A Quick Glimpse of 2008

OK, no one can argue the fact that I'm horrible at keeping in touch with friends and family. I didn't even send out any Christmas cards this year! So, I figured a great way to start this blog would be to bring things up to date. So, I'm going to attempt to catch a glimpse of 2008 for the Little family.

First, is our move. Yes, it seems to be our lot in life. Matthew and I have now moved at least 9 times since we've been married (and we celebrated 11 years in 2008)! We moved to Michigan in 2006 and 2 years later, we found out that Volkswagen of America (Matthew's employer) was fleeing Michigan's bad economy and rebuilding in Northern Virginia (Washington DC). We were torn about this news. We were VERY sad to move away from friends and family! Grandma and Grandpa Hofer only lived ONE BLOCK away!

That was the bad. BUT, we couldn't turn down a great opportunity. Volkswagen was offering a way for us to get out of a horrible housing market and economy. Matthew and I both love the DC area (we got married there) and we were excited to be able to live in such an exciting place. So, we swallowed hard (especially when we bought a TOWNhouse that cost almost 3 times that of our single family home), and did it. By the way, I can't complain about the townhouse (below). It is brand new (unlike our 1970's home in Michigan) and it is 3000 square feet with lots of extras. We also LOVE our neighborhood and it already feels like home.

Morgan

Even though she had to move this year, I think Morgan had a great year! She ended her 2nd Grade year with a bang! She blew the audience away singing a song from High School Musical in her school talent show. Her classmates showed up with signs to support her! Then, she threw the best Goodbye Water Party. Almost her entire class came! Starting at a new school made Morgan nervous, but as a mother, I must admit that Morgan is a natural at making friends. I wasn't worried for a minute that she would fit right in. On her meet the teacher day, she made me stay in the classroom as long as possible, so she could meet everyone. It became a meet the teacher AND Morgan day.

Morgan also kept very busy this year. She took piano lessons, did a lot of swimming, attended her Activity Days at church, and continued to excel in school (especially reading). Her biggest accomplishment was running her first 5K. She trained for it with her Girls on the Run club. She ran it in 34 minutes with her running partners (Dad and Grandpa Little). We are very proud of her. She challenged me to run her next 5k with her, so I've got something to aim for this year (i've never done one).

Ethan

Moving was NOT easy for Ethan. He wouldn't let me leave his sight for a couple months (even IN our new home). He would "check" to see where I was every few minutes and he would NOT go to his Church class without Matthew or I. I was getting VERY worried about the start of Kindergarten. Thankfully, he snapped out of it just in time! It didn't hurt that he got to ride a bus to school (a dream come true). Now, I can't believe he ever struggled. He's perfectly adjusted and he loves school. His teacher tells us that he is a good friend to everyone. His curiosity got the better of him once, but after getting in trouble for getting into the teachers stamps on her desk, I don't think that will happen again.

Ethan also had a lot of activities this year. He played soccer, played, took swimming classes, played, started learning to read, and played! I wish I was 6 again! His biggest accomplishment was learning to ride his two wheeler this spring. Now, he is so confident that he can ride Morgan's 20 inch bike too!

Drew

Drew is my baby and I try to keep him that way. Unfortunately, he has no intention of staying a baby! This year he turned two, and he went from speaking in words to speaking in sentences overnight. He is especially good at quoting me, which has made me learn to watch what I say. I have to say that Drew is a tough kid to entertain. He doesn't really like to play with toys. He likes to paint, color, and play with playdough; but mostly he likes electronic gadgets. This year, his biggest accomplishment has been to learn how to find Dad's laptop, turn it on, open up Internet Explorer and go to PBSkids.org. He does all that with no help from me AND he navigates the website with no help. Once in a while, he gets stuck or prints accidently, but he's amazing!!

Matthew and I

I'm very proud of Matthew's accomplishments at work this year. He was very involved in the relocation of the VW headquarters (being in Human Resources). He worked long and hard hours. In the end, his hard work paid off and he received a promotion shortly after our move to Virginia. It wasn't a huge pay increase, but it was what we needed to make ends meet, plus he finally gets a COMPANY CAR! Matthew loves the car part! He started with an Audi Q7, but has plans to get a sporty Audi TT ones of these days (if he can convince me). Matthew's second biggest excitement this year has been living in DC. He LOVES living in the heart of the nation and he would go downtown every Saturday with the kids if he could. How can you beat the Smithsonians?!

I never have anything to say about me, but I'm going to try. I've got to get over feeling like my life is very uninteresting. I'm a mother of three that's alway an adventure, right! So, what did I do this year? I planned Field Day for Morgan's elementary school. I helped move my family to Virginia. I had many, many projects (making pillows for the couch, making curtains, framing pictures, decorating rooms, making Halloween costumes). I signed up to be Room Mom for Ethan's class and planned two Fall parties and one Holiday party. I am also in charge of coordinating parents to come and read in Ethan's class. Most recently, I started coaching Ethan's Odyssey of the Mind team. I also try to keep my sanity by reading, going out with friends and Facebook (my new hobby).