FLANFARE: Twenty-ten, a year in review

I thought it would be fun to pick one picture from each month in the last year to remember the events that took place. I still can't believe yet another year has gone by...also fun to see my 2 1/2 year old change physically but also developmentally. I'm so glad we made the decision to enroll her in Mother's Day Out this year. Her verbal skills has just taken off. She can say all her alphabet, count 1-20, knows all her colors and shapes. She is beginning to put all her words together to form sentences. She loves all things LeapFrog, Dora, and Veggie Tales. Then there's the potty training...not completely trained but we are making progress. I had to turn my teacher brain off when it came to that! By the time she turned 2 years old, I was like, let's get this show on the road and hit some milestones here! Well, she did not want to have anything to do with it! Then here we are approaching 2 1/2 years and she is still hesitant but is willing to at least give it a try. As I am making this post today, she has gone twice in the potty chair and both times she came up to me to tell me. I'm still insecure about nap/bed times and going out in public sans diapers but I know it will get there. It's a good opportunity to practice patience and to encourage her through this because it's a huge step for her I know.

On another note, hubby is still plugging along at his job. I hardly know any people that can say they love their job except for him. Only he would enjoy research accounting....I on the other hand withdrew from Accounting 101 in college because it freaked my brain out! Well, I did finally gird up and took it again since my Major was Business. If I knew I would end up married to an Accountant, I would of tried harder? We praise God for His provision through hubby's job and couldn't be more blessed by it. Also, hubby has taken on some extra responsibilities at church by heading up Ushering and we will be hosting a Life Group in our home in early February. We feel honor and grateful for the opportunity. I've been so proud of him for having a servant's heart and it has been a joy to serve alongside the rest of the body of Christ that God has positioned us with. In addition, our church is now moving to a new location in February to a local middle school in our area. Through a series of guidance from God, we are "following the pillar of cloud by day" so to speak. We are very excited to see what God is up to in this coming year with our church. Never a dull moment when you serve our God!

As for myself, in September I decided that I would join two business ventures because I was feeling guilty every time I went shopping! Kidding! Kinda! But we are planning for the future regarding Caris' education. Sadly, public school won't be an option for us. So we are researching home schooling as well as private school. At least that is where it stands as of now. My first venture is with a company called Initials, Inc. It is a 5 year old home party based business that specializes from purses, bags, back packs, canteens, to stationary to scarves. What makes it unique is monogramming is always complimentary! I have also loved monogramming and accessories so I felt like it was a perfect fit for me. That's all the pros. The only con is I have to rely on friends to throw the parties. I actually joined at a good time since Christmas was around the corner. So it has been going well and I'm still enjoying the process. The second venture is with Usborne Books. It is very well known in the home schooling community so a lot of people are familiar with it. I chose these two companies because I already buy these sort of things so why not invest in them as well.

So there you have it in a long post about what we are up to these days. Between shuttling Caris to and from MDO during the week I'm also involved in a couple of women's bible study this Spring and I've decided I would start blogging on a regular basis to share what God is teaching me through this season. I have nothing to offer or bring to the table except that the time is short and lately I've been convicted about how I am spending my time. Maybe it has to do with reading John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" for the second time around!