2010 in retrospect

Is it too late for this post? I hope not!

I've been away for quite a while, but with reason as we welcomed our baby number two on New Year's Eve (YES!! I got my tax deduction in just under the wire).

That being said, 2010 was a challenging year, but nonetheless a fantastic one! (I will only focus on the highlights here)

In January we enjoyed the presence of our sister Elizabeth while her husband (my brother) was wrapping up his training in Florida. Zane got his first two bottom teeth and we decided to run away from the cold and snow of OH and traded it for sunny Miami, FL. We spent two weeks at a beautiful Westin resort in Miami, attended an incredible business conference and spent some quality family time at the pool and beach (though the water was too chilly to swim).

February was also a VERY exciting month. As we came back from our wonderful vacation, our sister Elizabeth was getting ready to pop out her baby =)!! - Baby Winston was born in the middle of a snow storm at our house. The midwife almost didn't make it and my wife thought she was going to have to deliver!! You can read more about that baby story here
Also, we enjoyed the company of my brother Benjamin and the babies grand parents. It was wonderful to be able to hold that precious baby for a couple of weeks. My wife and I got to spend a nice Valentine's date night together, as we had Zane's Grandma and auntie babysit, a rare, but cherished occasion!
February was also bitter sweet, as we had to say goodbye to Elizabeth and Winston, as they moved to their new home in FL.

The beginning of March was a good time to get back into a routine, however that 'routine' would not last long.  We got to go to Boca Raton, FL as a reward for my performance at work. We were pampered and spoiled till we couldn't take any more, and this time we got to get in the water. More on that here 

In April we were able to visit Benjamin, Elizabeth and Baby Winston at their new home. I had to get back to work, so I could only stay there a week, while Zane and Marie enjoyed 2 more wonderful weeks in sunny FL.
It was also in April when I left my job to venture out to do my own thing (that in itself would be a good blog entry).

We started off May on the right track as we traveled to Chicago to see Marie's brother Russ graduate from the Naval Academy and got to spend a weekend with him and Marie's parents before Russ was sent to his training.
We also celebrated my birthday and Mother's day that weekend in Chicago.
It was also in May when we found out we were expecting our second child!
My wife was able to travel to Michigan to participate in a big makeup event.

In June we were able to spend a lot of time together as a small family. We also celebrated Zane's first birthday. We planned a pool party, but we only expected to invite a couple of guests. The list got to be a lot bigger than we expected, but everyone had fun and Zane really enjoyed all the wonderful presents!

July was relatively uneventful, although we got to cash in two plane ticket vouchers we had saved up from a few months back so we used them to travel (yup, you guess it) back to FL to visit B, E and W again!
We also celebrated my beautiful wife's birthday.

In August, my brother Ben, Elizabeth, Winston and I took a nice road-trip to NC to attend another great business conference. We had a good time, although we sure missed Marie and Zane. We had to get back home, as our pets needed us, especially Strydess, our mini pony (a great dane).

I was going to skip September, but I figure I'd point out that we had a lot of fun redecorating our home, as we changed a lot of our furniture for antique pieces. We tend to do this quite often, but this time we think we're going to stick with this theme, as we both really enjoy it. We found some great pieces for a very reasonable price, and sold a lot of our old pieces as well.

In October we held our first Garage sale and used the proceeds to get a new gadget for the family. An iPad.. It was more of my selfish desire to get it, but now that we have it, it's nice that we can all use it, especially Zane. Marie also started a wonderful online business, it's still in its developing stage, but we have already seen its fruits, and she will do great once she's able to kick it into full gear. I'm so proud of her for such entrepreneurial spirit!

In November we were honored again to be visited by baby's grandma Pam who very graciously made presents for him and Thanksgiving & Christmas decorations for us. It was a short visit, but a needed one. We celebrated Thanksgiving as a small family for the first time. So much to be grateful for! We also put up our Christmas tree!

December was the most wonderful month of the year. Christmas is our most beloved day of the year, as we celebrate our Savior's Birth.
We didn't plan to get so many presents, but by Christmas morning there were more presents than we deserved.

 

Of course we ended the year with the most precious gift of all... our baby Ezra.

I hope everyone is having a good year so far!!