My year in review...

Ainsley spent the year in constant discovery. She started preschool and absolutely loved her teachers. She learned to use the computer this year and most importantly, she turned 4! She was a Sunbeam at church and tells me that her boyfriend is James Jarvis, the cutest little boy EVER, we've betrothed them for a later date. She learned to write her name and her sisters' names and loves making them cards.

Caelan had an AMAZING year. She started out as my volatile, high needs, non-sleeping, non-walking, non-talking baby. She was weaned in June and started sleeping through the night, talking, walking, and having a beautiful personality all within about 6 weeks. Jim and I marvel to each other at least 5 times a day at how amazingly great this little girl is. She laughs 10x more than Ainsley ever did (though Ainsley's still the perma-smile princess). She's recently learned to say please and thank you within her vocabulary and it makes conversing with her that much cuter. She LOVES to wear hats, loves to have her diaper changed, and loves to wear clothes. After you change her if you don't put her pants back on she'll follow you around with them saying "pease! pease! pants!" until you put them back on her. She loves her baby dolls which is such a difference from Ainsley. Ainsley was so fun because she only played with trains and animals, and Caelan is fun because she's so different. She's all about the babies and being tender with them.

Jorden turned 12 this year! She's a young woman now, no longer in primary. She's starting to act more and more like a teen ager and hopefully we'll all rise to the challange of helping her become a wonderful person.

Jim has had a pretty rough year if you ask me. His sales numbers were set far too high for his first year doing this so not only did we not make the money we were expecting when we set sail for this part of the country, but it's been rough on his self-esteem too. He's managed it beautifully though, we're reassessing, and we're ready to make 2008 that much better.

As for me, I've had a pretty incredible year. I've come to realize that even if we did move back west, I don't want to go back to Arizona. I love the seasons and I love the snow, and I love the independence of being our own family and not just a minor branch of the bigger whole of the Guthrie clan. We've had our ups and our downs (and lots of the downs) but we made it through and we've figured out how to deal with the downs in order to have more of the ups. Every day I learn to appreciate my husband and my children more and more and as always I strive to do my best at meeting the needs of those around me.

I went back to work part-time this year and I am so in love with it. I'd worked retail before and it was just another job, but it's now become the highlight of my week. I really love it and I'm excited for any promotions that may come my way.

2008 will be a very different year for us, and that will be my next blog entry :)