Last Post of 2009

dan and sam talkin sports. story of their lives;) they're very close brothers. those 3 sibblings (sam, dan and jen) are actually all very very close to each other. i think thats great. since last year i've gotten really close to jen, and its been so fun spending time with her and getting to know her so much better. partly because we lived with her for a while, partly because she helps me run errands usually on friday or saturday since dan's usually working, but mostly because she's so fun and such a great friend!
carter and andrew with their new cars testing them out on in the hallway
watching his new race car go super fast!

"candid" shots of dan-0....
awww....if that doesn't make your heart melt nothing will!
watching the bigger kids play...probably wishing she could join in!
haha i took this pic, and i laughed because i thought "office drama"... hahha like picture these two at an office party. maybe because i don't work at an office i find that funny... "office drama" just cracks me up. maybe watching The Office a lot has fed that humor...
Abby and Grandpa Jake

I think someday when i get a digital SLR our computer storage space is going to need upgrading. i can't get over how crisp and clear these pics are!

such a sweet happy baby girl!

kisses for her new bear


andrew and carter checking out carters new toy
Heidi, me, carter, jen, abby, karlee and dan.
jen, abby and dan
the whole group before dinner (minus jake who took the pics)
Wow its 2010. This past year so much has happened. lots of trials. lots of growing done... i feel like we're starting another "growing" period after a short rest... but we have so much to be truly thankful for. We welcomed a healthy and happy and oh so adorable little baby girl into our family this past year, andrew started talking and really has changed SO much since last year this time. He's becoming so much more a preschooler (he knows colors, numbers and ABC's now! last year he could barely talk at all!) than a toddler. Abby has learned she has hands, feet, basically a body, she's learning to control her voice, she's said a few words, like Andrew, Baba (bottle), Dada (she knows who he is!), and she was imitating andrew making noises yesterday! she has learned to hold her head up, she has learned to put her own binky in, to roll over, to crawl, she's starting to pull her self up (not all the way standing but to knees), she has learned to feed herself Kix and Cheerios, she has started eating baby food and has learned to give kisses, hugs, and how to use her hands to play with toys. its incredible the things a baby learns the first year of life, and she has 2 1/2 months left before she's 1! and i'm sure there are countless things she has picked up on language wise, body language, things she just see's us do that she is starting to understand that i have no clue about. its been such a great year having her here. I couldn't be happier with my little family. i definitely see our family growing in the future, i don't feel done or even close, thinking of having our last baby seems impossible as of now, i love having a baby around as much work as they are...and i love all the cute little clothes, shoes, gear, toys, baby stuff is just SO fun to shop for and play with. This past year my Testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ has grown so much. in ways i would not have even suspected. ways that have been not been easy at all to obtain. i'm really starting to be thankful for my trials because of how much growth they provide, and i realize there is NO other way i can grow. Life wasn't meant to be easy, and that being said, we are living life to the fullest more than i would like sometimes! but its good for us. it teaches us compassion for others, it teaches us what we really need, what is most important and helps us prove to ourselves that which we are made of. i'm glad the obstacles in our lives are not removed for that purpose. life is a difficult thing sometimes, but thats what its all about. how are we compared to last year? how have we grown? how have we learned to depend and trust the Savior more because of it? what can we change to become even closer to the Savior? its seems like at times i know i have a "broken" heart, in the sense that i know how undeserving i am and how grateful i am for everything, and i just feel like i am seeing things as they really are, i am not feeling entitled, i am not feeling prideful, i am not feeling any contention with anyone, and i feel more love for those who might make life a little harder for me. then there are times i lose that, and i know i have somewhat, and then it seems like trials help get you back there. its so hard in America to stay humble, and its so natural and human to feel entitled to things you think should be mandatory, but which aren't and people in 3rd world countries are without their whole lives. if you have read The Peacegiver you know exactly what i am talking about. If i am don't keep giving away all my sins constantly to know the Savior, i would do well to worry. i was listening to my ipod the other day and a track from The Peacegiver came on, and the grandpa is talking to rick, and he's saying "you worry about having an angry heart (or something to that effect), and you would do well to worry" . and when i heard it , that just really sunk deep down immediately. i would do well to worry. am i worried as much as i should be? or am i rationalizing? this next year i am going to try harder than ever to remember this: "The most important aspect of mortality is being mistreated, for eternity itself depends on how we view those who mistreat us." enough said. this is my deep thoughts post for the year. tonight we are not doing anything special. and i am actually so happy about that. i'm tired. today was somewhat stressful because our car broke down, and it ended up being more than we thought, and its just never convenient to lose your car. but its going to be a nice and peaceful night, and we are safe in our warm home, so i have much to be thankful for just in that phrase that much of the world is without.
So Dan's father and his wife were out of town for the actual Christmas holiday, so they invited us over for a wonderful traditional Hungarian meal and treated us and the kids to presents! It was fun getting everyone together, andrew and carter (cousins) are so cute together. Thanks Jake and Theresa , and Matt for the wonderful gifts and food and for being such gracious hosts. Jake has a really nice camera that he let me "play" with for a little bit, and it was a blast. So some of these pic's i took, but probably most he emailed me, which was nice since i forgot my camera.