Happy New Year!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Even Sasha says hello and Happy New Year!!

Ok... so we are a few days late a lots of dollars short, but still the sentiment is the same. We wish all of you a very prosperous 2009!

We have experienced many twists and turns on this roller coaster of life this year. Through all of the ups and downs, I think we managed to keep our hands in the air and our eyes open wide as we took in the thrill of the ride! We are looking forward to another year with an even more exhilarating ride in store.


Here are some of the happenings in our lives this past year:

Brian:





Brian made a major life-changing decision this year in submitting his retirement letter. As of September 1, 2009, after almost 21 years of Coast Guard life, he will be OSC Retired! We are really looking forward to the new adventures that await us in civilian life. With all of his acquired leave time, he will actually be off work starting the middle of May. He has many promising job prospects with many applications submitted in various positions. We are confident that the Lord will provide for us as we embark on this next journey.





Rosanna:


I am doing really well, and staying very busy. I am still taking college courses, as well as homeschooling the kids. I also manage to find time to sew and quilt. Now if I can just find the time to start cleaning/packing/de-junking the house!! I was released from my calling in Relief Society, which has been very helpful since we have made so many trips back and forth from here to Palmer getting ready for the big move.

Kasi:

Kasi is continuing to amaze us all with her variety of talents and wonderful charm. We tease her that we never know what color her hair will be from one day to the next, but no matter what color it is, it always looks incredible on her! She is a very beautiful young lady! She has been busy lately working (she is a courtesy clerk at the local grocery store) and planning her "Sweet 16 party". She has chosen to hold a Pirate-themed murder mystery party. We found a great party at www.nightofmystery.com that we are all really looking forward to. I really appreciate that they have a "clean and teen" section. Will let you know how it goes! We are going to be taking lots of pictures, and hopefully a video.

The many hair colors of Kasi: (the most recent is the picture above)


This was before she had it cut.... and the pink is a wig! Thanks Grandma!!



I told you she looks cute no matter the color! I really like the cool Halloween contacts too....

Kenny:

Kenny is still the handsome, intelligent young gentleman that we all love. Although after seeing him with the tag still on the sunglasses, which he is wearing at night, I might start being concerned about him! He is finally starting to gain some height and has almost outgrown Kasi now. He is doing really well in Boy Scouts, as well as in his schoolwork, and is becoming quite an accomplished chef! (He's taking a cooking class this year) He turned 14 in October, and is looking forward to taking the test and getting his driving permit. Imagine....2 teenaged drivers in the house! AAAAGGGHHHH!!! SCARY!! I do think he's going to be quite a good driver though, since he is so conscientious. No strange hair colors for Kenny yet! No piercings or tattoos either... thankfully!



Chip:


Chip is becoming quite the young man too. He is 5 now, and never lets us forget it. He is learning (has learned) the alphabet and the numbers. He can read some short words and is working toward learning to read. He is quite the little computer whiz kid too. Brian still says he has too much personality! He is quite a charmer, and can spin some pretty good whoppers in his storytelling too!


Katrina: The hurricane continues!


Katrina is still little and petite, although she has had a couple of growth spurts recently. However, her size doesn't stop her from keeping up with everybody else. Her nursery teacher told me that she holds her own quite well! She turned 3 last May, so is now officially in Primary and doesn't go to nursery anymore. She keeps telling me that she should be in Chip's class! She hates being left out of anything he is doing, or for that matter anything that the older kids are doing! She cried and cried at the State Fair because she couldn't go on the "Big people" rides! She is also quite a little computer hacker....I had to password protect my laptop again since she keeps deleting files! She's also really good at dismantling the keyboard.... now where does that U go again??

This picture was taken this last summer and is one of my favorites of Katrina:



Some highlights of our year:

1) Having Frank, Sheri, and the boys come visit! We really miss you all, and were glad for the chance to get together!




What a crew!! The family resemblance (and profiles!!) are remarkable!


2) We laid the pad for the foundation of the house!! We are building onto Mom and Dad's house. We will end up with 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms!

First we had to clear trees.... Brian did a great job with the chainsaw and he has the scar on his leg to prove it! ;) Good thing we have a good First Aid kit!!



Then we had to move the trees to a pile out of the way. Even Chip and Katrina helped...see their branches? They were really proud of them! The older kids commandeered some of the pink surveyors tape and wrapped it around their heads! Goofballs!!




Next came the really fun part.... driving the excavator to dig the hole....


I'm not sure who had the most fun...the little ones or Daddy!! Notice the bandage on Daddy's knee...see previously mentioned chainsaw incident! LOL

And here is the hole...mostly staked out.




We actually got the gravel hauled in, rented a dozer and leveled it as well, but I was at Time Out for Women while Dad and Brian did the gravel work, so didn't get pictures.... I could swear I have one somewhere of the finished pad, but haven't located it yet.... Alas!

Well, that's it for now. We do wish each of you the best. If I were more organized, like many of you, I would update my blog more frequently like you do..... but, if wishes were fishes....
- posted by Rosanna @ 12:34 PM