Ring In

Family of 7 plus Nana and Grandad rang in the new year while sleeping in bed. But we did plenty of celebrating before bedtime. We ate our traditional New Year's Eve meal of Chinese take-out, played board games on the kitchen table, and watched Anne of Green Gables.

Here are my top ten favorite moments of 2008:

10. Being an at-home-mom, and playing with my children. Watching Madilyn play soccer, reading with Elise, baking with Amelia, building race tracks with Truman.
9. Running. Waddling when I was pregnant. Longs runs with Karen post-pregnancy.
8. Monthly Book Club meetings (favorite books of the year: Thirteenth Tale, Tenderness of Wolves, and The Road).
7. Any time spent exclusively with my husband - dinners at Clydes, late night dates, and getaways. All, much too rare.
6. Seeing my first two publications in print (Motherwords).
5. Visiting Katie in Utah - seeing Othello, shopping, Las Vegas, and cup cakes.
4. New York City with Karen, Madilyn, and Elise!
3. Seeing Madilyn get baptized and having both sets of grandparents there for the occasion.
2. Birth of Charlotte Jane - our gift, our sunshine, our blessing.
1. Being surrounded by family (5 sweet children and a wonderful husband) on Christmas day, snuggling, reading our new books, playing with toys, enjoying a scrumptuous meal, and counting our blessings.