2010 in review...

Hello gang,
Just thought I'd share my year in pictures with you.
January brought snow.....

 In February the winter storms wouldn't stop

March brought St. Paddy's Day fun...

and Tornadic destruction!

                                            

Elections were the rage

 and Baseball took the stage.

 April showers....

...brought us May flowers, 

Graduations,

 and Camping Trips!

June brought Wedding announcements,

and new Family members.

 In July...

We said Goodbyes. 

We said Hellos.

We Roasted Hogs...

and planted Banana Groves!

 

In August, 

momma was given

a Backyard Makeover!

 September found a TeePee full of fun...

and treasured family time took over.

 October geared up with Pumpkin Parties, 

Sillyness,

 wedding preparations,

the arrival of Iron Man,and the cutest Mickey Mouse ever!

It snuck in a hip replacement

and a rare photo of a treasured Senior Prom Moment!

November refused to be outdone! 

and on the same day, we celebrated a 3rd Birthday...and then rushed to the ER with a Dislocated Hip!

There were announcements of a new baby

 

to come next July.

 Scares of Cancer touched us all and Drs. removed an Ovary and a Tumor before they told us we could sigh a breath of relief!

(acutal tumor!)

 By the end of the month, with a clean bill of health for all, we had much to celebrate that Thanksgiving  and spent the day and night laughing, loving and joyfully crying!

 December was nuts, with a Wedding, Christmas and the prayer of no more traumas!

We shared Special Moments,

Treasured Memories, 

And we

 were THANKFUL 

for all of the BLESSINGS bestowed upon our family this  year!

May you all have a safe and wonderful New Year!

Love, 

D

The days after...

Hope you all had a terrific Christmas.

Everyone got into the action at my house, even the dog!

From the Christmas Eve candle light service

to the snowy, foggy Christmas Eve goodnights, it made for a wonderful and peaceful holiday at the Balliett homestead.

Jaden literally spent the entire DAY opening presents!

I love having my immediate family around me. Watching my grandson enjoy his Christmas day made me yearn for the times we spent growing up. We would spend Christmas Eve at my Granny’s house and Christmas Day and my Grandma Kay and Grandpa Jr.’s farm. I loved that place and them. I spent a LOT of time there, as child-it was my own Terabithia.

Grandpa was like a dad to me when I was very young, I think of him often. Grandma Kay is spending her last days not recognizing anyone and Gran, well we have the same conversation every week and I’m sure she forgets that I’ve called as soon as she hangs up. During our talks though, there are nano-moments of clarity when she knows everything, including that she doesn’t know anymore.

Everyone’s days of youth disappear, so I believe we should grasp those rare moments of recollection with our future generations every moment we can. And those are the moments, like this Christmas with Jaden that I cherish most. And, I hope you are all able to, somehow, do the same.

We are gearing up for the annual New Year’s celebration now.

Christmas decorations won’t come down until after the first and we pull a wingding of an all-nighter at our house.

Every kid has his or her own bottle of Welch’s sparkling grape juice, white or red, their choice. Plates of hoity-toity appetizers such as lil’ smokey’s, cheese cubes, grapes, pickles, stuff Ivana Trump’s mouth would water for. We play rough and tumble games like Yatzee, Poker, Catch Phrase, Wii, Hand & Foot (you think I’m kidding about the rough and tumble-one hasn’t lived until they’ve survived game night at the Balliett’s-it’s cutthroat). We count down the old and in the new with shouts, fireworks, lots of I love you, hugs and kisses. Yes, we Ballietts do it up right.

It seems we do it so right, that this year, my teenager’s friends have decided that we are the house to be at when they ring in their new year. I love it! Even my recently married daughter and her husband are coming over to celebrate the New Year with their family. Even Meg has a long time friend who has decided to bring her fiancé and spend the evening with us. Who’d have thought the newlyweds would chose to celebrate the New Year’s party at the ‘parents’ house?

You won’t catch me complaining, I’m just grateful.

May your new year be overfilled with blessings!

Love,

Merry Christmas to all

Sorry I have been so out of touch. I have really missed everyone on here. Let me do a quick update on what has happened in the last few months....

I am now running the newspaper. Yep, that means I'm the person in charge.... good, bad and otherwise! This has meant a LOT of changes both at home and at work. And even more hours being worked in the beginning of things.

Then, Rob had an unplanned hip revision surgery Oct 10th. Four weeks later, Nov 14th, we had to rush him to NKC with a dislocated hip (it happened during grandson's third birthday party). After the doctors could not reduce the hip back into the socket, Rob was placed into traction for 20+hrs and when that did not work, Drs took him to OR and spent about 2 1/2 hours maneuvering his hip back into the socket. (It took 11 people working on him to get it back in place!) He then stayed in the hospital for a week or so.

During the month between Rob's surgery and hip dislocation, doctors discovered a rather large tumor had overtaken my daughter's left ovary. After multiple tests and exams we were told that it was non cancerous but that it likely involved her bowels because of its size and her obgyn wanted a general surgeon in the surgery to handle any bowl or other organ surgery that might have to be undertaken during the removal of the tumor.

The day Rob is scheduled to FINALLY come home from his dislocation hospital stay...I get a frantic call from Becca, my 19 year old daughter. She had to be rushed to the ER at a second hospital with complications from her tumor. Long story short the tumor had turned on itself and cut off it's blood supply and was causing great pain. We thought they would go ahead and admit her to the hospital since surgery was already scheduled three days later. But, she had not consulted with the general surgeon yet so they treated her and sent her home.

The very next day we met with the general surgeon. After being told for weeks there was nothing other than the major surgery and potential bowel involvement to worry about, the surgeon walks into the room, informs us of the high chance that it IS cancer because of what the CT found.

The ride home was not easy. And we spent the next couple of days and into surgery in an emotional agony.

Her tumor was removed- it was the size of an extremely large cantaloupe- and finally last week they told us there was absolutely no cancer. God was watching over our family.

Rob has been off work due to his hip dislocation injury. Becca is still recovering from her surgery but went back to work and college two weeks ago and finished her semester.

Oh yeah, during all that, we found out that my oldest daughter and her at the time fiancé are expecting. WOO HOO another grandchild in July. For insurance purposes, their wedding was moved up from next June.

You guessed it.

We had a wedding. It was last Saturday. It was beautiful. AND, it just gave us one more thing to be thankful for this year.

I hope everyone of you have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year and have as many wonderful blessings as we have found to be thankful for.

Blessings to you all!

Love,