Good-bye
2009....The Smitty's will miss you so.....
January was full of planning and crafting for Cassie's Baby Shower. So much fun....we were all beyond excited for Cassie, she is the best mom in the world. We heart The Eicherly's!!
February...we fell in love with a girl named Madelynn Catherine Eicherly. Cassie and Steve became parents, Calista gained a cousin....and I became an Aunt for the first time, it is true love.
March, meant our annual trip to Disneyland! Our escape every Spring Break, the Happiest Place on Earth.
Also...Raylyn made Calista, Barb, Olivia, Hannah, Hailee, and me attend the AJ Circus....OH RAYLYN!
We had Bucks and fun on the electric scooter after, completely made up for the Circus.
April, Easter, Eggs, Egg Hunt, Zoo with the Nana......
May, brought the end of a LONG hard 2nd Grade year for my Blue-Eyed Girl.....AND Taylor Swift the last day of school as a special way to kick off the summer. Calista and I sat next to two guys who were in love with Ms. Swift and when she walked by us one of them bear hugged her and security had to take him off....so funny. We also took a mini vacation to the Scottsdale Resort, super fun!
June, James took me to Vegas for the first time ever (well I lie, we took Calista there for her 4th birthday, but we didn't do anything adult). This was also the first time we left our perfect little girl behind for more than an over-night adventure. I fell in love with James all over again....but missed our baby girl more than words could ever explain. Calista, however, did not miss us as much as we missed her...... Nana let her drive James' car all around the backyard, she put 5 miles on the Focus and accidentally hit a brick pillar! Nana and Calista are Double Trouble.....
July started off very sad, we lost our first puppy...Buddy Joseph Smith. He was an "all timer" as James would say. Buddy was with me for 8 months of bed rest with Calista, he was by our side every time any of us were sick, he was in the middle of the floor for every one of Calista's slumber parties, he kept James company every night while watching Sports Center, he was the one always at the door when we got home to greet us with a kiss, and he helped me recover from two lost pregnancies. There will
NEVER be another Buddy, he knew us better than we knew ourselves.
We also celebrated our 9 year wedding anniversary. It was a sad one for James, he really missed Buddy and wanted a puppy, he would look online every night and bring in pictures of sad looking pups that needed a home. So a puppy he got, her name is Sookie Lou Smith and she is now a Smitty. True, she isn't Buddy, but she is pretty darn special and we love her, even though she eats things like she is a goat (i.e. couches, soda cans, fishing lures, shoes, carpet, paper, etc.....).
We took Sookie on her first of many to come camping trips to Woods Canyon. We had a blast, nothing like Mad Libs by the camp fire.
August I came to the realization that Calista is growing up. She got her hair cut and picked out all of her own school clothes, she is Punky Brewster. I have slowly come to terms with not always being as cool as I think I am in her eyes, it is okay she still loves me and as Calista would say, "Everybody is different, Mom." It was also the start of 3rd Grade which brought extra neat activities, like Student Council and Recorder Club.
September Cassie turned 30! Welcome to the other side lady :)
October was a busy birthday month! Rachel had a Sparty, Barb had fun at Toby Keith's Bar, and Calista turned 9....so many parties so little time.
Halloween was great, Rachel and I dressed up at work and Calista was a dead pirate for trick or treating at the mall (that is what she requested, a true fashionista celebrates holidays at the mall).
November turkey, family, James' birthday.
December, Jazmas, Raymas, and Christmas....Holy Cow!
Our favorite activity this year was fishing. Calista can outfish us both and I am sad to say not very humble about it. Sookie loves to jump in the water and scare the fish and Martini likes to sit in my lap while I try to catch mine. Fun times all around.
Here is to an exciting year to come (and an organized house), God Speed!
Love - Me
