This photo was taken a year ago, today. Last January, we were still living in our 1-story, 3-bedroom home in south Broken Arrow, OK. A lot of our color scheme in our new home is the same (shades of gray), although the furniture in our living room is new. Alyssa was a little too young to stay up & ring in the New Year with us then, but Jeremy, Katrina & I played with the Bendaroos she got for Christmas last year, making a nice “mural” on the top of the Disney Princess tent the girls had also received as a Christmas gift, to pass the time before the ball drop on TV.

This was the only non-“house-related” photo I could find for the month of February. It shows how big Aly was getting — growing out of her crib. Jeremy turned the big “3-0” & we also celebrated our 10th Valentine’s Day together — the anniversary of the date he proposed to me!

In March, Kat took after her Mom, in talents/hobbies by graduating from a 6-week course in clog-dancing. She, her Nana Annette & I still dance together, performing in shows in our locale. Pretty soon, she will be celebrating her 1-year anniversary of clogging!

April brought about 2 Birthdays, mine & Katrina’s. She had a TinkerBell-themed party to celebrate her 7th Birthday at our local Pump it Up inflatable playground & even Alyssa had a great time! A couple weeks prior to that, she had her first 2 baby teeth removed. Long story, but basically, they wouldn’t come out on their own & the adult ones were not coming in correctly, so we had to go through the oral surgeon route. She was a trooper, though & enjoyed a nice banana split breakfast & some great presents from the Tooth Fairy, after all was said & done.

In May, Aly got to experience a new first — getting her hair cut! She was surprisingly still & quiet & seemed to enjoy looking at herself in the mirror. This was her reaction to the whole thing! We were really proud of her. I think it helped that “Mommy” & “Big Sis” got theirs cut at the same time…

June came & our new home was getting closer to completion by the week. This photo shows the paint color that Kat had picked out for all 3 upstairs bedrooms (our master is downstairs & matches the gray in the rest of the house). Needless to say, we were all getting excited… Katrina also went with her Nana & I that month to her very first clogging workshop in Grove, OK. The adults had even competed & won the gold in our division, for our categories! All of us had a great time!

The hot, Oklahoma summer was actually rather rainy this July. We went to watch the Tulsa fireworks display at the Arkansas river & it was cut short, we originally thought that was due to impending storms, but found out later, something had failed to go off, so they were unable to continue… No one was injured, just a fluke happenstance. In the middle of July, Kat & her Dad were able to pull her first baby tooth that came out on its own! This was a big deal, especially since those first 2 gave her so much trouble, she had to have them removed under anesthetic just a couple months before. Then, on July 30, Jeremy & I signed the closing documents & began moving in to our new home. It was raining cats & dogs that morning, when we picked up the U-Haul, to load it, but by the afternoon, once we got our keys, all was clear & sunny again, thankfully.

August meant a new school & a new grade for Katrina. She was more than excited, to say the least. We had found out that our new home was only 2 houses down from the bus stop! Our previous home was only 2 blocks away from her last school, so riding the bus was never an option. This made things so much cooler (not to mention, easier on Jeremy & I, transportation-wise). She continues to enjoy being a bus-rider & a big, 2nd grade student, with lots of new friends in her class & a great teacher this year!

In September, Jeremy & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. While Grandma Linda watched the girls, he & I went on a long weekend vacation to Branson, MO. I had wanted to ride on the Branson Belle riverboat since I’d first seen it, as a kid, when I had a clogging competition in Branson. So, we got tickets & had a nice dinner & show cruise, as the sun set.

October brought about many of the “Fall Happenings” I mentioned in the previous post. This was the only picture I could find that was from a different event, not mentioned before — a trip to Woolaroc, a local museum & wildlife refuge, that we took the girls on, one weekend when the weather was cooperative. Gotta love a nice, sunny, dry, Oklahoma fall day! Just to recap, also during the month, Alyssa turned 3 & had a Curious George-themed Birthday party at our new house & the girls both dressed up as “candy corn witches”, when we went trick-or-treating with their cousins & other family members on Halloween. We took a trip to the pumpkin patch & Aly got to help create her first ever Jack-o-Lantern (see pics in previous post).

Our family Thanksgiving dinner was hosted by us this year, at our new home, as well. This was the first turkey I’d had the privilege of baking on my own & I have to admit, it was not bad, if I do say so, myself! We enjoyed having the company of those who came & are grateful for all our relatives, even those who were away, and/or live in areas to far from here to be able to join us on such an occasion. We’ve had a lot of blessings to be thankful for this year, as you can see…

And, the month of December will not be forgotten, of course! So many things happened, it’s been the “icing on the cake”, so to speak! Each of the girls had a special performance; first, Kat got to play “Frosty the Snowman” in a clogging performance with her Nana & I, out at Woolaroc, the place I mentioned above. Then, Alyssa was in the Preschool Christmas musical, “Don’t Be Scared” at our church. Her little group (all the 2 & 3 year olds) sang about 5 songs, which she participated so well in! We took the girls to see Santa & this year was the first one that Aly didn’t get upset — she even asked him for a specific toy for Christmas! The girls & I made Christmas cookies — 10 plates worth — & shared with family, when we went to visit each side. We’re hoping to finish the last of them off sometime this evening, before the ball drops on TV. Christmas is a true time to remember our Saviour & be grateful for the many ways God has so graciously given to us, out of His abounding love. We pray that all of you had a wonderful Christmas & like us, are anticipating the New Year with peace, love & joy in your hearts!