2010 in review

 Looking back over a great year,

Lots of playing

2 trips to the Great Wolf Lodge

February 

 and September

Spring Break in Ocean Shores where we broke tradition and stayed in a different hotel.

A road trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa in Nauvoo, Il that took us through 14 states
many I'd never visited before.  We camped for a week and a half in a rain storm that we could never escape for more than a few hours.  When we turned back west to Nauvoo, we finally escaped it!

A road trip to Disneyland

Dode got to finally play along side us!

A few changes

Got the trail 90's running
It only took us 14 years of owning one before we finally got it running.

I learned to enjoy sewing (amazing).

Our cat of many years died, leaving us a pet free household.

I started my own produce co-op (about 150 participants now).

Miriam began kindergarten at public school.

I learned to back up a trailer!

My cheat sheet, laminated and affixed to the back window of the van.

I started piano lessons

A few things stayed the same

Dode fixed the car, and fixed it again and again...

 

  Another year of cub scout day camp (a sports theme this time)

  We added yet another fun thing to the yard.

We hauled, split, and stacked a lot of firewood.

I read a bunch of books.

We threw a lot of newspapers out the window

54,390 to be exact!

A few things I loved in 2010

a house full of children

keeping up with Sharon and Lynn on Skype

 travel with the kids

Do I have to look like a hillbilly to do it?

kids who normally fight getting along

                                                                     
Trying on a new personality

watching them wiggle to the Wii

cousin time

more cousin time

Grandpa comes over, Grandpa eats, Grandpa sleeps, repeat with each visit.

15 minutes of sure bliss on It's a Small World, at least for Miriam and Elizabeth!

Some of the perks for being a Tulalip employee, a free ride in a police car!

one cool Dude

best re-purpose of an old church shirt

building a table with Dode

CUTEST swimsuit of all time!

I wish I had bought one in every size available

Every time I see her flouncing around, it makes me smile

Princess and the mattresses

solving our septic tank problem after only five years of trying

(Dode used these rocks to build a new drain field)

((We didn't know we'd have a new problem six months later that would require a professional to fix!))

Jacob finally finds a way to satisfy his sweet tooth!

solving car problems half way across the country without Dode,

Not even telling him about it until the next day so he won't feel bad

exploring the United States with the kids

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Utah

my first visit to Salt Lake City as a member of the church

scuba diving in our huge pool with an awesome aunt

 boat rides

cousin time in the jeep

more cousin time in the jeep

notice a trend?

I discovered that I really really really enjoyed Disneyland.

Can we go again next year if I'm a really good girl?

Pretty toe nails and

time at my favorite beach, Jetty Island

Life is full, life is busy, life is not all sunshine and roses.  We've got eight different personalities in our home, all struggling to learn and grow. 

We've laughed,

 We cried,

We fought,

We ate A LOT of ice cream,

  

We passed out from exhaustion.

 But I have a testimony that I'm exactly where the Lord wants me to be, doing exactly what he wants me to do.  He's given me gifts and talents uniquely suited to my life.  Some of those gifts he wants me to work on: patience, prioritizing, unconditional love can only be developed by doing hard things.  My children are always ready to help me as I try to develop those gifts.  I'm so thankful that I've got a great partner beside me every step of the way.  I look forward to all that 2011 will bring to our lives. 

Dode and I will each turn 40.  Jacob will turn 18 and hopefully just maybe graduate from High School before the end of 2011.  Isaac will begin High School.  Anastaya will become an official teenager.  The car will break down, the boat will break down, the lawn mower will break down, the computer will break down, the kids will break more things in the house, and Dode will fix it all.  We'll go on fun trips to put many more miles on the big van.  We'll laugh and cry and serve and love and through it all we'll be the Dorrel and Stephanie Dickson family.  Hooray!