That was a fast year...

It's simply not possible that I haven't had an entry in almost a year. We'll just have to assume there was some sort of entry-eating monster out there that chomped up all my witty and terribly informative blog entries that I was surely posting. And now that I've slain that dragon, here's a quick update:

Little M is now 3.7 years old. She loves animals, especially zebras and giraffes, and Ariel is her new favorite Princess. She loves going to school 2 1/2 days a week, playing with her friends, and playing computer games at the Disney website. When asked what her favorite color is, she'll tell you "all the colors in the rainbow". Her online album for 2007 can be seen here.

I've been taking art classes one at a time for 3 semesters now, and I absolutely LOVE it. I can't imagine why it took me so long to do this. I even enjoy the 40 minute drive each way, two evenings a week, though I don't like using all that gas. The original plan was to get a degree in graphic art or graphic design, but I may just get a straight art degree. I pretty much want to just take every single art class they have (at least once!) and who cares about what degree I end up with. I'm sure that's no surprise to anyone. I love school! This semester is Drawing I, and I've spent the last few weeks drawing 4 poses of an egg, which I found incredibly enjoyable. Especially when we cracked it open onto a plate. Very challenging! I'm also doing a small bit of web design/graphics work here and there when the opportunity arises and I'm in the mood. I'm currently putting together a website for my instructor from last semester to showcase her art.

The husband is enjoying his own challenges, now that he's manager of the PTC. I think he's happy with his new position, and is learning quite a bit. He's also staying very busy keeping an eye on the builders as they construct our new house. We're expecting it to be finished in June, and it would be really great if we could be moved in by M's 4th birthday. I'm especially excited about the undeveloped land behind us, which is a much nicer view than our current neighbors' houses. I'm also super excited to put in a garden again, which we didn't do at our current house. You can follow the house progress here.

The family reunion last year was at Lake Ten Killer, which turned out to be a fun change. I think most people really enjoyed the location. As always, it was great to see everyone. I'm always amazed at the turnout, and how well everyone gets along. The husband's Dad's side of the family is sooooo different from what I grew up with, and I'm so glad M gets to have them. Especially all those cousins! You can see the reunion pics here.

We learned our lesson last year, and planned a trip for the fast approaching Spring Break. M kept saying she wanted to visit her grandma and go to the children's museum, so we'll be driving to Colorado. And we're taking the dogs, so it's going to be extra fun! I hope the weather is warm so they can ride in the back of the truck. The shell helps, but it can still get pretty cold back there. We'll see my brother and sister and whoever else we can fit in while we're there, too. My friend Bon just had her second baby, and I haven't even see the first, so they are definitely on the list.

It should be an exciting summer. The new house in June, as well as the family store in West having their 100th year celebration. We'll fly out for the weekend and see M's other grandma and grandpa, and hopefully her aunts and uncles and a new baby cousin. And lots of other random relatives, I'm sure, along with a tour in Yellowstone. Then in August we're planning on a group hiking trip SOMEWHERE. If we can get the plan made! There are lots of wonderful options to choose from. Last summer we accepted our friends' invititation to hike Pikes Peak and it was really awesome. You can check out the pics here.

That's all I've got at the moment. I'll really try to post more often. Really!