This is a recap of our year. I know most (if not all) of this has previously been posted, but it was fun for me to go back and look at all that has taken place. We have enjoyed our year in Florida and have made some wonderful and lifelong friends along the way. We have been blessed in so many ways, and watching Abigail grow up has been an absolute joy! We are looking forward to the year to come.
January: We ushered in 2007 stuck in Memphis. We got the last hotel room near the airport and were given a cage as a crib for Abby. I must say it was not the best way to spend New Year's Eve. We did make it out the next day and were very happy to be home. I turned 27, and had a wonderful birthday evening. Sam and Brian watched Abby overnight and Andrew and I headed to Pensacola to the Melting Pot for some yummy fondue and wonderful evening out. We also enjoyed a visit from Jason, complete with disc golf!
February: This was a tough month for us. It started out nicely, with a wonderful visit from my friend Kristi, followed by a visit from my dad. But unfortunately, Abby was very sick the entire time he was here. We visited 2 different E.R.'s for a total of 4 hospital trips, with many doctors appointments in between. Everything turned out to be ok, just a horrible ear infection and a scary looking rash that turned out to be harmless. The rest of the months events were a blur.
March: Andrew and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary. We marked the occasion with a cruise to the Bahamas. Andrew's mom, Susan, stayed with Abby so that we could enjoy time as a couple. We missed Abby terribly, but we had a wonderful time our cruise. Near the end of the month, Andrew had a 2 week TDY to DC so I headed to Colorado. While we were in CO, Abby received her first haircut!
April: Jason and Mel came to visit and we hit up the beach. Abby and I hosted a play date complete with an Easter Egg Hunt! It was freezing on Easter, but we enjoyed time as a family during the holiday, and the Easter Bunny treated to lots of goodies!
May: It was another tough month for us. Abby and I sent Andrew off with tears in our eyes, and heavy hearts for a 4 month deployment to Honduras. We spent time getting ready for the separation and before we knew it Andrew was gone. We did have a few trips planned, so that kept us busy. We left about 10 days after Andrew to go to DC for my cousin's wedding. We had a great time seeing all of my family and Abby really lit up the dance floor. From there we headed to Colorado to spend some time with the fam!
June: After 3 wonderful weeks in Colorado, I decided I couldn't go back to Crestview just yet. We were having so much fun in Colorado and Abby was enjoying her time with all of her grandparents and aunts/uncles. I was also enjoying all of the help I was receiving and we decided to stay for the rest of the summer.
July: We spent the month at the pool, the park, and at the gym. Abby was so enthralled with my sister Ana's gymnastics that I decided to sign her up for her own class. Abby LOVED it, and we spent the next few weeks tumbling! We also hit up our fair share of ice cream socials that were put on by the community. We enjoyed a low key 4th of July celebration and remembered how thankful we are for our freedom and those that sacrifice to provide us with it! This month also marked the halfway point in the deployment!
August: It was a bittersweet month and very busy, we would be leaving Colorado. It was really hard to leave my family, but after a quick trip to visit Andrew's side of the family, we would finally be going home. We had a great visit in Wisconsin. We went to The Wiggles concert, the zoo, the park, on a duck tour, and to the circus, just to a name a few. We had a great visit with Peter and Susan and even had the pleasure of spending lots of quality time with Andrew's grandma, Lois. We were greeted by heat and humidity when we got back to Florida, but it was nice to be in our own home again.
September: This was probably the best month of the year! We celebrated Abigail's 2nd birthday and although Andrew wasn't home to be with us yet, our friends made the day very special. When we returned home from our "summer vacation" Abby started going to "school" one day a week, and we signed up for gymnastics! Midway through the month, we had the homecoming we had been waiting 4 long months for. Andrew was finally home from Honduras!! It was wonderful having him home and he had 2 weeks off from work to be with us. I will admit it took a little getting used to again, but we very quickly readjusted as a family. We ended the month with visit from my sister Greta, and a spur of the moment road trip to Ft. Lauderdale to celebrate my dad's 50th birthday!
October: We took a trip down to the pumpkin patch. Abby dressed up as a pink Octopus for the festivities prior to Halloween. On the 31st we made the long journey overseas to Germany to visit some friends and see the sights.
November: Our trip to Germany had just begun. Andrew's parents met us out there and we were lucky enough to be able to stay with our good friends John and Becca. The highlight of the trip was meeting their son, "baby" Wes. He is just too adorable for words. We also spent a weekend in France, traveled to Belgium, Luxembourg, and hit up many of the small towns around Spangdalem. When we got back to the states we started getting ready for the holiday season. We spent a very nice Thanksgiving at home with the added company of Sam and Nolan. (Don't worry, we set an honorary place at the table for Brian. We can't wait till he comes home and he can fill his chair in person!) The end of the month was Andrew's 29th birthday and we spend the night out on the town, having a yummy dinner at McGuire's and then some dueling pianos at Howl at the Moon.
December: With the holidays in full swing, we prepared for some visitors. Andrew's dad Peter came to stay with us for a few days, but unfortunately had to leave before Christmas because he had to work. We had a great time with him and Abby really brushed up on her cooking skills while he was in town, and Andrew enjoyed a few rounds of golf with his dad. The day Andrew's dad left, his mom arrived! We spent Christmas with Susan, and Josh and Laura who also drove down from Wisconsin. We had a wonderful holiday and feel very blessed for all the wonderful opportunities and memories 2007 has provided for us as a family.
A look ahead: We have a few trips planned for 2008, and a couple of weddings to attend :) Hopefully, we will have some news in the way of a little brother or sister for Abby in the months to come! Check back...I will be posting our adventures along the way and lots of pictures (with my new camera). I hope everyone else had a wonderful and blessed New Year!!
