our year in review (2010)

Our family has a lot to be thankful for; 2010 was a great year for us! Although we have had trials and challenges, we are so blessed to live close to friends and family, and have the opportunity to do many wonderful things. Here are a few of the highlights from our year:
January: Our family traveled down to Southern California and spent 4 days at Disneyland with the Whitehead, Burt and Holdaway families. Despite the rain, we count it as one of our best trips ever! We got to do pin trading, a character breakfast, as well as see lots of shows, and take pictures with our favorite characters. Later, we spent some time in San Diego and Las Vegas.

February: For Christmas my dad got Mike and I a substantial gift certificate to the Hale Center Theater (local community theater). One of our favorite things to do is see musicals and live performances. This year we saw: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Fiddler on the Roof, The Scarlet Pimpernel, and A Christmas Carol.

March: Megan's book club Sweet Treats is still going strong. Since the club was started, we have read 17 books and over 6,000 pages! I love my book club ladies and look forward to seeing them once a month.

April: In April we traveled down to Arizona to see our niece Jordan get married. She is now Mrs. Anthony Pearce! Peter had a blast spending time with his cousins, and we got to do some fun things while we were there (including a trip to the Phoenix Zoo).

May: We said goodbye to our dear friends Leah and Dan who moved to Arizona (and later to California). Dan is in the military, and was being reassigned. However, the biggest tragedy for our family came when Megan's cousin Sean Martella passed away after a long battle with cancer. It was a very sad time for our family, but we are keeping his spirit alive through his wife Karen and their two daughters Olivia and Sophie.

June: Mike and Megan celebrated their 7 year anniversary! Megan was very excited to try a restaurant in Salt Lake City called The Roof - and it definitely lived up to the hype! We also bought a summer movie pass for Peter (as did several of our friends) and spent every Tuesday going to see a new movie and swim in Teresa's pool. This was a highlight of the year for Peter, who got to be quite the little fish!

July: In July we traveled down to the Utah Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City with Mike's parents, Megan's Dad and his wife Tina, and our friends Nate and Marie. We saw excellent productions of The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, and Pride & Prejudice. Needless to say, it was a very nice weekend getaway for the adults.

August: August was the month that Peter officially became potty trained! After months of unsuccessful attempts, he finally decided it was time, and started using the toilet. Mike and I couldn't be happier! We also attended our first SLC Bee's Game with Megan's dad which was a lot of fun.

September: This year our family purchased a Thanksgiving Point membership, and it has been one of the best investments we made. We had lots of fun going to the gardens and petting zoo, and Peter loves spending an hour or two at the dinosaur museum. Later in the month, Mike went to Las Vegas for the annual BICSI conference. He and several other guys from work stayed at the New York, New York Casino and enjoyed visiting the restaurants and buffets!

October: In October our sweet little Peter turned 4 years old. We can't believe how time flies! As a treat for being potty trained we signed him up for "Itty Bitty Football" at Megan's work. He had a great time learning to pass, run, kick, and throw the ball, and keeps asking when he can go back to do it again. Also, Mike was surprised to win a customer service award at work, which included $100, a watch, and a gift certificate!

November: We were lucky to be able to spend a week in San Francisco with Megan's mom, sister and cousins for Thanksgiving. Besides spending quality time with extended family, we got to tour Alcatraz, see the Christmas tree lighting at Ghiradelli Square, and eat some fabulous seafood at Fisherman's Wharf. Peter loved spending time with Nana and her little dog Phoebe.

December: In December we got a second cat (another cute tabby) named Hermione. Peter loves her a lot, so we are trying to teach him not to hug her too hard. Peter got a new train table from Uncle Gooey, and Toy Story 3 from Santa which were some of his favorite gifts from Christmas. He was also very excited to be able to put the star on the top of the tree.

We feel so blessed and fortunate to have our health and be able to do the things we love like travel and spend time with family. We look forward to many great and wonderful things in 2011! Happy new year!