2008 -- A Year in the Life

Good-bye 2008. Hello 2009!

After seeing the usual "best and worst of 2008" TV shows and magazine issues, I decided that I would do my own “year in review” here on the old blog. I was just saying last night that I don’t usually get all reflective at the changing of the years. Maybe it was just because I said that, I don’t know, but somehow, I began to reflect.

So, here it is, a year in the life of the Nadreau fam!

In 2008…

• Perry started guitar lessons. While he very much enjoyed the lessons, he did not so much enjoy the practice. He has been on a break for some time now, but is asking to go back to it in ’09.
• Perry started baseball… and an obsession was born. : ) Hard to believe that he just started that less than a year ago. He’s played 2 seasons now and seems like he’s been at it forever.
• On our annual ski trip, the youngest Nadreau really got the hang of snow skiing on his own. He even made several trips down the mountain with no falls!
• The Lord brought me to my new job. What an amazing blessing that has been! I found a new love for teaching and met 15 super kids who would become a huge part of my life.
• We had a fabulous summer full of friends and family time. Just a few highlights – a birthday backyard bbq for Eric; a trip to the lake with our dear friends, the Statzers; our annual 4th of July trip to my dad’s house; a big extended-family vacation to the beach with uncles, aunts, cousins, sisters, etc.; many day trips and pool days with the Crouses and Statzers; art camp and drama camp.
• We spent many LONG days and nights at my fabulous new school as we moved into our new building. A visit from my little sis helped tremendously. It was quite the memorable time as we transformed that place in about 48 hours into a functioning school.
• Perry started kindergarten! Wow! He learned so much in 2008! He can now read, do lots of math problems (his real gift), tie his shoes, quote many Bible verses, and much, much more.
• We made a small dent in our home renovation wish list. We replaced basement carpet with laminate – a do-it-ourselves project. And we had the pros install new hardwood floors upstairs and refinish the existing ones, and they also tiled Perry’s bathroom. Perry’s room got a makeover as well.
• I got a whole new wardrobe, thanks to my 35 pound weight loss. Eric joined me on the bandwagon and lost about 25 lbs. of his own. We’re definitely greeting this new year healthier than we’ve been in a long time – and we’re looking good, too! : ) I hope to finish the job in 2009. Stay tuned.
• We visited Mickey Mouse and his pals at Disney World in November. I want to go back already!

Overall, it was a great year. There were some events that would fall into the “worst of 2008.” Through these storms, we have learned, we have grown, and we have clung to one another and to our faith in Christ. We have definitely felt His presence and heard from Him this year, for which we are very thankful!

• Pregnancies number 6 and 7, which resulted in miscarriages number 5 and 6. Though this road continues to be long and hard, we do know that our God is at work.
• My dad’s quadruple bypass surgery. This came as quite a shock. He came through it well, though, and I think we all came out of it with a reminder of how precious our family members are.
• The last week of the year was a tough one for Eric’s family. His uncle passed away on Christmas day. Then 2 days later, his nephew was attacked by a dog and had to have part of his ear reattached. Thank the Lord for the feeling of renewal that comes with the new year!
  
  And the number 1 BEST, most memorable, life-changing thing that happened in 2008 was that our little boy prayed to receive Christ! On Christmas Eve, Perry asked Jesus to come into his heart and be the Lord of his life forever. He will be baptized this Sunday, and we are so very proud of him!
  
  Eric and I have prayed since before Perry was born that he would grow to know and love the Lord and would develop an awesome relationship with Him. Hearing him explain all that he knows and understands about Jesus and His love for us was really overwhelming. He was so ready and so excited about this decision to follow the Lord. He fully understands our need for Jesus and that His sacrifice saves us from our sins and allows us to know Him, talk to Him, hear from Him, and be with Him forever.
  
  We are incredibly thankful for a church and a school that have taught him so much about what it means to be a child of God and for adults and children alike who show him everyday what it looks like to walk with Him. Our joy is beyond words knowing that God has plans for Perry in this life that we cannot even imagine, and now we know that our sweet boy will be with us for eternity!
  
  And THAT, my friends, made 2008 a wonderful year!

Happy Birthday, Perry!

Lots has gone on since the last time I posted to the blog. The most special event, though, is tomorrow, and I just had to take a little time to post.

My one and only child is turning 6 tomorrow! His birthday is always so special to me because it is a day for me to really reflect on the wonderful little person that he is and how incredibly blessed we are to have him. Many of you know of our difficulties as we have tried for another child. These trials only remind me of what a miracle our little boy is! He definitely fills our lives and our hearts, and I can honestly say that if we never have another child, the Lord has truly given us more than we could have ever hoped for with this one!

The best way to describe P is to say that he has lots of personality! Since he was an infant, he has been very interactive and friendly. I sometimes say now that with his humor, intellect, curiosity, and energy, you either fall in love with him or he drives you crazy! : )

We are so proud of the boy he has become. Just to update you, he is reading like crazy now and loving it! His sports mania continues, and he is now playing basketball. The most excitng thing is that he really has a heart for God and finds awesome joy in praising Him, learning about Him, and serving Him. What more could we ask for?

I wanted to make a scrapbook of his birthdays and continue to add to it as he grows. Since I haven't done that yet, here is a little digital scrapbook. : )

Perry's first day -- Dec. 20, 2002.

The birth announcement picture.

Perry turns 1! We had a party at our house with all of our friends and family. Nana and Grampa made the trip from Ky, and Big Daddy, Gamma, and Auntie Amanda came from Fl. It was a cowboy themed party, and a great time was had by all!

Perry and Big Daddy at the party.

Happy birthday to Perry!

Hey, this stuff is tasty!

His 2nd birthday party was at The Little Gym. This one was a fire truck theme.

Playing ball with Daddy.

Perry's 3rd birthday was INCREDIBLE! : )

We were at The Little Gym again, and obviously, Perry was into The Incredibles at that time.

This picture is really cute to me because the little boy to Perry's right is still a good buddy and will be at his party tomorrow. They went to daycare together when they were 2, and we've stayed in touch since.

To celebrate P's 3rd birthday at Nana's house, we enjoyed a chocolate fountain with the cousins!

He's 4! His love of sports had begun by this time. He had a sports-themed party at The Little Gym. The cousins were all in town for this one, so it was extra-special.

The little pirate turns 5...

This party was at an inflatables place. Perfect for little boys with lots of energy!

These are some of his buddies from school. He is really establishing some great friendships now. These friends are really special because most of them will likely be in class together for many years to come. In fact, Perry went home with one of these buds just yesterday.

Happy 6th birthday, Little Man! We can't wait to make lots more memories with you!

Weekend in New Orleans

You may remember that we had planned to visit my sis in New Orleans on Labor Day, only to be foiled by Gustav. This past weekend, we finally made it there! Thanks to Columbus sailing the ocean blue in 1492, Perry and I had a day off from school, so we headed to the Big Easy.

My nephew Luke wanted to show Perry his favorite place -- the Insectarium. It was really fascinating, and the boys were both mesmerized. There were bugs of all types, along with spiders, a butterfly house, and a very cool movie experience.

There was also an insect cafe. Eric had heard about this and was eager to give them a try. The rest of us took a little coaxing, but we all took the plunge and tried a wax worm. Luke even ate 2! They weren't too bad, actually. They were cooked and seasoned, and you could really hardly tell you were eating an insect! I will say that I was not interested in anything with legs, though. Even the deep-fried cricket did not appeal to me at all, although I am usually a fan of just about anything deep fried.

Another highlight was a ride across the river on the ferry. Last time we were in NO, it was too foggy to ride, and Perry was so excited to get the chance to actually ride this time.

On Sunday, Lana and Luke took us on a tour of a couple of neighborhood parks.

And we had a great time hanging out at the family business -- The Monkey Room! Perry was a huge fan!

We had a really wonderful visit. I wish they didn't live so far away. It was great spending time with them!

Date Night

Here we are before we went to the Landmark 20th anniversary banquet last night. I'm so sorry the picture does not show the accessories, though!

Thank you all for your help. I went with the red, which won against the black by a landslide in the voting. Pearls were also popular, but I just ran out of time to shop for anything else.

The hubby and I had a very nice time. It was really amazing to see what God has done with this school in the past 20 years. There were several video slide shows, one of which showed the very humble beginnings of the school, in a run down warehouse building. One of the teachers who has been there since the start told about being impressed that the founders wanted to meet at the Marriott for lunch when they interviewed him. Only later did he find out that they thought he'd never take the job if he saw the school building! : )

Now there are over 800 students in PreK-12th grade on 2 campuses, both of which are MUCH nicer than the original!

I'm so thankful that the focus and the vision have never changed, though. As the school motto says, everything we do is with this goal in mind:

"Every student prepared to impact the world for Jesus Christ."

Now that's what I'm talking about!

What Not to Wear?

OK, ladies. Here I am living in this house full of boys, and I find myself needing fashion advice. This is where you come in!

This Sat., we are attending a banquet celebrating the 20th anniversary of the school where I teach. Since this is the first dressy function I have attended since the weight loss, I had to buy something to wear. Oh, and it did make me so sad to have to do that (can you hear the sarcasm? You know I loved it!).

I went with a pretty basic black dress, and I've decided on the shoes (black patent, chosen mostly b/c they flatter the legs). Now I need to accessorize. We all know that accessories are very important to the black dress, so this really is a dilemma!

Since the dress doesn't really lend itself well to a necklace, I went to Steinmart today and picked up this lovely bracelet and these earrings. I was thinking it would add some interest -- a pop of color, if you will.

My hubby seems to prefer this simple black sparkly cuff bracelet. Now keep in mind that his preference may be completely motivated by the fact that I already own said bracelet, and it does not involve a new purchase. Not that I'm saying he's cheap or anything...

And besides, I still need earrings if I go with that one!

Sticking to black accessories would be a classic look. But would it be boring?

Any other ideas for accessories?

Help me out, girls!

Catching up

Aren't we beautiful?

Do you like our new fall look?

Very cutting edge and fashion forward, right?

We had tacky day at school, and Perry and I made a great showing, as you can see.

I am going to put together a slide show of some of the other exciting things we've been doing lately. Maybe once I feel caught up, I can do a better job of keeping the blog up to date.

I can hold onto that hope, anyway.