I didn't hate 2009- though it was a little scary with the further tanking of the economy and increase in the cost of EVERYTHING except our home value...I'm choosing to focus on the positive things:

• My family was healthy and happy
• Tyler had steady employment (a HUGE blessing I realize all too well)
• I still got to be a SAHM so I could see my little boys grow and learn.
• I built up my piano teaching business
• I was able to see my MI family/friends, visit Yellowstone, and learn that Palm Springs is NOT a primo family vacation spot (though it was still awesome to relax & have my little family all together)
• I got knocked up- and am having a GIRL in 26 days :)
• Kaden was able to start preschool & he LOVES it!

And many, many more blessings...too many to count! Happy New Years everyone- be safe and have fun!

Ok so I know it's not quite 2010 yet, but I've made my first custom blog header and it took FOREVER so I wanted to make it right for the new year and our new addition (Miss MiaJolie). I know it is not even cute because I wanted it to be kind of neutral to go with whatever blog background I choose...I was just really sick of boring blogger font. So there it is, hopefully some day I will feel like making a super cute one...for now I'm sick of GIMP so that's what you get.

We had an awesome Christmas this year! It always makes me reflect on how blessed we are to have a nice warm home and food and family. The boys were spoiled with presents and I think they had a pretty fun holiday- getting to stay up late watching movies and eating lots of junk food!

Christmas Eve we spent at Grandpa and Grandma Kents'

Ky has recently learned how to say 'cheese'

In our Christmas jammies

Christmas morning, 6:45am. (We slept in the basment together)

Santa magically put the bunkbed up in the night (hence the reason we slept in the basement.)

Kaden with his loot-

Kyson was most interested in eating candy canes from his stocking.

Until he unwrapped this:

Excellent form- he must have learned it from me :)

In their star wars command center:

Kaden driving his favorite (noisy!) present:

Christmas breakfast

Close-up of Kyson- cheese!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that the New Year is fantastic!

Love,
The Kents

Tyler, Darci, Kaden & Kyson

Here are pics of the downstairs with carpet/furniture! I love it and am so thankful for all of Ty's hard work (Henry's too!). I think one of my favorite parts is all the prewiring we did- so you don't see any entertainment components or cords- they are all tucked inside the closet. I am also in love with the sconces/accent lighting...bowm chick a wow wow (did I just say that?) The boys love it too- they never want to come upstairs (makes cleaning upstairs much more peaceful!) We've only got a couple more tasks to do in the bathroom and then some organizing of the bedroom/office and we can finally say we're totally done!Here are some pictures:

View from the back of the room looking forward (the walls look kinda green but they're not- they are Mississippi mud brown)

View from the front of the room looking back (The office is behind the double doors.)

The kids' playhouse aka 'The Cave'

The office (I was nervous about this color but it is really warming/relaxing in person!)

The bathroom- tile all done, toilet in, just need some fixtures/vanity.

Saturday we went to Layton Park's Christmas display on a hayride- I was so prepared and everyone was bundled up. We get in line and I reach for my camera- battery is charged- and...NO memory card :( I was so sad! We waited in line a while to get on a trailer but it wasn't too bad- and the boys really enjoyed the lights. Afterwards we stopped into Sill's Cafe for scones and hot chocolate (MY favorite part)! It was like 7:45 when we walked in but they encouraged us to come in and order anyway- they rock! Since it was light inside I could get pictures on my phone.

So yummy...I ate half of it before I could get a pic :)

Kyson enjoyed it...

And Kaden too!

I would like to make this a tradition...hopefully next year I'll remember my memory card!

I MUST say thank you to the various people who have lent us their tools and time during this process...especially Grandpa Kent who has not only lugged over numerous saws etc... but has put in hours of work tiling for us as well. I am SO thankful that #1 we did not have to spend hundreds of dollars to buy these tools and #2 that they are finally LEAVING my house :) Things will be much quieter around here and Tyler will have to find some other excuse to abandon me for hours...I think he really had fun down there playing with power tools even though he was "working." Carpet comes later this week then I will post pics!

This was the first day it has been warm enough for us to play in the snow- Kyson threw a HUGE tantrum inside because he didn't want to get dressed in his snow things, but the second we opened the door he started smiling. He probably doesn't remember much of last winter since he was so young and couldn't even really play in it. It was really wet packing type snow so snow angels didn't work very well, and YES it would have been perfect for a snowman but I couldn't find my gloves and Kaden didn't feel like doing it himself. So instead they just ran around, threw snow, played with the dump truck and even ate a little...(Ky found it most effective when he laid on his tummy and shoved his face into the snow since he couldn't maneuver his mittens very well.) Then we had to come inside and Ky threw another HUGE tantrum...

The smile

Cute brothers

Trying to walk in the deep snow!

Kaden posing with his beloved candy cane lights...

Ky was eating snow while Kaden played with the truck.

Ahsoka loves the snow- I can't get her to come in sometimes...

Here is a funny conversation that just took place between Kaden and I after watching Elmo visit the Dr. on Elmo's world (the boys just had their seasonal flu shots yesterday):

Kaden: I was proud of myself for getting my shot yesterday.
Me: You sure cried a lot though- it didn't really hurt THAT much did it?
Kaden: (silence- awkward)
Me: But it's ok to cry sometimes, huh?
Kaden: Yeah...and it's ok to try and escape from the shot too huh?

(Because he DID try to escape his flu shot- we had to hold him down and he cried for about 10 minutes afterward when Kyson only cried a little.)

Last Saturday the 5th of December was mine and Tyler's sixth anniversary! It seems like just yesterday, yet at the same time it feels like forever. I know that makes no sense whatsoever but really the time has flown by, but it also feels like we've always been together with Kaden & Kyson. It is quite the paradox.

We have accomplished a lot together- 2 1/2 beautiful kids, 2 homes owned, 3 college degrees & a CPA! What's next? Hopefully we will get the basement finish out of the way, get baby #3 here safely and settle down for a while...Ty keeps bugging me to let him get an MBA so we'll see how I feel after a few months with 3 kids...I'm not ready for him to be gone all time/studying again.

Here are a couple of wedding pictures...my scanner is not hooked up so I can't post any really old ones like I wanted to...maybe another day.