2010: Our Year of Resolve

Day 1 2010

We can do, and we'll do it with dignity, and we'll throw in potty training too for an extra challenge.

And friends helped by bringing crafts for the kids.

And my mom and dad visited.

And we road tripped to St. Louis--several times, before our friends moved farther away...

And we discovered Chik-A-Lay

Starry Nights at Shelby Farms

I got pulled over before we got in; Benjamin screamed at the Christmas music the second I turned it on in the car.

Good Times.

Then we spent a week with daddy.

And we said a last good-bye.

And, thankfully, the first day of deployment turned out to be the worst. He sent a message that he was in Bangor, Maine getting ready to fly out. But I missed the call because I was taking Elaine to a specialist to "probably have an MRI" for a lump in her leg, through an ice-storm, and daycare closed early so I had to take all four. It took me literally 6 months to be comfortable that she would be okay.

We celebrated Valentine's Day with our friends Nancy and Jim.

We visited our friends in Mississippi more than I count.

Aunt Brian and Aunt Lori came to visit over her birthday and we helped her celebrate.

And we went to one of our favorite places: the Memphis Botanical Gardens

One huge treat was hosting the Dukes for a weekend with a visit from Emily King.

And my parents visited often in those cold early months of the year.

And we helped Emily celebrate her second birthday.

And Emily, in turn, helped us to Easter Egg hunt.
(Seriously, her mom remembered to bring baskets for all five kids. Me, I didn't even have a plastic grocery bag in the car.)

And we motored back to St. Louis while we still had a place to go there.

And we took our first plane trip alone and first ever for the girls to Nebraska for Easter Sunday.

We nearly lived at the zoo when the weather began to warm.

And our friend Joyce introduced Elaine to the iPhone.

The Kings would come and take the troop on outings so that I could have some time in my house alone every now and again.

And with flying weather come Grandma and Grandpa Airplane.

Who stayed with the kids while I business tripped for nearly a week!

Just plain bravery.

In May my brother and parents spent a long weekend putting together our summers' (fingers crossed at the time) entertainment.

Flat daddy showed up.

We discovered Aunt Cynthia's community pool and how quiet it is in the morning.

July 4 we made our longest solo car trip to date--Kansas to visit grandma and grandpa airplane.

Grandma and Grandpa Helmers came to visit for the girls' birthday.

But we waited just a little while to celebrate,

So that we could include this guy.

A site for sore eyes and sore shoulders.

And he got straight to work on his tan.

And grandpa airplane was here soon to help welcome daddy home.

(notice the Benjamin smile.)

And soon preschool days for all four were upon us.

And we stayed close to home for nearly a month just enjoying each other.

And on Labor Day, Patric took the kids back to Kansas for a visit with family.

And in early October we met our newest family, Noah, in person.

And when you're in South Central Missouri, you kind of have to go to a cave.

And when I went again for business, Patric took them out for the annual sailing of the Bismark.

And Grandpa Airplane came to visit and spend his birthday with us.

And then the whirl of holiday activity kicked off with Zoo Boo.

A trip to the pumpkin patch and one of my all-time favorite Stuber pictures.

A trip with daddy to his pinning ceremony for 2 Bronz Stars.

Trick-or-Treating

Don't worry, there was no actual harming of Alida in the pumpkin patch picture.

Veggie Tales Live!

Thanksgiving Shenanigans.

And right after Thanksgiving in the space of less than 2 weeks, four Stubers celebrate birthdays, whew.

Our only real sickness this fall lasted 24 hours.

That's incredible.

We bought a real Christmas tree, which has been our goal for several years now.

And the kids helped decorate it.

And my brother and nieces came to visit.

And there were LOUD flu shots.

And Ghost Rider Birthday cakes.

And Grandma and Grandpa watched the kids for nearly an entire weekend while Patric and I went to my Christmas party and then drove overnight to his in Crossville--through rain the entire way up; through snow nearly the entire way home. We're nearly Southernified now, so that nearly did us in.

Then the Christmas pagent, where my girls stole the show.

And my parents came to celebrate whatever crossed our minds to celebrate that day.

And here we are with Christmas in the bag.

And our outlooks for new years have profetically been that we're up to the challenge.

I think we met it in 2010.