When Life Hands You Lemons, Decorate for Christmas

Right now we are supposed to be celebrating Derek's birthday. We had planned the menu, ordered the cake, and even bought yummies to complete a hot chocolate bar. Instead we are (hopefully) recovering from being sick. :(

Man, oh man it has been a long 8 days. God has blessed us with great health, and we do our best to support our health. Afterall, it IS our responsibility! We are fortunate to almost always dodge the cold and flu germs that buzz around from time to time. However, this time the flu bug has caught us and has stung us hard. It started with Derek last Friday night and has lingered between the 3 of us for 8 days. We are SO over this! And why did it have to hit during the week that Ryan and I had off work and the week of Thanksgiving?! Ugh. Well, things could always be worse. And now I will be extra grateful for good health.

Even though we were feeling crummy, we wanted to put up our Christmas tree to lift our spirits. Derek thoroughly enjoyed decorating the tree. He says the lights are "preeeetty" and he enjoyed putting the "orments" on the tree. I love this sweet little boy and love to watch him have a good time. I am thankful for this memory we made. :)

Choo-choooooooo

Derek built this "choo-choo main main main" all by himself. I must say I was kind of impressed. ;) He has been into trains lately. I'm pretty sure it's what he and his nursery buddy Gage play together.

Trick or Treat

This Halloween was the first that we took Derek trick or treating. He did surprisingly well going door to door. It was as if he innately knew what to do. He went as a puppy dog because he told me that's what he wanted to be. A few weeks before Halloween I asked, "Derek, what do you want to be for Halloween?" His response was, "dog" even though he obviously has no concept of Halloween at all. Ha!

Mom and Pop came over to see him, and I'm SO glad they did. We had a great evening!

The previous night we went to a Halloween party at Courtney and Matt's. We had so much fun, and all the costumes were really creative. I went as a gothic, Ryan went as a tourist (booorrring), and Derek was the same cute puppy dog.

OMG!!!

Elijah, Samara, Derek, Selah, Skyla

Samara and Auntie Heather

Mom and Baby Skyla

Samara and Derek

Jake, Kim, and kids came to visit toward the end of September because JAKE HAD A JOB INTERVIEW AT OUR CHURCH!!! He was offered the worship leader position and has accepted it. We are beyond thrilled, yet still somewhat in a state of disbelief. I honestly never thought they would move to Indiana from Arizona. They absolutely love it out there, and AZ just "fits" them so well. However, we cannot wait to have them here....AND at our church!

We had so much fun with them during their visit here. It was so precious to see Derek interact with his cousins. We look forward to making lasting memories with them!

Goodbye Collin

Our last night with Collin

Collin's going away party

Our last walk with Collin

We made the heart wrenching decision of giving our sweet puppy dog away. Our decision became final when we found an exceptional couple who had been looking to open their home to a Bichon. Collin was a perfect match for Charles and Katie. And Charles and Katie were a perfect match for Collin. They took to each other immediately at the first meeting. Knowing this has made the transition a lot easier because we know he has a fabulous new home, and he is happy. Collin will always hold a special place in our hearts. We miss you, Doody!

Vera Bradley Tennis Classic 2010

This year's Vera Bradley Tennis Classic was another success. There was over $800,000 raised to fund the fight against breast cancer!!!

From cocktails on court, to match play, to the celebration dinner, it was a very busy and very fun weekend. I am proud to be part of an event that is so passionate about ending this disease!

Aunt Rita plays in the Classic every year in memory of her sister (my Aunt) Rebecca.

Cocktails on Court with my bestie.

Congrats, Mom!

My Mom has officially retired! She taught elementary special education for 25 years. Now that is dedication! We are so proud of her and so excited for her to embark on a new chapter in her life.

The school hosted a dinner party in honor of all the retirees. She, along with 3 other teachers were honored that evening. Mom felt so special. She had an absolute ball, and it was great to be able to celebrate the ending of her teaching career. Congratulations, Mom! We love you, and we are so proud of you!

Way to go, Mom!

Mom and her co-retirees