Year in Review

As the brittle Christmas tree scatters its needles across our floor on the way to our truck bed, I can't help feeling my usual regret of another year gone by and things done and undone and time wasting away. It's a good thing I have kids to distract me from such thoughts and remind me to squeeze the joy out of every moment with their cheesy Cheshire Cat grin that Thomas taught them, listen to the things we take for granted like a thunderstorm in a tub of swelling bubbles, and do what everyone else thinks is impossible. Here are some of my favorite moments from 2009:

Thomas saw this video today and after viewing it a few times and shaking his head, he asked me calmly, "So, you just let her go?" It made me wonder, am I a bad parent? Have I just been terribly lucky that Kyra didn't break a limb flying off that lip or Ethan barely one years old was strong enough to hold onto those rings for a series of shots. At any rate, I hope my kids will one day be proud that they tried to skateboard at the age of one/three or hiked to the top of Mt. Baldi at the age of fourteen months/four. This shot below was taken to celebrate Kyra's first solo hike (meaning that Daddy didn't have to carry her) to the Mt. Baldi Summit.

Here are some of Thomas' favorite moments from the year: