Remembering 2009

As 2009 comes to a close, here are a few highlights from our year!  We look forward to everything 2010 has in store for our family!

Nana and Mimi came to visit us in California for Valentine's Day!

We took a small vacation to South Lake Tahoe at the end of February.

We had our own little lucky charm this year for St. Patty's Day!

The Easter Bunny found us in Iowa!

Leah got to be Aunt Rachael's flower girl in April!  All three of us were in the wedding.

Papaw came and stayed with us while Daddy went to market.  Nana and Kelley joined us a few days later!

We spent lots of time in our pool this summer!

We took a trip to Texas at the end of June!

We took a family vacation to the beach in Monterey at the end of July!

Our baby girl turned 1 in August! 

Grandma, Great Grandma and Aunt Rachael flew from Iowa for the big party!

Luke was a groomsman in his friend Marc's wedding at the end of August.  Leah and Daddy danced the night away!

We flew to Vegas (where Papaw joined us) and then on to West Texas in September!

At the end of September we flew to Phoenix where Luke was a groomsman in his friend Tom's wedding.

We cheered on our beloved Red Raiders all football season!

Leah was the cutest little fifties girl for Halloween!  Daddy even played along!

We spent Thanksgiving in West Texas!

We spent Christmas day with just the three of us at home before heading on to Iowa!

We pray that we are as blessed in 2010 as we have been in 2009!

Iowa Christmas

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with Luke's side of the family here in Iowa.  The big gift of the evening was what all of the adult kids gave to Luke's Mom and Dad.  We had family pictures taken Tuesday night which we framed and hung on the wall along with a very special quote.  They had no idea what we were doing with the pictures or their wall as we didn't tell them or ask for permission.  We kept them upstairs until it was all finished!  We were all truly blessed once again, especially Leah.  Leah is the first granddaughter (versus the seven grandsons) so I think everyone had lots of fun shopping for a girl!  She received lots of cute clothes, some jammies, slippers, bath paints and toys, her first American Girl doll, a tea set, a Wiggles and Sesame Street DVD, bows and an 'L' bow holder, socks, a Barney book, money for her piggy bank, an Iowa pig pillow and an Iowa Hawkeye cheerleader outfit that even came with a matching bow!  Her cousin Jake sat with her and helped her open every single present!  I think he was more excited about helping her open her presents than opening his own!  After Leah went to bed, we played a mean game of Uno Attack that lasted for hours!  I don't even remember who won!  Thank you to everyone who helped make this a very special Christmas for Leah, Luke and I!

Grandma and Grandpa seeing their gift for the first time!

Are these for me?

Leah and Jake all ready to open Leah's presents.  Those are ALL hers!

What is it?

She modeled every outfit!

A bow holder for all my bows!

She thought the video games were for her too!

SnOw Much Fun

This afternoon we bundled Leah up in her new snowsuit and she and Daddy went sledding!  My little dare devil had so much fun!  She would say "gin, gin, gin" everytime they would land at the bottom of the hill.  Grandma ("Ma") and Grandpa's ("Pa") backyard has the perfect hill for sledding!  I see lots of fun in Leah's future!

Snowbirds

This week we are enjoying time with Grandma and Grandpa ("Ma" and "Pa" as Leah calls them) and the rest of the Hendricks clan in Iowa.  We are also enjoying the cold winter Iowa weather with lots and lots of snow!  Before we left for our trip, Luke took Leah shopping to buy her a snowsuit.  They picked out a very cute one!  She'll be wearing it in the next couple of days!  Have I mentioned what a good Daddy he is?  We had a great flight into Chicago (minus the hour-and-a-half delay in Sacramento after we were at the airport) and an easy four hour drive into Dubuque.  Leah has had so much fun playing with all of her cousins and enjoys being the center of attention!  I've enjoyed getting to do lots of shopping and eating lots of yummy food!  They have THE BEST PIZZA AND BURGERS in Dubuque!  Today I bought plates and napkins for Leah's birthday party next year!  It's a little early, I know, but they're perfect and I couldn't resist!  It's never too early to start planning a party for a princess!  We had family pictures taken today with Grandma and Grandpa and the nine grandkids.  We have a busy next few days here in Iowa including the family Christmas celebration tomorrow and Grandpa's birthday on Friday!  We hope everyone is enjoying these last few days of 2009!

Playing 'Ring Around the Rosie' with all the boys!

She INSISTED on wearing her jacket to bed!  She likes to dress in layers like her Mama!

She has had so much fun climbing in and out of the base of the barstool!

Eating pickles with Grandpa!

Getting some love from Grandma ("Ma") and Great Grandma!

Reading magazines with Lexi!  Typical girls!