2009 in Review

Lillian:

• This year saw Lillian's first haircut.  She was not happy about it, but suffered through the experience with quiet dignity.  
• While attending one of her friend's birthday parties, she discovered Chuck E. Cheese, and would not stop talking about it for the rest of the year.  It's funny to us that when she sees Mickey Mouse, she calls him Chuck E. Cheese.  
• In February, she turned two.  She had a party with her friends, and another with her Nana and Popy who came down to celebrate with her.  
• She took several trips this year, and has become an expert flyer.  She often packs her toys in a tote bag and tells us that she's going to the airport to catch a plane to visit someone.  
• She started ballet lessons, and now, when we dance around the house, she does leg lifts and spins.
• Her vocabulary exploded and now she's telling us that we're "unreasonable" or wanting to show us an "interesting" find.

Evelyn:

• Evelyn grew from a baby to a toddler this year.  When the year started, she couldn't even sit up, and now she's walking, talking, and playing with her sister.  She's also moved from nursing to eating just about anything, solid, liquid, or slurry that she can get her hands on.
• She's still 100th percentile in weight, but she grew in height this year making her look less like sumo wrestler, and more like a butterball turkey.  We affectionately call her "Evie", "Cubby", "Chubbs", "Thunder Thighs", "The Baby Who Ate Manhattan", and "Cutie."  (We'll really have to cut some of those out in 2010.)
• When happy, she has a shriek that can pierce the quite in soundproof rooms down the street.  When unhappy, this doubles as a weapon of torture to be unleashed, especially on her big sister.  Most of the time, though, she has a sweet and fun personality.  She loves to smile and share her invisible toys with whoever is around.
• She had a very fun first birthday party this year.  She and her friends had as many rides on a carousel as their mothers could stand followed by cupcakes and presents.  
• She joined her sister for all of the traveling at the end of the year, and was very good, even when her flights were delayed.
• She also took her first long road trip down to San Antonio.  Generally, she was good in the car, but she did not like sleeping in the hotel at all.  We are very grateful to our friends, the Smiths, who opened their home to us in San Antonio so that she and Lillian could have separate rooms to sleep in!

Andrew and Erica:

• This year, I received a couple of promotions and am now a Vice-President in my company.  It's an interesting and challenging new position, and I work with a great group of coworkers to make it successful.
• I doubled the number of continents that I've visited (from 2 to 4).  As part of my new position(s) this year, I visited my teams in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Beirut, Lebanon.  Both were great experiences both with the people and the location.  
• On the way back from Beirut, Erica met me in London and we celebrated our 5th anniversary, while Nana watched Lillian and Evelyn.  We had a wonderful time and wore ourselves out sightseeing.
• The girls have kept Erica very busy this year, but she's made time to take some photography classes, volunteer at church, and start a facebook account.  She also coordinated the replacement of our downstairs floor, painting of the great room in our house, and keeping us all going!  She's an amazing mother and wife!