**Apparently the US Postal Service worked a little faster than I did - I am sorry for the locals that received your card today without an update on the blog**
This year I have decided to post our annual Christmas letter on the blog instead of printing it out and mailing it with the cards. I can then save some trees and shamelessly plug our blog!!
Here is a slide show of our year...I hope you enjoy!!!
Pete and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary in June and we also went to my 20 year class reunion.....wow we are old!! Pete also turned the big 4-0 this year....Old Man!
Pete stayed home again this year with the kids, but has grown a bit bored since all kids are in school this year. He has decided to head back to the "office" and has started a job search. He is trying to get on with the Sheriff's department and has passed the written and physical testing and is now in the background check process (one that we are told will take 4-5 weeks). He shouldn't have any problem with that and then he will start the interviewing process. I think this is a perfect match for Pete and it will be a great "career" for him. Any prayers will be greatly appreciated.
This has been a year of ups and downs for me (what's new?). I think it is easier to start with the down.....unfortunately I am a victim of the current recession and I lost my job as an asset manager on November 5th. I did get a severance, which I am grateful for, but will be on unemployment starting January 1st. Hopefully the market will improve after the start of the year!! Anyone need a very talented CPA?
The good news this year is that I received a "cancer-FREE" scan in July!!! My thyroid is still missing (confirmed by an ultrasound - the medical world at its finest). I feel awesome and am grateful for my B-12 shots that I learned to give myself this year!!
Hannah is growing up way too fast. She turned 11 in July and she acts like she is already a teenager!! She made it to the 6th grade (which is still elementary in our county) and is doing really well. She is in the chorus and is the "birthday announcer" on the school's news team. She made the honor roll for the first grading period and is also a member of the Beta Club. Outside of school she is doing gymnastics. In June, she had her recital for Hip Hop....she did a great job!! June also marked a new beginning for our girl....she is now a brace-face!! she has handled it so well! Hannah is such a great big sister and is really a pleasure to be around....most of the time!!
Davis graduated from Kindergarten in June and is a big 1st grader now. He has really loved school and is doing well!! He played baseball this fall and seemed to enjoy it....he was on the young side again!! His big passion (or maybe Daddy's passion) is motocross. He raced in the Moto Madness series (which he made 30 out of 32 races) and took 1st place on his pro senior bike (50cc) and 2nd on his oil inject bike. We have sold the oil inject bike and purchased a 65cc bike that he will hopefully race in about a year (if Mommy has anything to say about it)....he has to shift with this bike, so it is a little harder to ride. Racing starts up again around March...hopefully the job situation allows us to start back then!!! We have made some great friends at the track and it has been a wonderful family event. Davis has continued to be our calm, go-with-the-flow kid.
Matt is 4 and will only wear 4T (he checks everything to make sure it says 4T). He started pre-k this year and has the same teachers that Davis had. He still cries when we leave but I know it is only for a short time. In May, he fell in the trailer and busted his lip and ended up having to have his front two teeth pulled. He looks kind of cute without his teeth, but I will be glad when they finally grow in. Matty played baseball this year for the first time...he loved to bat but wasn't too hip on the field play!! He is also a motocross racer....he raced about 6 races this season on a little PW50. Pete has already moved him up to a bigger bike that he will be racing when the season starts up. Matt is such a character and continues to keep us on our toes. He knows exactly what he wants and won't budge until he gets it!!
We have added a four-legged member to our family this year....Hunter. We adopted a little over a year old German Shepherd mix (or "mix-up" according to Matt) in October. I am totally in love with this dog!!! He is so great and has been a wonderful addition to our family. Pete claims I love him more than anyone else in the family.....not true, but he is a good cuddler and he doesn't pee on the floor!!!! If we could just keep him away from the Webkins and the baseballs he would be perfect!
My extended family grew right before Thanksgiving with the addition of Lilah Anne Seabolt. After 4 grandsons, a granddaughter is quite a treat for my parents!! I just love this baby girl so much and would take her if my sister didn't have such a tight grip on her!!!!
We have done some home improvements this year. In February, we had hardwoods put in our dining room and the rest of the hardwoods sanded and resealed. Next was new carpet in the family room. We are now in the process of stripping the wallpaper in the kitchen and we will be painting over the weekend. Another huge improvement to our house was a new roof...courtesy of a tornado that came through our area in May.
I want to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas. Although the year hasn't ended exactly like we had hoped, we are grateful for all the wonderful things we have experienced this year and look forward to a new year. Our hope for you is that your 2009 is filled with much love and happiness!!
At the end of the two hour session, I was trying to get over to the 
