2009-A year in review

Well, 2009 was not exactly the year that I had hoped it would be-hence the name change for the blog! There were plenty of joyful days full of love, laughter, and smiles, but, it was also a hard year with many hard days full of fear, sadness, and loss. I have to guess that a lot of the stuff going on in my own personal life took me away from blogging, and recording the joyful events of our daily lives.

But, now, it is 2010, and I have prayed that the Lord will fill this year with Joy, and renewal for our minds and our hearts! I pray that we are all blessed with health, and happiness to fill our days in 2010!

So, to kick start 2010, I have renewed the blog to express that even though our lives are full of bumpy roads, we just have to hang on, and enjoy the ride! May your 2010 make you want to smile and scream "Wheeeeeeeee....."

January-Ice storm 2009-We spent several nights in a hotel in Lexington thanks to this nasty little storm, but, we were thankful to be together, and with Bus' Grandma Bambo & Aunt Patty!

February-Quiet month for pictures-but, couldn't resist the beautiful petals of my Valentine's Day flowers! Thank you, my darling!



March-My baby turned 11! :O(



April A picture of all my little angels that I took at EKU on Easter Sunday! And, although you can't see them, the blooms in the trees were amazing, and the tulips were just gorgeous!



We went to Aunt Ruthie's for an Easter Egg hunt and yummy Lunch! Thanks Aunt Ruthie for making a special day for us!








May was quite the month, starting with the celebration of Grandma Bambo's 90th birthday. Here is Bambo with almost all of her grandkids!(My sweet Hannah was not there that day. She was at play practice for Charlotte's Web, where she played Fern.)



I took some photos of my Mom and Dad in preparation for their 50th wedding anniversary invitations. We had a great day walking around the Capitol building, Govenor's Mansion, and Berry Hill in Frankfort! The kids came along, and found there way into the pictures!


At the end of the school year the 5th graders from Kirksville Elementary got to take a trip to King's Island. Here is Hannah and her buddies!




Here is a picture of a devastating tornado that swiped thru about 1 mile from our home!



June rolled in, and Bus and I celebrated our 40th birthdays, but, we were hiding from the cameras that day, so, don't expect to see any photos! :O) Hannah graduated 5th grade, and left the only elementary school she ever attended! Goodbye, Kirksville Elementary!



We also went to the annual Elkins' family Reunion, that is held each year at Fish pond, in Jenkins, Kentucky.
My Mom and her sisters.



Some of the crazy grandkids, and great grandkids posing for a picture!



July is a time for celebration, and we certainly didn't disappoint! We had a great time celebrating with our church family! We laughed and giggled, and even got wet watching the fireworks!





We also took a day for pontooning on Lake Willowgreen!









Sadly, we hit one of those bumps in the road, as we found out in July, that my Mom had lung cancer, and so began her treatment for recovery.



In August we went to Florida-our home away from home! Bus and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary there! We were babies when we got married! :O)









We also celebrated my big boy's 4th birthday!



September was a fairly quiet month. Maya celebrated #5 and started Kindergarden. We were also suppose to celebrate my Mom and Dad's 50th wedding anniversary with a big bash, but, celebrated quietly, as a family, at their home.




Octoberr The kids were all very excited about Halloween this year, so, it was great that the weather was nice! We also celebrated Fia's 3rd birthday, but, again, it was a quiet family celebration at the Cracker Barrel, with no pictures!




November started with my annual Fall photo shoots, which my kids love! (Dripping of Sarcasm!) I won't bore you with a lot of the pictures, but, one that represents all of them!



November was also a very hearbreaking month as we lost 2 of the most important women in our lives.

Bus' amazing and wonderful Grandma Bambo went home to be with the Lord on November 12th. She was 90 years old, and had been pretty healthy, for 90! Her smile was contagious, and her heart full of love and kindness. She was very passionate about her family, the Lord, and her husband, who had passed many years before. My heart will always ache for you Bambo. You treated me as though I was your own grand daughter, and I will miss that love. May your heavenly heart be filled with joy as you embrace your adoring husband in Heaven.



Eight short days later, as we were preparing to go to Indiana for Bambo's memorial service, my phone rang early in the morning, and I knew it was about my Mom. She passed quietly in her sleep. And even though I knew she was better off without her pain, in Heaven, my heart longed for her to be alive. I miss her with every ounce of my being, and there are moments that I am so angry at the Lord for taking her from me. I miss her crazy jokes, her squinty smile, and her pitbull attitude when it came to defending her family! The way she always let me complain to her about things that really didn't matter, the way she complained, and how we could talk and talk forever about anything. My heart breaks and falls into a million pieces each and every day for her, but, I am blessed in knowing that I will have eternity to spend telling her everything she missed.




December



I didn't take the time to send out Christmas cards this year, but, thought of so many of you. It was a hard holiday season for us as we grieved the passing of Bambo, and Mom. We celebrated together, the Maslins and the Boggses, here at our house. It meant a lot to me to have everyone together, as I knew we were all hurting in our own little ways, and the joy of family is very important, as we all learned this past year.

So, onto 2010! To happiness, healthfulness, family & renewal!