Goodbye 2010....Hello 2011!!

I can't believe that 2010 is coming to a close. Where has this year gone???? So much has happened in 2010 that it is all a whirl wind. Ryan celebrated his 8th birthday in January, Brenna made her debut in February and Azzie turned 4 in May. Many things have happened between these 3 events also.

My best friend Angie celebrated the birth of her daughter Maddie on April 1st and her little boy Trenton turned 2 shortly after on the 12th of April. Angie is like a sister to me. We are always there for each other when needed. I would be lost without her, as I am sure she would be lost without me. I can't imagine my life without Angie. She was there for me when I needed her the most. If it had not been for her, I am sure that when Ryan's dad and I split up I would of most likely ended up living back with my parents. But Angie convinced me to move closer to her, as at the time of the split I was living in Hilbert. So here I am 6 years later and still living in the same apartment complex, just 5 minutes from her.

2010 was a eventful year. I left my job in December of 2009. I hated that job, but stuck it out for as long as I could. So for all of 2010, I was a stay at home mom. I still am, but would love to get at least a part time job to help with the financials. DJ works 2nd shift and isn't home at night, but that is ok most of the time. A few months ago, he got partially laid of which really put a burden on the financials. We got news today that starting Monday, he goes back to 40 hours a week. YAY!! So the start of 2011 is starting to look up.

2010 was kind of a rough year for Ryan. He is turning 9 in less than 2 weeks and was diagnosed in 2004 with ADHD, in 2006 with Autism and we are assuming a mood disorder to top it all off. He has been on so many meds that I have lost track of what he has all been on. Right now, his meds seem to be working ok, but he still has a long way to go temper wise. He can be a sweet loving little boy, but sometimes his mood swings are too much for him and me to handle. He has meltdowns, altho they aren't as often as they use to be, so that is a good thing. Ryan's dad also recently came back into his life after being out of it for almost 2 years. As much as I love my children, I can not imagine going almost 2 years without seeing them. Ryan's dad lost his girlfriend and I think that really opened his eyes to how short life is and how much can be missed in just a short amount of time. I was a little nervous about Mike being back in Ryan's life, but so far it seems to be working out. Ryan isn't obsessing over Mike's visits and has been relatively well behaved after his visits. So that has put my mind at ease. He still does once in a while blurt out that he doesn't like me and wants to live with his dad, but I attribute that to Mike not having many rules at his house for Ryan.

Azzie was recently diagnosed with ADHD also. It has been hard on me since I really do hate giving my kids meds. She has calmed down quite a bit, but is having the common sleeping issues that come with some ADHD meds. It just takes her a little bit longer to fall asleep, but she is really easy to wake in the morning. She is an instigator with Ryan. She really knows how to push his buttons and make him mad. But overall, she loves her brother very much and is constantly looking for approval from him. She loves her little sister Brenna very much too. Whenever Brenna is crying or needs attention and I can't give it to her at that moment, I can count on Azzie to keep her occupied until I am done. She started at the elementary school this fall. She is in the 4k program and loves going to school. Often times, she does get upset if there is no school or if she is sick and can't go. I really hope that this continues as she gets older since I hated school growing up.

Well it's the end of December and my littlest peanut, Brenna is 10 1/2 months old. I can't believe that in less than 2 months she will be turning a year old. Time flies so fast!!! 2010 has seen many milestones for Miss B, my little frog. She was born in February and quickly won the hearts of everyone she met. She is such a good and happy baby. She started sitting up on her own shortly before 6 months, started crawling around 8 months and is now cruising around furniture like a pro. While we were at my parents for Christmas, she even stood without holding on to anything and took 2 steps!! I was in awe. She is so little, but don't let that fool you! She will be running in no time. Miss B has 4 teeth which I thought were never going to come in. Currently, she is working on teeth 5 and 6. She loves to babble and wrestle with her brother and sister. I am convinced that all 3 of my children will be professional wrestlers. No fear I tell ya!!

In July we took a vacation up north. We found a cabin on the Clam River and was is nice!! We always take a vacation with Angie and her family. This year Joan, Kathy and Angie's nephew Gage joined us along with Kait(Angie's daughter) and Karlie(Angie's "adopted" daughter). We had such a wonderful time there that we are planning to make it an every year thing. This cabin is right on the river! And the best part of it.....the deepest part is only like 5 feet. So I felt so comfortable in there. Gage caught us a ton of fish too. All in all it was a great vacation and I can't wait to head back there this coming year.

Well as 2010 comes to a close, may you all have a healthy and happy new year!!