2010 - The Year of Growing

2009 was a year of waiting for the Meier family. First we waited for Russ to leave on deployment and then we waited for him to come home. We waited in ER waiting rooms and we waited at airports. It was nice to ring in 2010 so we could stop waiting.

2010 has been a year of growing. We have all grown in so many ways.

The boys have grown:

December 2009

October 2010

They are so different now than they were a year ago - they are recognizing numbers and letters. They know the letters in their names. They are starting to write their letters. They are "reading" books that they have head over and over. They are starting to get a sense of humor. They are getting too big for their britches. They have thoughtful opinions and ask relevant questions. They are pretty much potty trained. They make up songs and play with words. They are showing their imaginations. It's amazing what a difference a year makes.

Our family is growing. We have spent almost half of 2010 preparing for baby Joshua's arrival in April. Our hearts are growing to make room for another Meier boy. My belly is growing too.

Russ and I have grown in the past year. I cannot say that this has been an easy year for us. We have had to face things that neither of us ever thought that we would. It has been hard and it has not been pretty. We are better people and our marriage is stronger because of it.

And, because life never goes as planned, our vehicle is growing. We will be saying goodbye to our beloved Honda Pilot as 2010 comes to an end. We have had a nice two years together, but three car seats spread out in the back two rows just isn't going to work out. We are "upgrading" (I use the term loosely....upgrading the size, downgrading the cool factor) to a minivan later this week.

I predict that 2011 will be the year of change. Our family is going from 4 to 5. We are expecting a move in the summer. Russ is going back to shore duty. It ought to be a wild ride!