ringing it in

In 2008 we said goodbye to a few things:
* our first van. it was so good to us. it gave us just under 300 000 km's without a problem. we have some great memories in that van.

* having babies

* bald heads. nat was born with hair and paige finally grew some in the spring!

* totes of baby clothes

* maternity clothes

* the t.v. stand we bought when we were first married. i think it was one of the first "pieces of furniture" we owned, however, it was cheap and ugly .... good riddance.

We also said hello to a lot of exciting things in 2008:

* a baby, making us a family of seven!

* a new, bigger van (and it even has automatic windows! no more rolling for me!)

* a son in grade two

* a pan big enough to fit big meals in (thanks mom!)

* an awesome camera

* furniture in our living room

* another crib. this brings our total number of cribs to three. we needed two when ty and chels were babies. one broke. and we need two again now. i love cribs. cribs = containment.

* babysitters! we have started using babysitters regularly. this is new for us. we never used to leave our kids with anyone but family. now there are too many kids... and not enough family!

As I took down the calender that I keep on the front of our fridge I took a look back at the last year. It was filled (and I mean filled. I counted 109 days that were left empty... and it was a calender that ran from Sept '07 to Dec '08). I couldn't bring myself to throw it away. It seemed a diary of sorts that kept track of things like first days of school, first teeth (yes, I wrote those on my calender, it makes keeping baby books easier), haircuts, birthday parties, and so much more. I get quite sentimental when I think about the past. If I could just rewind time a bit I would start over the day I married Dan. I wouldn't change a thing I'd only remember more. And the day I had Ty... I'd pay better attention to everything that he did. I would slow it all down and relish every moment. I was in such a rush. Feeding him cereal before he was even four months, pushing him to crawl and then to walk.... no wonder he was walking at nine months. Then another baby just after his first birthday. Sigh, see... sentimental.
Now my last baby is crawling, soon she won't want to sit on my lap and she'll do that thing they do when you try to pick them up and they straighten their arms so you can't get a good grip on them and sit them back on the floor. 2008 was a year when I made a huge decision to change who I was, how I feel and what I do... no more babies. Not that it's a decision I regret, just one that has changed me.
So I hung up my new calendar (thanks Shaunie!). It is fresh, it is pretty clear, not too much on it yet. And that's how I feel too. A new year, new goals. A fresh start at who I am and who I want to be. More time on the floor with little ones, more smiling (less yelling), and a slower pace. I am looking forward to this next year.... Ty's baptism (I know, can you believe it?! I can't....), hearing Paige's new words (she learned "MINE" this last week... oh, two-year-olds... gotta love them), watching Natty grow and enjoying every moment that she stays a baby, sending Kami to Kindergarten in the fall (oh my) and enjoying Chelsey's dramatics (that's what I mean... more smiling-less yelling).