Year in Review

I know I still have Christmas and birthday posts to catch up on I wanted to go ahead and recap our 2019.  

Instead of month by month I'm going to list the Top Ten memories from this year.

In no particular order...

1. We paid off all our debt!  (Okay maybe that one is the top memory from this year!) We paid off over $90K in 38 months.  We've still got some work to do in making sure we're putting money where it needs to go but we're so proud of this huge accomplishment.

2.  Barrett ran the Mercedes Kids Marathon with his school.  It was the sweetest memory.  He was so proud and I was so proud of him for stepping out of his comfort zone and completing it.  

3.  AveryAnn is potty trained!!! She got to go to her first movie in the theater to celebrate!

4. Barrett learned how to read!  I have loved watching him learn to read and developing a love for it!

5.  Barrett hit is first homerun in baseball.  I may or may not have cried.  He worked so hard and was so proud of himself.

6. We loved going to Alabama Adventure all summer and the McWane Center this year too.  

7.  First trip to the Emergency Room for AveryAnn, fractured tibia. So we had our first cast in the Horton family.

8.  Second trip to the Emergency Room for Barrett and he got 5 staples in his head.  Also a first for the Horton Family.

9.  Barrett hitting a walk-off Grand Slam in his first AllStars tournament.  It had been a tough week baseball and parenting.  Barrett was frustrated and didn't really know how to express it other than crying and shutting down.  He'd started that week being carried off the field crying because he was the last out in the practice game.  He said he never wanted to play baseball again.  After a week of practice skill wise on the field and emotionally off  the field.  He had a much better tournament.  He cried the first night when he struck out but he worked through and ended the week being carried off the field in triumph.  I was the one crying then.

10.  AveryAnn started her first ballet class.  She is loving it so much.  That was on of  her rewards for being potty trained.

Other highlights

-Chinese lantern festival, even though that was the trip AveryAnn broke her leg.

-Our weekend beach trip to Tony & Carla's, it was just a really fun, sweet trip.

-Barrett learning to ride a bike.

-Barrett losing his first tooth, and then two others this year.

-AveryAnn finished her first year of preschool.

-AveryAnn getting her big girl bed.

-Horton Electric, LLC having it's best year ever.  We're so thankful for this business and I'm so proud of Patrick and how hard he's worked.

-Our overnight "road trip" to Tuscaloosa for Brittany's graduation was pretty special!

-We soaked up all of the perks of my job this summer!

-My birthday dinner on the London bus was a lot of fun too!

2019 was a great year.  It didn't always go exactly as planned but we have so many sweet memories to carry with us!  We're looking forward to 2020 and all it has in store for our little family!

December, The Whirlwind.

Mr. Elf returned on December 1st.  The kids have loved looking for him every morning.

Patrick's nephew signed a scholarship to play baseball.  We went to his signing party.  It was so much fun and the kids had a blast.  They love Tripp so much and he's such a good role model for them.  

We went to a fun birthday party where the kids got to hold this huge snake.

Maybe the most exciting news of 2019!  We finally paid off all our consumer debt.  We still have a mortgage but Dave doesn't count that.  Patrick has worked his you know what off to pay everything off.  He's worked 12-15 hours days at two jobs and it paid off.  It is so freeing to not be paying half of our income every month to debt.  This year the Christmas season has been so nice because we haven't been stressed about how we're going to pay for everything.

This sweet girl never wants her picture made so when she asked my to take it I had to act fast!

 

They had dress up days at school for Christmas.  I'm not sure who made this a thing but I've got a few words for them.  One day was dress like your favorite Christmas character.  So AveryAnn wore a white tutu dress and a gold halo. Boom, angel.

We got to visit Santa and it was so magical.

Both kids were so excited and so sweet.  They are at such sweet ages.  They both are all in on the magic and I want to freeze time.

I made Patrick take this picture because the below picture was on my timehop that day.

We haven't aged a bit.

We had to go back to the arcade so I could defend my high score.

I beat it.

Barrett had his first basketball game.  It was so much fun.  He loves it and his little team has already improved so much.  I love watching them get better each week.

The same weekend as the basketball games he had the Christmas program church.  He was a shepard.  We had to hurry from there to a basketball game but it was all fun.

Barrett brought this tree home he made at school. We have laughed, and laughed, and laughed at the boob tree.  It's my most favorite thing he's ever made and i'm going to keep it forever and ever.

AveryAnn had her Studio Performance at dance so we could see what all she's learned this year.  It was so much fun.  She loves dance so much!

We also got a huge kick out of this all the other kids said "I've been really good this year"  not our girl.  She's been really sleepy.  

Daddy went to her Christmas party because I had to work.  They were both really happy about it.

Friday was Barrett's class party.  I was there to help and it was so much fun!

They loved playing the reindeer ring toss!

After Barrett's party we picked up AveryAnn and headed downtown to meet Aunt Elizabeth.  We needed to finish some Christmas shopping so we did that really quick and then we went to much at Pizitz food hall.  It was pretty enough we ate outside with the trees and mini Vulcan.  We always have so much fun with Aunt Elizabeth.

After lunch, we snuck over to the McWane Center to use our membership again before it expires.  

While we were at McWane I asked the kids if they wanted to walk over to the Alabama Theatre and see if there were any tickets to see Home Alone.  We'd been telling Barrett we would go to a Christmas movie and all the shows we wanted to go to were sold out so I assumed this one probably was too.

We walked over and I asked the security guard if there were any tickets left for the show.  He was like "you need tickets?  How many?"  I told him 3 and he was like "come with me"  We walked over to the box office and they handed me three tickets free of charge because a sweet lady had donated them back since she wasn't using them.  It was one of those magical holiday moments that make you have to hold back the ugly cry.

I've taken the kids to the Alabama Theatre for the summer movie but it's been a while, AveryAnn didn't remember.  She was in awe because it is so beautiful!  Her dance recital is going to be there in May and we can't wait!

AveryAnn didn't want her picture made but I told her we couldn't do any more fun Christmas things if she didn't cooperate.  Ha!  

It was a magical afternoon to kick off the Christmas break.  We're looking forward to all the festivities!

Thanksgiving: November Shannigans

Princess Peach riding her tractor at work.  This picture cracks me up!

She had to have her picture made with the pilgrims outside of her school!  She also told her teacher her Nana made her dress.  Her Nana did not make her dress.

My brother stole this blanket from my house.  I stole this blanket from my parents house a few years ago.  Its a family favorite.

When I found out he took my blanket I did what any sane sister would do and went to my parents house and swiped the one thing my brother has said he wants from my parents house, an antique beer box.

The joke was on me because the blanket never left my house, it was just hidden from me in the name of fun.

We had our annual "Friendsgiving" at the local Mexican joint the Wednesday before thanksgiving.  We laughed until we cried and they finally kicked us out.  Its rare we all 8 get to be together so this was a fun treat.

I took zero pictures on Thanksgiving day.  It included a shooting competition between my brother and I for the first round draft pick in the Black Friday Kickball game.  I'm happy to report that I won the shooting competition.  Turns out it didn't matter because my stacked team got murdered by the old dudes in blue jeans.

But we both got our treasures back so everybody wins.

We're all happy to have the blanket back home!