5:50 AM.. and I am reheating quiche?

Ok... this has to be love.. he may drive me crazy.. he quite possibly drives me insane.. but dammit, it is 5:50 AM and I am up reheating quiche for Chuck's command breakfast. I can honestly say this is the ONE weekend I won't even walk in the door to say hello or greet anyone. I have nothing to say that doesn't involve the words "how could you" for some of the people, and the others have always seen me nice and friendly and we don't need to end that charade today. I actually do love the people in his command, there are a few that I think are just lovely lovely people.. but.. others.. not so much. Anyways.. off the topic at hand.. did you notice how good I am at that? I swear.. .and I yell at the kids for not focusing.. I wonder where they get that from.. LOOK a bird! haha made you look.

2008 my year in review.. ;o)~ Wow. 2008 brought us so many different things.. we have had the uppest ups and the downest downs... but in the end it was alot of ups i think. The end of 2007 stunk, I was 9 months pregnant with Emily, I spent all day in the hospital on Christmas day and it was JUST miserable. But then...

January 5, 2008, a beautiful little little girl (5 lbs 4 oz and 17 1/4 inches long) came into our lives. She was just this little peanut, with these big big blue eyes (yea color me shocked.. all my girls have brown eyes.) the spitting image of Daddy (go ahead Daddy.. tell me she isn't yours.. I'll bring you on Maury to watch him slap the hell out of ya ) Emily Catherine is the perfect exclamation point to our family, and I can't tell you how lucky we are to have her.

February 2008 saw what would have been Matthew's 18th birthday.... when you sit back and think of all the milestones you miss when a baby dies, it breaks your heart. He should have registered to vote (not that the choices are that great), he should have graduated high school and went to his prom, he should have LIVED. but alas God decided differently and he grew wings 22 hours after he was born. 18 years have passed, and I am still mad. Does it ever go away? Does holding a perfect little baby that's body just didn't have everything he needed to live ever make sense, that in the same breath hello is goodbye? no. it doesn't. February on a happier note, brought Miss Emily to nanas to finally meet her. :o)~ Which was very sweet.

March 2008 saw my mom inform us when she retired she was going to give us 25,000 dollars to buy a house. our old neighborhood was full of so much violence all she wanted was us out of there, but March also brought alot of issues and struggles, with that came meeting a friend I am not sure how I lived before her. She answered an ad on Craigslist where I asked for prayer that we would get over a rough time, she offered prayer and more. She makes me laugh and smile... and she makes me a better person just for knowing her. Even if she does constantly ask "are you mad or annoyed at me?" One day I am gonna answer yes just to confuse her .. haha kidding.

Easter 2008 I will never forgot... my best friend in the whole world.. my other half of me, had her life change when her husband and her decided it was best to go their own ways.. 20 years and 2 kids later. Its not fair to have to start over, but if anyone will prevail its Mel. She is the most amazing person I know, and when I grow up, I think I want to be her.

April 2008 brought my friend Vickie FINALLY delivering Dasha.. that baby was born at 9 lbs 4 oz and the day she came home weighed only 2 lbs more then Emily (it was a sight to see them next to each other).

May 2008 brought so much turmoil to friends of ours, they had everything that could go wrong that month go wrong, he lost his job, they fought an eviction that in the end happened in July. But her faith never wavered, she still believes God will get you through it. I wish i had that faith.

June 2008, the kids finished what would be their last year in newport news public schools... imagine my shock when Mary's school finally said "we think she needs an IEP" really? i said that four years ago. But I digress they listened. . finally.

July 2008..we found and moved into our beautiful home. The world looked down and smiled for a moment, and it felt good. I feel safe, since we moved there have been numerous people shot all in the cul de sac we lived in. the windows to our old house SHOT out. Thank heavens we are home and safe.

August 2008-Present 2008 has brought us to this point, the start of school, the hustle and bustle of fall, the preparation of all the holidays. All in all, Iam ok with the way 2008 has went so far, while we didn't win the lottery and Ed McMahon didn't show up at our house on Superbowl Sunday with a check for ten million dollars, I have highlights I would not trade for anything.