That's a Wrap (of 2010, that is)!

2010 was a year that took us up and down, around again and through ... it had some very high highs and some very low lows and pretty much everything in between. Here is my take on the year with a little help from some photos, of course.

One thing that is certain each year is birthdays! Thing 2 turned 8 ... which was awesome as she was able to be baptized the very next day. The Boy turned 5 ... so he could start Kindergarten this year. The King turned 2 ... yes, 2 - the most entertaining age there is, I think. Bert turned older ... and so did Jenny! And to round out the year, Thing 1 turned 10 and she got her ears pierced ... and despite her claims to being a Tomboy, she is LOVING the addition of a little bling to her ears!

We had a few fun outings this year, including a trip up to ATK to see the final test booster launched ... we missed it, but caught a photo of the HUGE plume of smoke that followed. We went to parades, parks and parties galore, got pie in the face (followed by a big kiss from dad to the offending pie thrower) at the ward campout (at which we skipped the camp part - for good reasons). We took our neighbors out for ice cream in our pajamas, drove a little ways away to meet one of Jenny's favorite actors, and Bert and Jenny got to head down to Las Vegas to catch Carlos Santana in concert - AWESOME!

School was also a big part of our year, and that would be an understatement! Some of our memorable moments include Thing 2 becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder, taking a field trip to the Animal Adoption Center, The Boy graduating from Preschool, Thing 1 doing an ENTIRE year of math over the summer, Thing 1 taking part in RadKids (an unbelievably effective kid's safety program - I HIGHLY recommend it), Pirate Day, and a concert where all of the kids got to sing a special song about being nice and safe!

There were plenty of moments that kept us laughing ... like Thing 2 being terrified of losing her first tooth, then all smiles directly after said event occurred. We sent Bert off to scout camp for a week - which ended up being the week our basement flooded - of course. The King started really coming into his own in our family ... never a dull moment, so much like his big brother (whom I barely survived ... here's hoping my sanity will hold on a few more years).

Hair played a big role this year ... the girls had been growing their hair out so that they could donate it. They were thrilled with the outcome, loved their cute new do's and are already wanting to do it again. On the other hand, mom was aware that The King needed a haircut, but not on board with the idea at all. So, Bert took things into his own hands and gave him a buzz cut ... those tears were mostly a reflection of his mommy!

We wouldn't be us if there weren't some level of silliness ... here you go!

And then there were injuries ... stitches in Jenny's hand and Lauren's ear, Bert and The Boy rocked some head and face injuries that required no medical attention (thank heavens), The King ground off the pad of his finger in the treadmill - I am happy to report his recovery has been a thing of wonder! And poor, sweet Thing 2 beat us all when a virus attacked her liver ... it was a scary time while we waited to see what her body would do, but after a few weeks and countless blood draws, her health was restored - what a beautiful miracle and answer to many, many prayers.

Speaking of stitches ... The Boy had us in them all year long!

And The King seemed to be getting ready to take over that role - he's learned a lot from his big brother!

And the girls were just as wonderful and sweet as ever ... what would I do without them???

2010 brought opportunities for learning and growth ... like dance lessons from dad, reading lots and lots of books, horse riding for Thing 1 and art for Thing 2 (which included winning a ribbon at the county fair). We rode bikes, took care of some fun animals (a bunny and macaw to be specific), had potato bug races, and jedi training. We even took part in a postcard swap and learned about most of the 50 states.

Jenny got a new camera and had a lot of fun ... horses are her favorite subject, but birds and butterflies were up there on the list. And one of her favorites is getting a shot of the home built by her great-grandpa. It is such a beautiful, well-made home, full of some wonderful memories. And the house is so lovely that it was used to film a commercial in the 1960's - for Butterball or Norbest turkeys (it was before my time)!!!

The World Cup was a thrilling experience in our home ... as Spain was on FIRE!!! We had a party the night before the big Germany vs. Spain game ... in honor of our best German friend (and soon to be brother-in-law) Mattias. Spain won, of course, but the food and smack talk was a lot of fun. When Spain took the whole cup, Bert and I watched the celebrations going on in Spain with a great deal of envy, what we would have given to have been there in Plaza Real in Madrid with the million other people there at that moment - now that's a celebration!!!

Celebrating aside, we had LOTS of work to get done on the home this year. We started off with a brand spankin' new water heater - so much bigger and better than the one we had - and it didn't leak - BONUS!!! I made the downstairs bathroom a bit prettier. Then I (sniff, sniff) took down the crib and gave it away ... my goodness, how life changes - and how excited we are for Phil (whom I babysat) to become a father! And our sweet little nursery is now a spare room with lots of new shelves for storage - and a queen sized bed the kids love to invade. YAY! (that means we have room for visitors) Of course there's more ... while Brady was at scout camp, our sewer drain backed up and flooded the basement ... so we got new carpet and a new paint job in the entire basement - YAY for good insurance policies! We took that opportunity to replace the foam tile ceilings we had down there with actual dry wall ceiling - they are so much homier. And, I took on my first solo crown molding assignment ... and met with success! We still have to finish off some of the trim and one more closet, but what a difference it has made. Next up ... the laundry room!

2010 was full of some fabulous celebrations ... Easter, the HopeKids Princess Party, Halloween and Weddings!!! There were three in our family this year, must have been a good year to tie the knot.

We started with Bert's brother Whit and his gorgeous new bride Brooke. What a beautiful and incredible day that was!

Then there was my beautiful sister Debbie and her wonderful husband Scott (who has so generously added 6 WONDERFUL cousins to my children's lives).

And then there was the Thanksgiving Day surprise wedding of Bert's brother Jon and his gorgeous Sarah, who also added 2 new cousins to the fam! (They are the good lookin' ones in the center of the photo with their two blonde haired boys in tow.)

As the year started winding down, we found ourselved enjoying the beauty and fun of autumn ... one of my very favorite times of the year! There was lots of puddles and leaf piles to jump in, enteraining the kids for days on end!

In December Bert's band played for his company's Christmas party ... at The Depot in SLC ... what a great venue. And right there on the Marquee is the name of his band right above Slash ... how funny is that? Yeah, it's pretty awesome being married to a rock star!

And then we finished off with a beautiful Christmas ... which included cooking dinner for our church Christmas party (about 200 people attended), surviving bouts of the flu (ha ha - great way to start off your celebrations, eh?), having the cousins visit different care centers with a Christmas program (one of the best days ever), building a snowman, decorating, going to parties and enjoying a wonderful Christmas day at home with the family and a turkey dinner.

With so much going on during the year, I turn to my emotions to summarize it all: 

Grateful, for so many wonderful and precious memories.

Sober, for the losses we (and so many of our loved ones) experienced.

Humbled, for the miracles and blessings we witnessed.

Hopeful, for the promise of new experiences and new adventures in a new year.

And to finish, I find T.S. Eliot said it so well and with such eloquence:

"For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning."

Happy 2011 to everyone!