In lieu of a lengthy Christmas letter this year, we have opted, yet again, to share our year via the Blog world. This past year was particularly eventful, making this a lengthy review. Read on at your own risk….
So, without further adieu, here is our 2008 Year In Review-
We celebrated Christmas last year with a trip to Arizona to be with family, which included driving over to Anaheim to spend my mom’s birthday at Disneyland. It was Daniel’s first time at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and, although it was insanely busy and crowded, we had a wonderful time all being together. One day after returning home, we were blessed to find out that we were having a girl and that she was completely healthy. We were thrilled and couldn’t wait to meet our little Sofia!
We rang in the New Year in the midst of the ice and chill of Little Rock and spent most of January emptying out the home office, selling furniture, and preparing for the arrival of our new baby girl.
February brought much more cold which left very little opportunity for outdoor play time. We settled at and became members of The Summit church. Daniel and I also took another trip back to Phoenix- this time we had a chance to visit with friends and relax a bit. We enjoyed roaming around the Phoenix Zoo and eating Mexican food at Macayo’s with the McLarens. We also headed up to Anthem to spend a day with the Bouies at the park. Oh the joys of 75 degree days and sunshine! Fernando took another of many business trips, this time to Charlotte, where he and my dearest friend, Kim, had dinner together on my birthday.
March started with much to celebrate. On the 3rd, my sister married Wade Dorffi. Wade has been a much loved member of our family for years and we were thrilled to be able to officially call him our brother-in-law. We enjoyed our first (and only) snowfall in March, which Daniel loved. Of course, we were the only people outside taking pictures in the snow at 7:00 in the morning. Unfortunately the snow melted off by noon that day. It was fun nonetheless! Fernando surprised me with a trip of my own to Charlotte for a girl’s weekend with Kim which included a trip to Asheville to tour and have afternoon tea at the Biltmore Estates and countless hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking. It was a dream trip! We celebrated Easter in northwestern Arkansas with the family of a friend and co-worker from Alltel. It was wonderful to be with a “grandma and grandpa” and feel a part of a family while being so far away from home. Daniel loved the animals they had as well as his ride on the 4-wheeler. It was a great day!
In April we attempted to begin potty training, which failed miserably, much to our disappointment. We were hoping to have at least started that process before Sofia arrived, but it didn’t look like that was a possibility. One thing we’ve known about our Daniel, is that he only does things when HE is absolutely ready and he decided that wasn’t the time. We survived our first (and thankfully, only) tornado season. Admittedly, we spent much time glued to the television wondering if and when to take cover as the tornado sirens rang throughout the city, on several occasions- information that would have been useful to us when Alltel made their original offer! We joined a wonderful small group from our church that welcomed us with open arms and immediately treated us like family. April also brought a visit from my mom and her sweet friend, “Grandma” Lisa. Daniel had such fun having two grandmas around to dote on him and I certainly enjoyed the extra help and attention as well. We took a trip down to Hot Springs to see the tulips at Garvan Gardens and enjoyed the beautiful weather. They were also in town to attend the special baby shower that Fernando’s boss hosted for me at her home in Maumelle. What a fun day of eating, laughing, and EVERYTHING pink!
As May arrived, we could no longer wait for the arrival of our little one, although each visit to the doctor showed few signs of progress. On Saturday, May 17th, one week before our due date, I felt my water break as I was making lunch for Daniel. A call to the hospital and to our good friend, Adam, and we were on our way to be checked out. We both fully intended to be home in a couple of hours and were surprised and thrilled when they told us that, one way or another, we were having a baby that day! Labor went smoothly and I actually felt only one extremely painful contraction before I was given my epidural. Praise God! Sofia Margaret was born at 12:19 am on Sunday, May 18th. My mom arrived that evening and spent two weeks with us helping us adjust and making sure I was able to get some much needed rest.
June brought with it Arkansas humidity and warm temperatures. We were blessed again to have Fernando’s mom with us for 10 days to help with the baby. Sofia had a hard time adjusting and seemed to cry a lot if she wasn’t being held constantly. Apparently she was completely unaware of the fact that she had an older, extremely needy brother (or she just didn’t care!) So, it was nice to have another set of extra hands. June also brought news of Alltel’s impending buyout by Verizon, which left us with much uncertainty regarding our future in Arkansas and with Fernando’s job. We felt much peace as we braced ourselves for the months ahead and looked forward to our “next step”.
We spent most of July indoors avoiding the heat and humidity. We celebrated the 4th of July at home with burgers and an inflatable pool for Daniel to swim in. A couple weeks later we flew to Phoenix. Fernando had to travel there on business and the extreme unpopularity of Phoenix in the summer made airfare extremely affordable for the rest of us to tag along. First stop upon arrival was Ramiro’s Mexican Food for a couple chorizo and egg burritos- something we’d been craving for months! We celebrated Daniel’s 3rd birthday with a family pool party. And I don’t care what anybody says…I’ll take a “dry heat” any day of the week!
August came and went quickly as Fernando traveled to Ohio and Nebraska and we continued to hide from the heat.
September brought much of the same, but with that came a complete change in our little girl. Having entered her 4th month, Sofia became the sweetest, happiest, EASIEST baby we’d ever seen. She started sleeping through the night and continued to grow by leaps and bounds. In addition, Daniel decided he was ready to begin potty training and did so like a champ! Not knowing if we would be in Little Rock long term, we decided to forego house hunting and signed another 6-month lease at our apartment complex.
In October we excitedly welcomed the cooler weather and beautiful change of leaves (our favorite time of the year). Rumors began to spread that most of Alltel would indeed be severed and we began praying that God would move us back to Arizona- something we hadn’t wanted to do before. On Halloween, we got together with our small group and took our little Pumpkin and sweet Puppy out for trick-or-treating…something Daniel still talks about.
In November we anticipated more news regarding Fernando’s job as the FCC and the Justice Department approved the buyout- making it official. Two weeks into the month, we were asked if we would like to move back to Phoenix, although it would have meant a loss of title for Fernando, something he was willing to do in order to get us back. Within the week we found out that, not only were we going home, but Alltel was giving us a full relocation package and Fernando was going to keep his current position. God is SO good! The only drawback? We were moving in three weeks! We broke the news to as many people as we were able, and starting making as many preparations as we could, which included shipping the dog out to my folks. We had planned a trip to San Antonio to spend Thanksgiving with our good friends, Ron and Susan King, and were looking forward to seeing them after almost 2 years. Three days before we were scheduled to leave I took a pregnancy test that resulted in a definite “positive” and we were stunned to learn that kiddo number three was on his or her way! Shocked by our news, we loaded the car and drove ten hours to San Antonio. We were there just long enough to spend a day at the zoo and an evening out by the fire before driving ten hours home on Thanksgiving Day. The King family was very sick and we decided they didn’t need us around, nor could we afford to get sick with our move only 5 days away. We enjoyed a wonderful “Thanksgiving feast” at a Cracker Barrel just outside of Dallas and rolled into Little Rock around 11:30 that night. I still managed to be up at dawn to do my after Thanksgiving shopping with good friends, Sharon and Julie, but was home by 9:00 am and sick with the stomach flu. We spread the flu around our family for the next several days and ended up postponing our move until the following week.
On December 3rd, my mom made her final trip to Little Rock to fly back with me and the kids. We celebrated a first birthday with good friends from our small group on Saturday the sixth, had lunch with Sharon and Julie and made our way to the airport. Everything was running smoothly until we stepped onto the jet way and Daniel’s flu returned in full force. It was an extremely difficult flight home and I’ve never been happier to land anywhere in my life! Fernando arrived the following Saturday, just as the moving crew carried the last load into the house and pulled away. We got settled as soon as we could and set up our Christmas tree. A couple days later we were asked to sing at our church’s Christmas Eve services (all 6 of them) and said yes without so much as a thought. We were thrilled to be home and able to serve again at Palm Valley. Sofia was dedicated on Sunday the 21st and we were blessed to have both of our kids dedicated by our pastor and friend, Greg Rohlinger. That afternoon, my sister and Wade arrived from Flagstaff and we celebrated our family Christmas as well as my mom’s birthday. That’s what we missed the most about being away from home. Unfortunately the day ended on a sad note as my grandma fell in our yard on her way to the car and broke her hip. She went to the hospital that night and had surgery to put a pin in her hip the next day. Surgery went well and she was in good spirits on Christmas when we went to visit her. She is now in a rehab facility and is on the road to recovery. Our Christmas Eve services were a blast and a blessing as we saw so many faces at in attendance, some who had never darkened the door of a church before. We were thrilled to be a part of it. Christmas was a whirlwind, but such fun. Daniel’s face Christmas morning was priceless and something we’ll remember for years to come. We are excited to be back and await more news of Fernando’s job as the Alltel buyout is set to close next week.
2008 was a year full of change, excitement, and blessings more countless than we could believe. We anticipate many more changes and blessings in 2009 as we prepare for the arrival of our newest addition and all that is to come!
Happy New Year!
So, without further adieu, here is our 2008 Year In Review-
We celebrated Christmas last year with a trip to Arizona to be with family, which included driving over to Anaheim to spend my mom’s birthday at Disneyland. It was Daniel’s first time at the “Happiest Place on Earth” and, although it was insanely busy and crowded, we had a wonderful time all being together. One day after returning home, we were blessed to find out that we were having a girl and that she was completely healthy. We were thrilled and couldn’t wait to meet our little Sofia!
We rang in the New Year in the midst of the ice and chill of Little Rock and spent most of January emptying out the home office, selling furniture, and preparing for the arrival of our new baby girl.
February brought much more cold which left very little opportunity for outdoor play time. We settled at and became members of The Summit church. Daniel and I also took another trip back to Phoenix- this time we had a chance to visit with friends and relax a bit. We enjoyed roaming around the Phoenix Zoo and eating Mexican food at Macayo’s with the McLarens. We also headed up to Anthem to spend a day with the Bouies at the park. Oh the joys of 75 degree days and sunshine! Fernando took another of many business trips, this time to Charlotte, where he and my dearest friend, Kim, had dinner together on my birthday.
March started with much to celebrate. On the 3rd, my sister married Wade Dorffi. Wade has been a much loved member of our family for years and we were thrilled to be able to officially call him our brother-in-law. We enjoyed our first (and only) snowfall in March, which Daniel loved. Of course, we were the only people outside taking pictures in the snow at 7:00 in the morning. Unfortunately the snow melted off by noon that day. It was fun nonetheless! Fernando surprised me with a trip of my own to Charlotte for a girl’s weekend with Kim which included a trip to Asheville to tour and have afternoon tea at the Biltmore Estates and countless hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking. It was a dream trip! We celebrated Easter in northwestern Arkansas with the family of a friend and co-worker from Alltel. It was wonderful to be with a “grandma and grandpa” and feel a part of a family while being so far away from home. Daniel loved the animals they had as well as his ride on the 4-wheeler. It was a great day!
In April we attempted to begin potty training, which failed miserably, much to our disappointment. We were hoping to have at least started that process before Sofia arrived, but it didn’t look like that was a possibility. One thing we’ve known about our Daniel, is that he only does things when HE is absolutely ready and he decided that wasn’t the time. We survived our first (and thankfully, only) tornado season. Admittedly, we spent much time glued to the television wondering if and when to take cover as the tornado sirens rang throughout the city, on several occasions- information that would have been useful to us when Alltel made their original offer! We joined a wonderful small group from our church that welcomed us with open arms and immediately treated us like family. April also brought a visit from my mom and her sweet friend, “Grandma” Lisa. Daniel had such fun having two grandmas around to dote on him and I certainly enjoyed the extra help and attention as well. We took a trip down to Hot Springs to see the tulips at Garvan Gardens and enjoyed the beautiful weather. They were also in town to attend the special baby shower that Fernando’s boss hosted for me at her home in Maumelle. What a fun day of eating, laughing, and EVERYTHING pink!
As May arrived, we could no longer wait for the arrival of our little one, although each visit to the doctor showed few signs of progress. On Saturday, May 17th, one week before our due date, I felt my water break as I was making lunch for Daniel. A call to the hospital and to our good friend, Adam, and we were on our way to be checked out. We both fully intended to be home in a couple of hours and were surprised and thrilled when they told us that, one way or another, we were having a baby that day! Labor went smoothly and I actually felt only one extremely painful contraction before I was given my epidural. Praise God! Sofia Margaret was born at 12:19 am on Sunday, May 18th. My mom arrived that evening and spent two weeks with us helping us adjust and making sure I was able to get some much needed rest.
June brought with it Arkansas humidity and warm temperatures. We were blessed again to have Fernando’s mom with us for 10 days to help with the baby. Sofia had a hard time adjusting and seemed to cry a lot if she wasn’t being held constantly. Apparently she was completely unaware of the fact that she had an older, extremely needy brother (or she just didn’t care!) So, it was nice to have another set of extra hands. June also brought news of Alltel’s impending buyout by Verizon, which left us with much uncertainty regarding our future in Arkansas and with Fernando’s job. We felt much peace as we braced ourselves for the months ahead and looked forward to our “next step”.
We spent most of July indoors avoiding the heat and humidity. We celebrated the 4th of July at home with burgers and an inflatable pool for Daniel to swim in. A couple weeks later we flew to Phoenix. Fernando had to travel there on business and the extreme unpopularity of Phoenix in the summer made airfare extremely affordable for the rest of us to tag along. First stop upon arrival was Ramiro’s Mexican Food for a couple chorizo and egg burritos- something we’d been craving for months! We celebrated Daniel’s 3rd birthday with a family pool party. And I don’t care what anybody says…I’ll take a “dry heat” any day of the week!
August came and went quickly as Fernando traveled to Ohio and Nebraska and we continued to hide from the heat.
September brought much of the same, but with that came a complete change in our little girl. Having entered her 4th month, Sofia became the sweetest, happiest, EASIEST baby we’d ever seen. She started sleeping through the night and continued to grow by leaps and bounds. In addition, Daniel decided he was ready to begin potty training and did so like a champ! Not knowing if we would be in Little Rock long term, we decided to forego house hunting and signed another 6-month lease at our apartment complex.
In October we excitedly welcomed the cooler weather and beautiful change of leaves (our favorite time of the year). Rumors began to spread that most of Alltel would indeed be severed and we began praying that God would move us back to Arizona- something we hadn’t wanted to do before. On Halloween, we got together with our small group and took our little Pumpkin and sweet Puppy out for trick-or-treating…something Daniel still talks about.
In November we anticipated more news regarding Fernando’s job as the FCC and the Justice Department approved the buyout- making it official. Two weeks into the month, we were asked if we would like to move back to Phoenix, although it would have meant a loss of title for Fernando, something he was willing to do in order to get us back. Within the week we found out that, not only were we going home, but Alltel was giving us a full relocation package and Fernando was going to keep his current position. God is SO good! The only drawback? We were moving in three weeks! We broke the news to as many people as we were able, and starting making as many preparations as we could, which included shipping the dog out to my folks. We had planned a trip to San Antonio to spend Thanksgiving with our good friends, Ron and Susan King, and were looking forward to seeing them after almost 2 years. Three days before we were scheduled to leave I took a pregnancy test that resulted in a definite “positive” and we were stunned to learn that kiddo number three was on his or her way! Shocked by our news, we loaded the car and drove ten hours to San Antonio. We were there just long enough to spend a day at the zoo and an evening out by the fire before driving ten hours home on Thanksgiving Day. The King family was very sick and we decided they didn’t need us around, nor could we afford to get sick with our move only 5 days away. We enjoyed a wonderful “Thanksgiving feast” at a Cracker Barrel just outside of Dallas and rolled into Little Rock around 11:30 that night. I still managed to be up at dawn to do my after Thanksgiving shopping with good friends, Sharon and Julie, but was home by 9:00 am and sick with the stomach flu. We spread the flu around our family for the next several days and ended up postponing our move until the following week.
On December 3rd, my mom made her final trip to Little Rock to fly back with me and the kids. We celebrated a first birthday with good friends from our small group on Saturday the sixth, had lunch with Sharon and Julie and made our way to the airport. Everything was running smoothly until we stepped onto the jet way and Daniel’s flu returned in full force. It was an extremely difficult flight home and I’ve never been happier to land anywhere in my life! Fernando arrived the following Saturday, just as the moving crew carried the last load into the house and pulled away. We got settled as soon as we could and set up our Christmas tree. A couple days later we were asked to sing at our church’s Christmas Eve services (all 6 of them) and said yes without so much as a thought. We were thrilled to be home and able to serve again at Palm Valley. Sofia was dedicated on Sunday the 21st and we were blessed to have both of our kids dedicated by our pastor and friend, Greg Rohlinger. That afternoon, my sister and Wade arrived from Flagstaff and we celebrated our family Christmas as well as my mom’s birthday. That’s what we missed the most about being away from home. Unfortunately the day ended on a sad note as my grandma fell in our yard on her way to the car and broke her hip. She went to the hospital that night and had surgery to put a pin in her hip the next day. Surgery went well and she was in good spirits on Christmas when we went to visit her. She is now in a rehab facility and is on the road to recovery. Our Christmas Eve services were a blast and a blessing as we saw so many faces at in attendance, some who had never darkened the door of a church before. We were thrilled to be a part of it. Christmas was a whirlwind, but such fun. Daniel’s face Christmas morning was priceless and something we’ll remember for years to come. We are excited to be back and await more news of Fernando’s job as the Alltel buyout is set to close next week.
2008 was a year full of change, excitement, and blessings more countless than we could believe. We anticipate many more changes and blessings in 2009 as we prepare for the arrival of our newest addition and all that is to come!
Happy New Year!
1 comment:
Wow, that was a long post but I'm glad I stuck with it! What an amazing 2008 you had. I can't wait to see what all the Lord has in store for you in 2009! We're so glad to have you back!!
Congratulations on #3 ;o)
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