I told you I was not good at this!

So, it has been an entire year since my last blog entry! I really was trying the last time around, but in my defense we did add a new member to our family and being a mommy of 3 consumes all of my time!! So, I am going to give this another go around. I was going to go back & date everything starting with Hayden's birth, but that would just be confusing and time consuming, so I will just start fresh today and give an update on our past year and then take it from there.

Obviously, the biggest news to come out of this past year was the birth of our 3rd child! Hayden Thomas Wright was born on September 25, 2009 at 4:40pm. He was 7 lbs 14 oz and 20.5 inches long. We had decided to keep his gender a surprise and were we ever surprised!! I was so sure it was a girl and when Steve looked at me and said "It's a boy!", I almost didn't believe him! But, I wouldn't have it any other way. Hayden has been the perfect addition to our family. From the beginning, he has been a very easy-going, laid-back baby, that is content with just taking all the excitement of his big sister & brother in. He loves each of them so much and it shows over his entire face every time he looks at them. And I can already see the difference in their relationships forming; Abigail is his protector & 2nd mother & Mitchell is his best buddy & playmate. I can't wait to see how these relationships continue to evolve and grow as the years go on!

Abigail & Mitchell have adjusted so well to having a new brother and love him so much. We never had one bit of jealousy and they both love helping us out any chance they get. We all enjoyed a fun-filled spring & summer that was full of new events for our little family. Both Abigail & Mitchell joined their first organized sports team and played soccer in the spring and then Abigail went on to play T-Ball this summer. Abigail had a blast in both of her sports and really caught on to playing a team sport. Mitchell wasn't as enthused with his soccer attempts and was much more fond of playing in the grass and picking flowers during his games, but he had fun and that was the most important part! We also enjoyed a family vacation to Hilton Head Island in May and as always loved playing on the beach & splashing in the pool! We weren't sure how it was going to be vacationing with 3 kids 5 & under, but they all did great and we had a truly amazing time!

The end of summer brought a few more firsts in our family. Abigail started kindergarten on August 18 and now attends school for a 1/2 day every day and also rides the school bus to & from school. The bus ride is her favorite part of her day by far, but she is also loving her new school & all that entails. She has really matured so much over the past year and it is so awesome to watch a young girl emerging from the baby we welcomed into our lives almost 5 1/2 years ago. She is a compassionate and sweet little girl that brings a smile to everyone's face and we love her so much! Mitchell also started preschool on September 7. He attends 2 afternoons a week and so far is loving it! He has always been such a Mommy's boy, so we were concerned how he would handle being away from me for that time, but he has done great! I think it helps him to have something that is just his and it makes him very proud and excited when he gets home from school. He is our comedian and is always trying to make someone laugh. He is also the most affectionate child and is always the first to pass out a hug or kiss and I love that about him because the other part of him is a little mischievous stinker and can really try Mommy & Daddy's patience!

As for Steve & I, we are just enjoying raising our little family and trying to soak it all in. We both started working out at a gym in January and have been very successful in our weight loss goals (yes, Steve also gained weight during my pregnancy!) and are feeling better than ever physically, which is really good since I also turned 30 last Oct! We have set a goal for ourselves to run our 1st half marathon, which is 13.1 miles, on October 23 and are training for that and very excited to take on that challenge together.

I think that about wraps up the past year, in order to catch up our blog. Now, I will vow again to keep this updated and post much more frequently. Again, my reason for the blog and why I started it, was to have a place to capture those everyday moments within our life that can sometimes go by and not be noticed. In such a hectic & crazy life, I want to make sure I take time to reflect and enjoy even the smallest things!