You'll notice that last December, I posted that I was determined to update our blog often. You'll also notice that my last post was done in June! Still, here I am...once again determined to make this blog a priority in 2010!
We've had an interesting year with many ups and downs. Some of the highlights have been spending lots of time with the girls and just enjoying their personalities, taking an amazing trip to Newport Beach and Disneyland in November, turning 30, and having uncles and aunts visit from the East coast. We also welcomed Sidney, our puppy, into our family in June, and she is so spoiled with affection from the girls. Some of the not-so-great times have really centered around the effect of the bad economy on business, although even in spite of this, 3 Generations Improvements has still continued to do well.
Jeremy has been busy working, but luckily has had alot of time to spend with family - one of the many pluses of owning your own business. He's an amazing dad, and seems to have endless energy with the girls, which helps me so much come 4pm everyday. As I mentioned, I turned 30 in November and had a blast celebrating with friends! I'm still in school for my Masters in Education, though I have slowed down a bit in the amount of classes I've been taking. Most moms will understand what I'm saying when I say that I felt that I was missing out on truly treasuring each moment with my girls. I'm hoping in 2010 that I will be able to truly refocus my life in such a way that I don't feel so rushed, but that I am able to actually 'live' in each moment with them!
Aubrey turned 5 in October and is more than we could have hoped for (well, both girls are!). She is kind, smart, beautiful, graceful, inquisitive, and thoughtful of others. She tried soccer for the first time this fall (with daddy as assistant coach, and mommy as team mom), and loved playing goalie! She has also continued dance, and is an incredible dancer - I know I'm her mom, but she truly is talented. Her favorite 'talents' of the moment are walking on her toes (ballet), whistling songs, and spending countless hours doing artwork. 
Shelby is just as amazing! We are so in love with our girls and blessed beyond words to have them in our lives. Shelby is 2 1/2, and hilarious! She loves making people laugh, and laughing herself, so we are often awakened with the sweet sound of baby belly laughs! She imitates Aubrey, but with her own twist. Shelby is currently very into dolls, and has two dollhouses of her own. You will rarely find her without a doll in her arms, and I love watching her play mommy!As some of you may know, at the end of summer, after ALOT of thought and prayer, Jeremy and I decided that we should sell our house. This was such a difficult decision, but the only one that we felt would keep us on track with our values and priorities, such as my being able to be home with the girls as opposed to working full time and having them in childcare. We know that every family has to make decisions that are best for them, and we concluded that this was the decision that was best for us. We absolutely loved our home, and love the many wonderful memories that we had in it, but look forward to watching God's plan unfold before us. Our pastor recently gave a sermon on abundant life, and what really stuck with me was how God doesn't promise or necessarily want us to have abundance in life, but rather promises us a life abundant with Him, and with all that we need. We are certain of God's love for us, our family and our girls, and as a result, we were immediately at peace with selling our home, and were thankful to have sold it to a great family!
In the midst of a difficult year economically, we are grateful for all that God has blessed us with - amazing family, love of friends, jobs that we love, healthy children, and one another. We know that life itself is always changing and constantly throwing curve balls and we know that the primary reason we are able remain positive is our faith in God and the unending support we have from family and friends. Thank you to all of you who have given us reasons to smile during those really hard months - to our brothers and sisters, who knew exactly what we needed without having to ask, to both our parents for providing us with a home during our "in between" time and help with the girls so we could have date nights, to our friends who we feel so free to just laugh with, to those who have said prayers for a positive outcome, to customers who have continued to have faith in our economy, to our real estate agent (Dave Chappell), who helped us out immensely and with the biggest heart, and to so many others who by the mere thought of you brought happiness to our hearts! We pray that 2010 brings joy to each of you, and that even when joy cannot be found, that we will be there, as you have been for us!
With our love and thanks,
Jeremy, Val, Aubrey, Shelby & "Sidney-girl"
