Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Happy New Year!

Yesterday, Ryan and I sat down together and recorded the highlights of our year, month by month. We then followed our reminiscing with a goal session for 2008! Major props to Ryan for enduring such a sentimental tradition...(it was like pulling teeth!)

I'm taking a photo journalistic approach to my walk down memory lane on this blog entry. Feel free to skip this entry as scrolling through my year in pictures may be a bit tedious. I indulged myself! I'm looking forward to Dax's witty comment as he likes to tease me about my blog : ) He can put it in his book titled, "One Liners."

Here it goes...

On January 21st Ryan completed the Carlsbad Marathon. It was his first and I was so proud of him. Harrison was too, I could feel him doing congratulatory somersaults in my tummy when we watched Ryan cross the finish line!





February 12th: Harrison James Kaltenbach! Seven weeks early...we were surrounded by the Love of our Heavenly Father as He orchestrated this Miracle in our lives...





The rest of February and the beginning of March was spent in the NICCU. Those were rough days but watching Harrison get stronger every day was so powerful. It was a time to heal, physically and emotionally. To say bringing him home was the one of the sweetest experiences of our lives is an understatement.






On April 9th Ryan and I celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary. We enjoyed a Gondola ride in Coronado and continued the tradition of a romantic dinner at Jakes while we watched the sunset. The best three years of my life!




We spent a good part of May at Sanoviv in Rosarito, Mexico. It was amazing to experience the healing benefits of that place with Ryan and Harrison by my side.






June was our 10 year High School Reunion. Crazy... 10 years?!




July was a slow month...we just enjoyed Harrison. This is my favorite picture from July. It is in these moments when Ryan is covered in spit up or up to his elbows in a dirty diaper that I fall more and more in love with him!




August, on the other hand, was packed with big events. First was the LFO reunion in San Diego. The reunion ended on Harrison's six month Birthday and it was on this special day that Harrison was given his Blessing. He was blessed at Grandma Coco's and it was especially poignant to me to have the blessing in the same room where Lexi was blessed by most of these same men before she passed on. Ryan was honored to have the men of the family in the circle with him. On August 23rd Ethan Brent Pratt joined our anxiously awaiting family. What a blessing this little baby boy is. His birth and his health were direct answers to our fervent prayers.









In September, Harrison got to meet his little Mexican brother from another mother...Owen Erickson was born on September 25th! Harrison also attended his first Padre game in September and to our delight, he Loved it! There will be many more of those, it is one of our favorite summer activities!






October was full of adventure as we spent three weeks on the island of Kauai. We hope to make this trip a yearly tradition. Harrison thrived...it was all that tropical snow cone yumminess Grandma kept sneaking him : )







November was a month we will cherish. It was spent with family. Mom generously gifted all of us another trip to Disneyland with the whole family. Three days at the Happiest Place on Earth! We finally got to meet our little Ethan and we enjoyed our first Thanksgiving as a family of three. I have never felt so overwhelmed with the magnitude of my blessings as I was on this Thanksgiving Day. To top off November, Ryan and I spoiled ourselves and saw our favorite band Travis perform at the House of Blues.








December was a magical month filled with Holiday cheer! Ryan and I got to be parents of four for ten days and then, on December 18th Sawyer Michael Ross joined our family. There was nothing like a new sweet baby to get us in the Christmas mood! Christmas 2007: A wonder filled day as we watched Harrison soak up the spirit of Christmas with all his beloved family members...







We feel an excited energy about 2008 and know we will continue to grow as a family in a cacoon of comforting love. We hope that 2008 is a prosperous and glorious year for our friends and family too!

2 comments:

jess said...

yeah!! happy new year from the mother of harrison's mexican brother!! what an amazing year... we love you guys soooo much!

Anonymous said...

happy new year sharlie!! i love your blog, it's so funny! (in case you're wondering, i just got the link to your blog from you-know-who) Best wishes to you and your family, including little baby Harrison.