My Yearly Recap -- A Week Late!

I spent the last remaining hours of 2007 blogging about our prior year. It suddenly hit me this morning, however, that I had not "relived" our months of 2008 on my blog yet! So, because Regis and Kelly waited until today to begin their new shows of the year, I feel I am not TOO late to end 2008 and start my 2009 blogworld!!

JANUARY: A month of both boys practicing for the Spring baseball season -- no tournaments, however! We spent a whirlwind weekend in Albuquerque, surprising Chris's mom who turned 70! Connor went with the Wardles to Austin and walked amongst the Dinosaur fossils! Chris traveled to Canada and England. I worked on Connor's Intermediate School's yearbook.

FEBRUARY: Baseball tournaments began for both boys at Spring/Klein and Cy-Fair and league also started. Colby dressed up like a 100-year-old man for the 1st grade's 100Day's of School Parade. I met my yearbook deadline for February. Chris traveled to China. We began post-pool landscaping in the backyard.


MARCH: Baseball practices, games and tournaments in Beaumont and Spring/Klein. We went to Arkansas to celebrate Chris's grandmother's 90th birthday. Spent a day at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo -- rode rides, ate LOTS of junk food, and saw Brooks and Dunn. Worked more on the backyard and stayed at home for Spring Break -- the backyard our vacation spot! I finally finished the yearbook for Mitchell Intermediate and submitted the last pages! Yipee!!!

APRIL: Twenty-three straight nights of baseball - practice, league games and tournaments in Cy-Fair, Spring/Klein, and Beaumont. Mulch delivered -- must have been almost done with landscaping!! Chris traveled to Singapore. Connor competed in the FunRun at The Woodlands High School. I began helping plan the 6th Grade End of Year Bash with other moms at Mitchell.

MAY: My mom, sister and I spent the first weekend of May in Canton!! A total blast of shopping and eating and more shopping!! Baseball in Beaumont, Spring/Klein and League City. Chris went to Canada. Connor turned 12; Chris turned 38. Connor's intermediate school's band competed in CISD Spring Band Festival and took 1st place! The yearbooks came in and were distributed!! (I will never take on that big of a responsibility again!!) Colby had his birthday party six months late because he wanted a pool party! He just celebrated being 7 1/2!!

JUNE: The 6th Grade Beach Bash was a blast and my son instantly became a "Junior Higher". Connor's baseball team went to Grand Prairie for a tournament the first weekend of May. It is about an hour from my sister so we took her oldest son back with us to spend a week with the boys. Connor went to football camp and Colby and Jed and I hung out. We watched the Yankees slaughter the Astros! Chris went to England. The boys went to VBS. Connor's baseball team competed in the State Baseball Tournament in Flower Mound, coming in 3rd place.

JULY: We loaded up the car and drove to Shawnee, Kansas for the 11AAA World Series! The Hooks had a great time and competed with teams from all over the country. We had a blast and were sad that it ended sooner than we wanted. On the way home, I got a call from my mom telling us that her cancer had returned and that she would start chemo in two weeks and then have a stem cell transplant later in the year. I got home, repacked and headed for Albuquerque to spend that time with her. Chris and I celebrated our 17th Anniversary.

AUGUST: Our family vacation was 10 great days of seeing God's creation -- animals and nature at its best! Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons -- so beautiful!! Connor got issued his football equipment. He decided he wanted to go out for his Junior High's football team. This was met with much trepidation on my part -- but all ended well!! I decided I would teach on Thursdays at our church's Mother's Day Out program. I met my new kids the end of August -- so sweet! Chris traveled to Austria.

SEPTEMBER: Baseball practice and tourney in La Marque. Chris went to Canada. Ike hit hard. Connor's football team won their first game - with no injures to him! Hurrah!! Mom had her Stem Cell Transplant -- all went well at first. She went home after 10 days only to return about 12 hours later with a fever. She ended up staying in the hospital for 19 days. I went to be with her and my dad for a week and a half.

OCTOBER: Spent the first eight days in Albuquerque with my parents and sister. Before I got there, my mother-in-law went into the hospital with congestive heart failure and pneumonia. She spent a total of three weeks in the hospital. As soon as I got back home, Chris left for Albuquerque to stay with his parents for a week. A week after Chris got home, our brother-in-law (50-years-old) went to the doctor for a sinus infection and was admitted into the hospital to have a triple by-pass. A very crazy, stressed-out month!! Somewhere in there, we continued baseball and football. Chris ended the month in Singapore.

NOVEMBER: Football ended with 4-1-1 season and more importantly, no injuries! Baseball tourneys ended with the Fall State Tournament in Pflugerville. Connor's team continued to practice and to begin its intense fundraising -- Cooperstown, NY in August 2009 -- here we come!! Colby's 2nd grade had a Cranberry Thanksgiving, studying all about cranberries. We spent Thanksgiving in Abilene with my parents and my sister and her family.

DECEMBER: More Hooks fundraising and practices. Had snowflakes falling at our house on the 10th! I finished the first half of Mom's Day Out and really do love it! It doesn't feel like a job -- I enjoy the ladies I work with and the kids! Mom had her three month check-up and is "clean". My mother-in-law is getting stronger everyday as is our brother-in-law. I was with it this year and had Colby's birthday party on time! He had three of his good friends go bowling and spend the night. We drove to Albuquerque on the 26th. Celebrated Christmas with my family on the 27th. Colby turned 8 on the 28th and Chris's grandmother passed away that morning. We loaded the car and headed to Magnolia, Arkansas. We spent the end of 2008 in the small town with all of Chris's family celebrating her life.

2008 was not a great year -- I might even look back and wish we could have skipped it; however, we are a blessed family. I am thankful to have healthy, active kids; a supportive, loving, giving husband; and the ability to be a stay-at -home mom. I am thankful for the closeness of our families. I am thankful for the ability to be able to support, pray for, and be with our family members who need us. And, I am most thankful for a God who is in complete control -- even when I might question Him. He loves me and stays with me, comforts me and guides me. Only He knows what 2009 holds and I know that I can handle it with Him by my side.