Dear 2008,

You have been a GREAT year. You started out surprising me when I got a positive pregnancy test just weeks into the new year. You pulled a fast one on us 2008, but we couldn't be happier. Also in January, my sweet Kate turned 1 and you were the year that Kate went from a baby to a little girl. And, after much prayer, we switched churches & went back to the church we grew up in. It has been awesome to re-connect with old friends & meet great new friends!

February, March & April were a blur. I am sorry I didn't enjoy them 2008. But you have to understand that I was pregnant & throwing up 2-3 times a day (while working and trying to be a good mommy to Kate). Not to mention I was still in denial that I was having another baby. We had to take Kate to the doctor for weight checks each month & that was stressful because Kate just didn't gain weight. In February, Kevin and I went to Carmel by ourselves for the weekend & left Kate with my mom. I had morning sickness the whole time. Blah. Kate got her first cold at 13 months old, not too bad if you ask me! In March I went to 4 baby showers (a lot of my friends had babies in 2008). And we celebrated Easter. I don't remember much about April, but I know we had our big 20 week ultrasound & I still had all day sickness. (We didn't find out the gender, just like with Kate, we wanted another surprise at birth!) Kate and I watched a lot of Sesame Street & I was still in denial about having 2 kids under 2.

February:

March:
April:

May was a good month, I started feeling a little better! May is always fun because it is the month for my birthday and Kevin's birthday. I turned 29 this year...you know what that means 2008? That means I will be the big 3-0 in 2009.

In June, school got out for summer which meant I got to spend all day with Kate! 2008, you know I love summer! One of the best things about June was that my friend Lesly had a baby girl Elise and she wanted me to be in the room when she gave birth. That was an experience I will remember always. There were some hot days & to cool down, we spent many days/evenings at the pool with our friends Mark & Tara (Tara had a baby boy in July, here we are at her baby shower in June)

July brought more hot days for this pregnant lady. But with hot summer days comes one of my favorite traditions, the 4th of July parade and Jimmy's 4th of July sausage fest. We had a week in Tahoe with my family. We also found out at Kate's 18 month appointment that Kate had a heart murmur & needed testing done. While that was concerning, I had a deep peace about it & knew that everything would be okay. (It was!) We got to celebrate our dear friend Johnny Cat's healing of lymphoma! My best friend AK, her husband Greg & son Will flew out to celebrate at Johnny's Luau. It has so fun to be pregnant with her (again!) at the same time. Our due dates were just days apart! (AK had Connor 3 days after I had Claire!)
I was nervous in August 2008, because that meant "next month" I would be having another baby. That was scary & exciting. August was also the month I started this blog (and joined Facebook...hahaha) Kevin and I spent many evenings in August watching the Olympics, playing around on Facebook (dorks!) & eating Popsicles to stay cool. Kate had her first trip to the zoo. We celebrated 6 years of marriage in 2008 & celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory (of course!)

This picture was taken in August 2 weeks before my due date at Tallie's baby shower. It was fun being pregnant with so many friends from high school this year! Nicole had Cole on Sept. 1st & Tallie had Tatum on October 10th.


September was a month to remember. Not only was Claire born, but my friend Nicole had Cole a week before me and my best friend since 5th grade, AK had Connor 3 days after I had Claire. 2008, you were the year I became I mommy of 2 girls & learned to love more than I thought was possible. I adored the way that Kate has accepted Claire & loves on her. It was a seamless transition for her (so far!)

October was wonderful. October is my favorite month anyways, but this year I was on maternity leave all of October. I was able to have playdates with friends, go to Mothers Together & just enjoy my time off work & enjoy Kate & Claire. I baked a lot in October, I wanted cookies & brownies all the time (gotta love nursing!) We celebrated Grammy's 97th Birthday & I went back to work on Halloween.


I was sleep deprived in November 2008....I drank A LOT of coffee, 2008. (and a lot of wine!) I would not be able to function without my precious coffee. I will remember the historical election & Barack Obama becoming President Elect. (and the funny SNL skits). I didn't have that many work days in November because of Veterans Day & Thanksgiving. We had a fun trip to Carmel to celebrate Mimi's birthday.

December brought the Christmas season which also means parties! I know you like parties 2008! We had a party EVERY Friday AND Saturday of December 2008. I was even able to drag Kevin to the city. Aren't you proud of me, 2008? It was fun celebrating the season with friends and family. The annual tacky X-mas sweater party was a favorite, as well as Kevin's work party. Kate got her bottom 2 year molars in December & Claire learned to roll over from back to front. Boulder was left out of the Christmas card (we'll get you back in there next year Boulder!) Kate celebrated her 2nd Christmas & Claire her first.

Thanks for the memories 2008 it's been quite a ride & you will always hold a special place in my heart.