Be Gone 2008

For the most part, 2008 was easier than 2007.

July proved to be the best month yet. We vacationed with four March of Dimes girlfriends and their families in Kansas and Iowa. The kids went on their first airplane ride ever. They loved it and did exceptionally well.

August found the Mickster starting Kindergarten. He was nervous at first, but soon found a regular routine with a great teacher. After just 2 days, he roped himself a darling little red head. Actually, she asked him to her boyfriend. Oh my!

Then September found the Pink Princess attending her first preschool. After 3 years with Ngoai (maternal grandma in Vietnamese), it was time to venture out and give Ngoai a break. The Pink Princess and I had a rough first day so Round Eye had to do the morning drop offs from then on. Her week ended on a good note so I didn’t need to go and beg Ngoai to keep her again…which I would have if needed.

However, the following week found us under a mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Ike. We headed up north to my bestfriend's and to my older sister's in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. We were so blessed that our home suffered no damages from Ike…just our fencing, but that’s so so minor compared to some many others. God really was watching out for us.

October was a month of recovery and settling back into our routines. The Pink Princess had many days of separation anxiety and many nights of waking up 3, 4, 5 times a night. It took a good month before she succumbed to sleeping. Now she only wakes up once a night which is one more than before Ike. I guess we’ll take it at this point.

October also brought me some much needed comfort. Some of my very closest friends, all met online through the March of Dimes, came to town for a visit as well as for the annual MOD/Share Union conference. I so needed to see them and spend some time with them. They are my support system through everything. I am so blessed to have such amazing, loving friends.
November was a stellar month for us all. Round Eye added another installer to his company and broke all sales record. He and I also celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary. The Mickster participated in his first March of Dimes Reading Champions program in which he read 30 books and secured $200 in pledges. Finally, the Pink Princess attended her first “princess” birthday party. She was all decked out in her gown and sparkly shoes. She had a blast!

December found us all under the weather except the Mickster. He came through with flying colors despite spending all his waking, free minutes with Round Eye. Luckily just some rest and a few meds did the trick, and we were somewhat well enough for Christmas Day. We spent the day with family which is always so much fun for us. The kids scored big with Santa. However, Santa got his list a little mixed up. He gave the Pink Princess a bike but didn’t leave a helmet while leaving Round Eye a helmet but no bike. I guess he needed a little more help then expected.

We rounded out the month and year by spending the evening and spending overnight at my sister’s. Our whole family packed our bags and partied to the wee hours of morning. Okay, the kids didn’t last to midnight, but they sure came close. Round Eye rang in the new year then immediately headed to the sofa bed while I stayed up past 3am playing dominoes with my sister and nieces then some poker before calling it a night morning.

All in all, 2008 was good to us and we hope that continues into 2009.

2009 finds us with much to anticipate. I will be heading to Kansas City in less than 2 weeks to spend some girl time with some of my favorite BFFs. The Pink Princess will start ballet/jazz classes this month which she is soooo excited about.

February will bring the Mickster another birthday…the big 6! He’s already planning his special day with talks of a John Deere cake and bouncing, jumping to his heart’s content.

As of right now, we have no plans for Spring Break, but I’m sure it will include some much needed R & R.

April will be our busiest month with jumpstarting our fundraising for our family team with March for Babies…The Haynes Phamily Team. As you can see on the right sidebar, we are already up and running in anticipation of some donations and support from friends and family. Thank you all for your past support and your continued support in this cause that means so much to our family. We know that without the March of Dimes, our Pink Princess might not have the life she has today…and for that, we thank YOU.

I hope the rest of the year is smooth sailing for us though I’m sure there will be many activities and events to fill in the rest of the calendar.

We hope and pray that 2009 bring lots of health, happiness and peace to you and your family.

Picture: The boys went to their first Monster Truck Jam last night. They had blast!