2008 Goes Out with a Bang

and not the firework variety. Will woke up early this morning (much too early for me to check the time) with a horrible cough, runny nose, and a slight fever. I hurried upstairs with a bottle of milk hoping he could be coaxed back to sleep. No such luck. We must have rocked for an hour, and when I tried to put him back in his crib, he kept crying, "(I) unt (want) Daddy." So I caved and brought him to bed with us. I can't tell you how overjoyed Brent was to see him at o'dark hundred. And despite the hour, it was so cute when Will would cough and then say "sorry". Once he finally started to settle down, his very strong gag reflex went into overdrive and he started throwing up mucous....all over me. Now I am up to get cleaned and changed. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep last night.

So today the boys and I stayed home and rested. Jack declared it 'pajama day' and enjoyed being lazy in his jammies all day. And truthfully, we all need those lazy, recharge-the-battery days every once in awhile. I made quite a dent in the laundry. For some reason, the dryer decided to actually do its job and dry the clothes (if you could tune out the high-screeching noise of death it was making). It must have heard that it is getting the axe on Saturday. Will has been pitiful today, with alot of "Mommy hold you" requests, which I obliged.

We are ushering 2008 out with Chinese take out and football. Actually a nice, quiet date for us. We have never been big New Year's Eve partiers (does that actually surprise anyone?). I just don't get the attraction of standing out in the cold watching a ball or peach fall from the sky with hundreds of thousands of your closest friends.

2008 has been a nice year for our family. Brent finished up his clerkship at the Federal Court (which he considers one of his best professional experiences) and returned to the firm. His annual associate review was a much deserved pat on the back....high praise for the quality of his work as well as his other contributions to the firm (Cinco de Mayo, summer associate summer program, recruiting). Although he still has more work than one person can handle, he is thankful to be employed in this struggling economy.

It has been amazing to watch Jack change from a preschooler to a 'boy' seemingly overnight. Jack loves school and more importantly, he loves to learn. While riding in the car, he enjoys peppering me with all kinds of questions. On one particular day, I answered some (okay, most) of his questions with "I don't know" and he quickly replied, "Well, you went to college....tell me everything you learned!" Now you gotta love that enthusiasm! Jack is excited about beginning to read and he's starting to spell phonetically and with some help from us. He continues to thrive in gymnastics and loves swimming. He told me the other day that he can't wait to be on swim team again this summer.

And what a year of growth and change for Will. In 2008, he learned to talk, walk, run, jump and climb. He loves going to school and gymnastics; well really, Will likes to go anywhere. He is definitely all boy, but is also a loving, nurturing little fella. He will pat a crying Jack on the back and ask, "Okay Jack?" or sit in time out with Jack to keep him company (or maybe it's brother solidarity against Mom!). The most rewarding part for me has been watching Jack and Will's relationship deepen. They have become the best of friends and I just love watching them enjoy each other as they play together. I am so proud of all 3 of my boys and look forward to what 2009 has in store for us!

Wishing you and yours joy, health and prosperity in 2009!