2009 in a Nutshell

I didn't have it in me this year to send out Christmas cards so I figured a post to the blog would have to do and we could try again next year.
The last year was a busy one for us. We decided to start trying to get pregnant at the end of December 2008 thinking it would take a few months. To our surprise we got pregnant immediately. We were living on the bottom floor at Johns parents and decided it was time to move on. we moved into our current apartment in March and have enjoyed being in our own space.
John was busy with school all year long. He became the Secretary for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) student chapter at CWU. He was chosen by a professor to represent the construction management program on a traffic flow redesign committee also at CWU. He served with the boy scouts for awhile and now he is the Sunday teacher for the deacons. John turned the big 30 this year. He is in good company because most of our friends turned 30 this year also. He is very excited for graduation in June and is looking forward to finding a job in his field.
Mariska turned three this year. She has learned to count (almost) to twenty. We are working on letters and it is amazing how fast she picks these things up. She has stopped taking naps (boo hoo) and she is completely potty trained (yeah!) She is a great big sister and loves Jack, sometimes to much. She is always willing to help and loves to cook in her kitchen and also in mine.
Jack was born on October 23rd. He is even more mellow than his sister was as a baby. I feel very fortunate. He is a happy baby and loves to smile and giggle. He loves to watch Riska and really puts up with a lot of what she does to him when I have my back turned. He is a very chunky baby, He was 8 lbs and 7 oz when he was born. Two months later he weighed 15 lbs 8 oz. I think I am looking forward to him crawling and walking because then he might fit into some of his clothes. I cant help but fall in love with him again every time I look at him.
This year was a good year for me. I spent my pregnancy trying to finish projects that I knew I would never get to once I had Jack, one being the cross stitched dragon for my living room. I am the Mia Maid adviser in our ward and I love working with the young women. I am looking forward to John being done with school. I am also a little scared because I have no idea where we will be after he finishes. He is going to look everywhere but the one thing I am fairly sure of is we will not be here in Ellensburg.
My Aunt Toni visited us in June and my mom and sister Aurie visited the week Jack was born. Riska and I took a trip to Vegas in March for ten days. It is always so good to see my parents and the rest of my family. The only thing that would have made the trip better was if John had come with us. John did come with us when we went down to Vegas in August. We drove down and spent two weeks with my parents then drove to Salt Lake to see my extended family. This was a hard trip because I spent the whole first part of the trip sick then John got it, then Riska. I was 7 months pregnant and that was a lot of traveling for me. It was worth it though because of all the time we got to spend with my family.
We are grateful for our family and friends. We are looking forward to 2010 and what it will bring for our family. Hope you all had a very happy New Year! Know we love and pray for you.