The Best of 2009

Yesterday evening at dinner we took one last look back at the year 2009 and we each had a turn to say one of the best things that had happened to our family during the year. Utah Dad and I went first. There was a lot of clapping and cheering as we discussed the good times.

1. Of course we are most especially blessed and thrilled to have our little Molly this year. She is so sweet and we love her to pieces.

2. On the Fourth of July, Neal was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We're so pleased and so proud of him. And he's so handsome too.

3. We all loved our trip to Yellowstone last spring. Does it get better than Yellowstone? We enjoyed seeing the wildlife and the thermal features. The kids were so well behaved which meant that I really loved the trip.

4. We all had a great time this Christmas and it made the list.

5. We made a few fun trips to Vernal, Utah to visit with my parents and family this year. The kids love to feed the horses and play with their cousins in the tree house and the back yard. Utah Dad and Neal also went down the Green River with my family during the summer.

6. We spent Thanksgiving with Utah Dad's parents and his sister and her family. The food was great and the company was even better.

7. We tried really hard to have Family Home Evening every Monday night. We had some really fun ones. Sometimes we went on excursions such as bird watching, hikes and picnics in the mountains, and visits to the Hogle Zoo, Thanksgiving Point and the Discovery Children's Museum. We also had some really good lessons. One of my favorites was the night Neal and Amberly pretended to be missionaries and taught the rest of us about the gospel.

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8. Neal and Amberly played tennis, they played soccer and Neal learned to ski. Neal also became a cub scout which he loves. He and Amberly are both doing well at school. We delight in their personal accomplishments.

9. We grew a beautiful garden in our back yard this year and got a bumper crop of zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. Our pumpkins, corn, beans and lettuce were pretty good too.

10. We also did a few home improvement projects around the house. We painted both of the kid bedrooms and painted some of the walls in the family room. We still have a lot to do but it is looking better around here.