Leaving 2008

Disclaimer: I am breaking from my usual format to bring you a special, end of the year installment of this blog.  I realize that I missed posting last week and I'm eternally sorry.  I'll try my best not to let that happen again!

Highlights of 2008: 

Owen's firsts (steps, words, foods, camp-outs, kisses), visiting family in Texas, Washington and most recently in Georgia, Luke's pig with a long-bow and best fishing season so far, Sarah's raise at work and completed apron and website projects.  

Goals for 2009:  

Sarah:  Consistency (schedule, working out, bible-reading, parenting, communicating), tropical vacation, creating something satisfying, that ever elusive balance between God, self, family, friends, work...

Luke: Black bear with long bow, black bear with pistol, blaze moose trail, dead moose (with long bow or gun or hand grenades... whatever it takes), busy fishing season despite the economy, to be a great husband and dad

Owen: Fill-out new 2T clothes, potty training, more words, less fuss, 4 more teeth, drop the morning nap,  continue to grow strong and happy and healthy. 

I had thought about trying to pick out the top 10 pictures of 2008, but finding that so difficult, I decided instead to post one of my favorite pictures from each month of 2008.  Most of these you may have already seen in past blog posts or via mass email, but here they are again for you to enjoy!  Happy New Year!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Georgia on my mind

Sarah's Thoughts: We made it! We made it though another year, we made all the way across the United States, and we're still going strong! I do have to say that my boy did so so so much better on the flight then I ever thought he was capable of, Thank you God (and thank you for your prayers)! So here we are, in Georgia, staying at Luke's parent's brand-spanking new castle on the lake. Its so big and beautiful and I'm feeling a little too comfortable, like I could get use to this high life... I've been trying figure out what makes Georgia tick... California is wine and fake boobs, and Alaska is hunters vs. greenies and Washington is punk rock meets pine trees, but what about Georgia? I haven't seen any peach farms or boiled peanut stands... I went to Walmart today hoping that I'd get a better feel for Georgia, but all I found was the same old Walmart. I'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, you better keep on your best behavior girls and boys because ready or not, Santa Clause is coming to town!

High- Hearing that because of a tailwind, our 5 hour flight from Seattle to Atlanta would be a 4 hour flight. Hallelujah!

Low- The last 45 minutes of our 4 hour flight... How the heck are we going to make it coming the other way???

Luke Update: Luke has also been enjoying Georgia. Lots of lounging, snacking, tinkering in the "man cave" with his dad... The ease with which he's settled into this life of luxury makes me think there might be a whole other side to my husband that I don't know about. One that has an appreciation for fine caviar, cashmere sweater-vests, and 1942 Pinot Gricio. Its really fun to see Luke with his family- especially with his brother. I think most siblings have a special language, finding the same quirky little things hilarious, and these two are no exception. The boys (dad included) are planning a deer hunting trip in the morning, after which time, we'll leave Owen with Grammy and head out to finish up the Christmas shopping. Might even stop by Bed,Bath and Beyond, but I don't know. I don't know if we'll have enough time...

Owen Update: 3 words. Center Of Attention... I think he feels a little nervous at first when all eyes are on him, but then he quickly gets over it. He has especially been loving Dusty and Jordan's dog, "Georgia" (but he keeps calling her "Dolly"). You can hear him yelling at the top of his lungs, echoing through the house "Ah-yee! Ah-yee! Yett!" (translation: "Dolly! Dolly! Get it!") Thankfully, Georgia is a great sport. She runs after every single stick or ball he throws, even if it only lands 1 foot away. I caught Owen crawling all over her tonight and she didn't seem to mind. He's also been loving vacation because it means that mom and dad can give him undivided attention. When he's not running around after Georgia, he's grabbing mama by the finger and leading me all over the house. Its a little exhausting, but all that exercise means more sugar cookies for me, so I'm not complaining! For the first time this morning, without missing a beat, Owen stepped from the grass up to the sidewalk. My little baby is just getting bigger and stronger and smarter every day.

Merry Christmas!

(I neglected to bring the camera cord to download photos,
so our current pictures are on hold until we get home.)

The Countdown

Sarah's Thoughts:  Christmas is looming and I know there's lots to do in order to be ready, but the trick is knowing how much I have to get done each day so that at the end, I'm not pulling an all-nighter...  This year, we're taking off to Georgia to spend Christmas with Luke's family.  One good thing about going out of town for Christmas is that I'm forced to get all the stressful scrambling out of the way before we leave, so maybe on Christmas, we actually will be more relaxed.  It'll be great to get out of town and see family, but if you think of us on Dec 18 and 19, please say a prayer for a peaceful flight.  Every time I think about traveling at Christmas with a very busy 18 month old, who can't sit still for more then 10 seconds, I just honestly don't know how we're going to survive the 5 hour flight from Seattle to Atlanta.  We tried giving him some benadryl tonight to see how he'd react.  It didn't seem to have much effect until bath time.  Suddenly, he was very insistent that his cuddle sleeve (his blanket) join him in the tub.  Of course I didn't let him, and had to wrench the blanket out of his death grip before putting him in the water.  On normal evenings, all traces of sadness melt away as soon as he gets in the tub but tonight, he sat in the water, bawling big, fat tears. Very sad!  Bad benadryl!

High- Knowing that I only have 3 days of work this week!

Low- Knowing we have 8 hours of flying ahead of us...

Luke Update:  Its been so windy and cold lately that Luke hasn't been able to get out hunting so he's been spending more time on projects.  Luke has temporarily traded in his cast led bullets for his table saw.  He's been working on a super secret project most of the week in the garage.  (I think I'm getting something homemade for Christmas! I'll let you know!)   We also have been catching up on last year's season of "Lost," thanks to Netflix.  We don't really have T.V. so we do our best to avoid all mention of what's currently happening on our favorite T.V. shows and then when the previous year's season comes out on DVD, we watch the whole thing in a week.  What is with those people on the freighter and why doesn't everyone get off the island????  (Don't tell!)  I think Luke and his dad are going to be doing some hunting and bow-building while we're in Georgia so there may be more of that to report in the next few weeks.

Owen Update:  Owen has really been quite sweet this week.  As pictured below, he's been giving kisses, which just melts your heart. We also found out last night that Owen loves cats. We went to our neighbor's house for supper.  Owen was happily exploring their house, checking out the dog toys and trying to open all the doors.  All of a sudden, he let out this startled cry, like he was hurt.  I raced over to find him pointing at their cat, Rhett.  At first I thought the cat had scratched him or something, but after close inspection Owen seemed to be fine.  Our neighbor, Bob, held Rhett so that Owen could pet him.  Owen was trembling, he so badly wanted to touch the animal but at the same time was so cautious that he couldn't bring himself to move.  He just stood there, shaking and crying.  It was pretty crazy, I've never seen him like that.  Now that I think about it, I don't think Owen has ever been in close proximity of a cat.  I finally forced Owen to pet Rhett a little bit, and then for the rest of the night, he was chasing the poor animal all over the house.  

kisses

just waking up

"Let me in that bathtub already!!!"

heading to church

christmas caroling...  

(or maybe just yelling really loud in front of 

the christmas tree at the mall...)

Recovery

Sarah's Thoughts: The more I think about it, the more I stand by the title of this post.  This week has definitely been one of recovery.  On Tuesday, I started back to work and my parents left so that took some adjusting to get back in the routine of real life.  Then I got pretty sick on Wednesday night.  I thought it was food poisoning at first, but the next morning when I wasn't feeling much better, I realized that I had a 24 hour flu or something.  I stayed home sick on Thursday and then Friday was our big-deal, work christmas party with all the other dental offices and staff and spouses in Juneau.  Saturday was uneventful and then today I woke up with a case of the procrastination-induced blues.  However, after some exercise, prayer, and list making I'm feeling better.  If only my blasted internet connection were faster!  

High- The annual Dr.s Schultz Christmas party.  I was looking hot, thanks to my new dress, Kristen and her hair straightener!

Low- let's see... it's a toss up between puking my guts out for the 12th time in one evening, or the non-stop, nails-on-the-chalkboard whining coming from the midget...

Luke Update: Luke has also had a week of recovery.  Maybe there's something going around our family?  He started feeling sick right when I was beginning to recover.  With a little rest and a lot of vitamin C, he's well on the road to health.  Besides spending more time then usual in the bathroom, Luke has been spending this week talking about hunting, hanging up the outside christmas lights, brushing the dog, cleaning his gun, napping in the recliner, snuggling with wifey, and keeping the peace.  All in a days work.  

Owen Update:  Owen has been a handful.  (Is that a polite way of saying your child sometimes makes you want to disappear in the bathroom and never come out?  If so, that's what kind of "handful" I'm talking about.)  I think he's been feeling a bit under the weather as well. As promised last week, I've been paying more attention to his babble and I'm happy to report, he definitely is saying more words.  I've positively identified "Dolly" (ow-wee), "off" (off), "hello" (eh-woe), and "this" (dis).  (I took a little video while he was in the bath tonight.  Not a lot of action, but lots of talking.) I've also been noticing more singing.  Its mostly monotone and mainly consists of saying the same word over and over, but still pretty darn cute.  This week we also stumbled across a wonderful entertainment tool, washing the dishes.  He stayed in this position for 45 minutes last night.  Not kidding.  Tonight he was ready to get down after about 15, and both he and the floor were wet, but 15 minutes!  You just can't put a price on entertainment like that!

Doing a little dish.

Everyone loves singing in the bathroom!

Owen's parents

Fancy camera effects with Christmas lights

Christmas sweater and ornaments

Listen up, yo!