. We have truly enjoyed the program and Avery has excelled both socially and academically. The addition of faith to her learning has proven to be inspiring as both Chadd and I stare in awe as our 4 year old recites bible verses and dinnertime prayers. She will start Kindergarten in the fall in the new district that we moved into. We are still not sure whether or not we will do full day or half day but I am sure that we will do what is right for all of us as it somehow always turns out that way.

Bennett is our handsome little man who always seems to find himself in a heap of trouble because his curiousity takes a hold of him and there is no stopping that. He is bold and articulate and thinks about 90 miles an hour so his words come out at an octive higher than most. He enjoys boy things as he is a boy through and through.

Rarely can the girls build something that does not bear witness to the destruction of Benny J! It makes daily activites quite challenging and most of the time quite comical. It is so amazing to witness gender differences that are somehow just part of the fabric of an individual child.

Benny turned 2 this year complete with a Mickey and Minnie Mouse birthday party. He sure had a blast eating all of his cake and displaying it proudly on his face for all to see.

We put him in gymnastics with Bria to see if his energy could be put to good use in a place where virtually nothing or no one could get hurt. He excelled at the bars and really enjoyed going every week. They would put little cones in front of the rings and the kids would hang from the rings and use their legs to kick down the cones. It was really funny one day when we were out and Bennett saw a cone. He picked it up and exclaimed, "It's a kicker!" I love how his little mind works.

This summer, Bennett got to have his 2 week trip out west with Grandma and Grandpa Fish. They went hiking and camping all across the western United States. I'm not quite sure what if anything he remembers from the trip other than the one thing that is certain because you can catch him exclaiming it, "2 Weeks!"

Bria is our little sweet heart. She has many nicknames which I find odd because I never thought I would be one to dole them out. She goes by Bria, Bria Gia, Bria G, Peep, Tushy, Breez, Bri, Bee-ah and most commonly Breezy. She is bright and smart and an actress at heart. Her facial expressions alone are enough to charm any sucker who has a 2 second conversation with her. Watching her grow over this past year has truly been a delight.

Bria tried out Gymnastics this summer and she was pretty darn good at it. Her little body is more pliable than a gumby I swear and it is hilarious to watch her do the splits. She is tiny and compact and as flexible as they come.

She also decided to give dance a try this fall. The first few classes went well. But, by the third class she lost interest and it seemed that going potty and playing out of the studio with the older girls was more enticing. She exclaimed, "I don't want to go to dance EVER!" in her sassy little way complete with facial expressions of disgust, arms gestures and hip thrusts...okay okay Bria, we got the picture!

This year she will be heading on her trip with Grandma and Grandpa Fish on a train out to Washington D.C. She knows all about it and will tell anyone who wants to know that she is going on a train with her grandmother.

In the fall, she will start preschool. It will be wonderful for me to be able to spend some time with her and Bennett in a class room setting as our busy lives have not allowed for us to put them into any ECFE classes thus far.

Looking back at 2009, it seems to me that our theme was change. Each month had its own triumphs and challenges as I am sure most months do for anyone. We started off the new year with spirits high excited for what was to come. I was in my second month back at Ingenix working full time. Chadd had just been appointed project manager for a very large project that was slated to go live at the end of the year. The kids were dropped off each morning with Miss Mensen who adored our children as they adored her. With the economy in such a crunch we were excited to learn that his travel would be slim to none for the first part of the year. That sentiment actually remained true and his first work related trip did not happen until June. Before June however, he was able to travel in April to Las Vegas for one of his high school friends' bachelor party and we also traveled to Cleveland for the Wedding. Over the course of the year, he was able to travel to France twice, Tokyo and Melbourne Australia. His project went live in November and was deemed a success.

I was busy at work meeting new friends. Besides the bonus of having my very best friend, Sara, at work with me each and every day, I met two awesome women, Maria and Holly, who I have grown extremely close to and who I am so blessed to have in my life. I spent most of my time doing my job, working out and chatting with my 3 girlfriends at work. In hindsight, I had it made :)

Shortly before spring, our daycare lady Miss Mensen had had another baby and decided that she would not be offering a preschool curriculum at her daycare the following year. Since Chadd and I had talked about possibly moving towards Chanhassen or Minnetonka, we decided that a new daycare was in order. We found a wonderful daycare in Eden Prairie and our kids enjoyed the wide open spaces and daily trips that they experienced with Miss Theresa.

In July, we took a family trip to Wisconsin dells where we had one of the most fun times in recent Fowble Five History. I hope to make the Dells a yearly or at least every other year summer time trip.

Towards the end of the summer, after numerous "signs" that maybe I had come to the end of my journey with Ingenix, I decided to quit my job and head back home with the kids. I was fortunate to be able to get my old job back and I had a wonderful 8 month break from the 24/7 grind of being a stay at home mom.

After I had quit my job and we took the kids out of daycare, we decided that there just wasn't enough on our plate and we put our house up for sale. After an astonishing 5 days on the market, our house sold and we were in desperate need of a new place to call home. Chadd and I have very different search methods and our top 5 criteria were not matching in order of importance. We went over many options, scenario's, and about 45 home showings before we found "the one." We are excited to say that our new home in Carver feels like it was meant to be ours and that it was made for our family. The kids are enjoying the freedom that a cul-de-sac gives you(and so am I :)). We have trees in our backyard, the perfect amount of space for everyone and wonderful new neighbors who welcomed us immediately.

The move and the hustle and bustle of the Holidays made the end of our year fly by rather quickly. We are slowly furnishing the houseand trying to find a place for every little thing that had a place at the old house thanks to Chadd's expertise and 5 1/2 years.

I am looking forward to a slower pace this year. More time with my family and the kids before Avery will start Kindergarten in the fall. Enjoying the new house and all that this beautiful area has to offer. Simply a fresh start for our family. I hope that you all have thoughts on what this new year will bring and hopes to make this year exceptional and better than the last.

Cheers to you and yours as we embark upon 2010!