2006 In Review I've been told that when you have children time seems to pass twice as fast as it used to....boy is that ever true. I've been trying to muster up a few minutes here and there to post on this blog for months but a whirlwind of events have kept me from meeting that goal. So this post is too serve two purposes, a catch up of sorts of the last few months, and a year in review of 2006. I did manage to get all my Christmas cards in the mail, but I didn't get to do the letter I was hoping to include, so I'm going to type it here for all to see.

I can only start by saying... 2006 Wow! What a year! This year has been full of so many ups and downs for us. The first month of 06 was for the most part uneventful outside of a whole bunch of waiting for the adoption to be completed. In February we flew to Guatemala and met Isabella for the very first time. We spent ten most amazing days getting to know our little angel and forming memories we'll cherish forever. In June, God blessed us with the homecoming of our daughter...who we are now convinced is the world's most perfect child :-) (Okay I'm biased) Really though it just amazes me every day when I look at her and realize how perfectly matched she is for our family. My heart just overflows with love everytime I pick her up and she snuggles into my chest. John and I have always been very laid back..and Isabella is also a really laid back child...she wake up every morning full of giggles and smiles and it's rare that she fusses about anything. She travels pretty well for an infant and she's definitely earned some miles during her first 8 months as a US citizen.

Isabella is growing so much every day and she is certainly a very determined and eager learner. She loves to go to play dates and adores any other child that will actually take time to play with her. She especially loves her good friends Vanessa & Annalise and we spent our Thanksgiving, which was also Isabella's birthday at their house. (It just happens that her parents are another military family that John and I are good friends with. :-) On December 1oth Bella took her first steps and it was the greatest moment. She took six steps fell on her butt and then clapped for herself. It was so cute and she now continues to practice and gets better each day.

This year has also brought much heartache to our family in the midst of all the joy we've shared. In April we lost John's grandfather to pancreatic cancer. He did not get to meet Isabella which was really hard because he was so excited about her, but he was very peaceful the last time we saw him and he had photos of Bella all over his room to look at. In October, John also lost his mother to breast cancer. She was a great woman and put up a strong fight for seven years but her body finally gave out on her and she passed away at home surrounded by all her friends and family. We are recovering slowly but surely and with God's grace we will continue to heal as time passes.

John and I took Bella on her first trip to Disney World in early December. She really enjoyed the kiddie rides and since she LOVES to dance she got a big kick out of the stage shows. We're looking forward to spending Christmas in Kentucky with my family. We're getting worried about how we're all going to fit into one house now because we've recently learned that there are 3 new babies due in the spring of 2007. Yes that's right I have 3 pregnant sisters in law due in March, May, and July! Add that to my six brothers and their wives and the six grandchildren all ready in the family and we're quiet the pack.

John and I have been in Charleston for three years now and we're schedule to move in June 2007 to Virginia Beach. John's been assigned to a flight carrier there. We were in the gearing up mode and even put our house on the market, when his command called him in last week and offered him a chance at an extra year in Charleston. Of course we'll take it if it all works out and we're awaiting an official decision right now. We've also been talking about the idea of starting the process for our second adoption, but there's nothing official on that yet either. We have a lot of things to consider first, and of course we'll have to do some major fund raising if we adopt internationally again. We shall see what develops. :-)

WE Wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Love,
Janine, John and Isabella.