Happy New Year!

Happy 2009!! I think I can say 2008 was our most eventful year yet - the year you have your first child probably qualifies. Not only did we welcome Noah to the world, but we also met Summer Everett and a handful of other sweet new babies (and now we're waiting to meet Ana Paula's little one and Crystal's new addition and Christina's long awaited munchkin). We also managed to fit in a great "babymoon" to beautiful Kauai, Hawaii.

With the help of other moms, I started a successful Young Mothers Bible Study. I also joined a moms' walking group. It's doing me a lot of good to be out and about and socializing. I participated in National Novel Writing Month, although I got nowhere close to finishing my novel. I'm still writing and still waiting on word from my most recent publication effort. When I finally publish a book, I expect all of you to buy it, even if you're old and gray and have to take it out of your Social Security!

Noah is doing well. He's sitting up now, eating solid foods, babbling constantly, rolling over - all the little milestones he's supposed be hitting. He has two little tiny teeth on the bottom. He loves oatmeal, tolerates sweet potatoes and spits out peas. (He's getting better though.) He's now six and a half months old, 20 pounds and 27 inches. He has an 18 inch head! The doctor even wants to see him again to make sure there's nothing wrong with his head. What a thing to tell a mom! He just has the big Howard head, that's all. We're in the process of trying to get him to go to sleep on his own and sleep through the night - which means letting him "cry it out" sometimes. Sad! I don't like it, but once he learns to comfort himself and sleep on his own, we'll all feel better.

We're looking forward to seeing what this new year has to bring - hopefully some parttime teaching for me, a family vacation to Colorado, complete with whitewater rafting, the big 3-0 birthday for Danny. Who knows what else is in store?

God bless you all!