HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day.”
~Edith Lovejoy Pierce~

Glance back on 2007

2007...what a challenging, rewarding year. Financially, it was one of the best year's yet. But that always comes with a price...we also worked the hardest we've ever worked. Both me and Brett had a good year professionally. And so far, 2008 is shaping up to be even better. We have been blessed in that respect.

Also in 2007:
Brandon - retired from baseball. This is the first time since 1989...eighteen years. It's been a really fun, exciting, heartbreaking 18 years, but it all came to an end in April of 2007. It was probably as hard on me as it was on him. Actually, he has grown up so much and seems happier than he's ever been. He met someone, went back to school and has really grown spiritually as well. I'm really proud of him and who he has become.
Megan - has a good career, and had Hudson Scott Glen McCormick on May 29, 2007. Hudson was five weeks early (weighing 6 lbs, 13 oz) but his lungs weren't fully developed. He spent 10 days in the hospital on oxygen, but caught up quickly. He is now 7 months old and weighs 22 lbs. He is such a sweet, happy, beautiful baby...and pretty much the center of his Mimi and Pops lives. Megan is a wonderful mother and even better daughter. She is so thoughtful and giving and is always trying to help others.
Sierra - is a SECOND GRADER! I can't believe she is growing up so quickly. She is so smart, kind hearted and always giving in to her little brother, Pierce. She has had a good year with the arrival of her nephew Hudson, she also had a little brother, Eli in March. She is surrounded by boys! Sierra has grown so much this past year and was baptized by her daddy at church camp this past summer.
Pierce - started pre-k in August 2007. He is loving school, and loving life. Pierce is one-of-a-kind, all boy! He tests the limits and pushes the envelope every chance he gets. But we wouldn't have it any other way. He learned to ride a scooter this summer and almost learned to swim by himself. He loves animals and tells me constantly he is going to be an animal doctor.

As a family, we have become more involved in our church. We even host a Life Group each week at our house. Our Life Group is our second family. They are amazing, loving people. I think one thing I will remember the most about 2007, is the Block Party that was organized by Life Church to help the homeless downtown. That was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life.

This year seems like a whirlwind to me. Everything has been fast and furious. We took many trips - Las Vegas in January, Cruise in March,Mexico in July. We spent a lot of time making improvements to our home. We added a pergola, pool, trampoline, fort for the kids and even added some additional landscaping. We want to make our house a place where the kids want to bring their friends.

Personally, I'm looking forward to 2008. I can't say I like getting older, or like my children getting older, but I like the possibilities ahead of us. We have set our goals high and have a lot of things planned for our lives.

Most of all, we feel blessed. God is good.

Merry Christmas

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Little Drummer Boy

This is one of the many reasons why we love our church.

God is good - All the time.

Merry Christmas.

BRB

Dream as if you’ll live forever, Live as if you only have today.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Express Yourself

Christmas is forever, not for just one day,
for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away
like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.
The good you do for others is good you do yourself...
- ~Norman Wesley Brooks

Family

I love my husband, he's my #2. But I can't imagine our life without our children. Some of our most memorable times are with our children, or watching our children. Right now, Pierce and his friend Will are playing hockey in the house. When our oldest two were little, I would have been a nervous wreck...worried every minute that they were going to break something. I've grown a lot since then, or maybe I just realize all those things can be replaced. And now, we have Hudson to enjoy as well. What an awesome gift God has given us...four beautiful children, one grandchild, and each other. Life is not always "A Bowl of Cherries". We work hard, go non-stop when we get home and sometimes are so exhausted at the end of the day that we both just want to crash. But it's pretty darn close. I think back of the years I was single and how I longed to share mine and my children's life with someone. God blessed me beyond belief. He's my #1.

Choices not chance determine your destiny.
- Barbara Johnson

There has been only one Christmas - the rest are anniversaries.
~W.J. Cameron

Christmas

"For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is 'hurry'. And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognize the spirit of Christmas. It is not a matter of days or weeks, but of centuries-nearly twenty of them now since that holy night in Bethlehem. Regarded in this manner, the pre-Christmas rush may do us greater service than we realize. With all its temporal confusion, it may just help us to see that by contrast, Christmas itself is eternal."
- Burton Hills -