Welcome 2010!

I can't believe that 2009 is already over! Wow! I guess one thing about getting older is that the years tend to fly by much quicker? Maybe it's just that while chasing all the little ones I don't realize how fast each week flys by and before you know it the year is already coming to an end? This year has definitely been a busy and very productive one for us Martins! I think the theme of this year has to be summed up in one phrase "construction!" It's amazing how even though you get in the routine of construction dust and workers in your home for over a year, you never really get "used" to it? But I am VERY blessed to say that now that it is over we have a beautiful century old home that God has blessed us with! We LOVE our home and so much so that we've told the kids we hope they like it here because we when we die one of them is getting it! As in God Himself is going to have to be VERY vocal if He ever sees fit for us to move from here, I'm talking pigeons out on the front law spelling out M-O-V-E before we'd even consider! HA!

Looking back at 2009 I'm still sitting here surprised at all that got done around the construction mess! Here is a brief sum of 2009.....

~Maddelyn turned 6 and started 1st grade at home.
~Emma turned 5 and started kindergarten at home.
~Miss Caroline turned 2 and became the little diva of our lives
~We learned what the color blue was all about with little Elijah and actually got "boy toys" when he turned 1 the week before Christmas
~We finished the remodel of a 7 bedrooom, 3 1/2 bath, 4000 + square foot Victorian
~Nathan started his own political consulting firm and landed his first major contact
~My website Sugar Sweet Bowtique just took off and we opened up an etsy store as well
~The kids and I saw the West for the first time on our 4 week trip driving from Ohio to Washington State and back. Yes we did earn the badges saying "I survived 17 states and 7000 miles, with 4 kids under 7 in and SUV!"
~We hosted our very first holiday celebration in our new home by having 32 people for Thanksgiving
~Our older 2 girls got to be flower girls for the first time in their Aunt Emily and Uncle Jeremiah's wedding
~I got to go to Tn to spend some lovely scrapbooking time with friends for the twelvefriday's weeekend celebration
~My bestest Alicia and her baby Emma-Lee visited for a week and helped celebrate Maddelyn's 6th birthday
~Was honored to attend a Freedom Concert this Summer, and of course the girls were jealous that Mommy and Daddy got to see Miley's dad Billy Ray
~Froze our behinds our but had a great time with family at our annual Hamons Family Camp-Out in October
~Ended our first year in our new home by having an Open House for all our family and friends as well as the Boulevard neighbors who welcomed us into their neighborhood. I actually had one Boulevard lady say jokingly about me raising children in my high school rival town "That our children are not Shelby children, they are Boulevard children." HA!

So as you can see we had a very busy but wonderful first year on our new home. We had lots of surprises come up along the way but God has so richly blesses our lives and we can see how His hand has guided our paths throughout 2009. We are very excited to see what wonderful things He has in store for us in 2010 and we know whatever comes along, God has said... For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. -Jer.29:11