Saying Goodbye to 2010!

I have no idea where this year went! I think time passes more quickly as you get older. The Douberlys accomplished a lot this year. We made it through Dustin's deployment, we found a new house, we moved to Mississippi, we fought for the boys' education and succeeded, we've settled in with great neighbors, I went back to Weight Watchers and have lost almost 4 pounds in 2 weeks, and we are looking forward to what 2011 will hold for us. Hopefully it will be a good one. Dustin and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary this year! We'll be going on a cruise to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Mexico. I am definitely looking forward to that. Even sooner than that I am going on another cruise with my mom in February, quite honestly because I am going crazy and need a vacation. :) Best Wishes to all 3, maybe 4, of you who read this! Happy 2011! I hope it's our best year yet!

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was an exciting one this year. Kelsey was old enough to open gifts and was all smiles all morning! The other three knew the routine and were very patient as each person got to open their gifts. We like to take turns and I love that they are excited to watch others open their gifts and well as open their own. The boys each made me a gift and I loved those the most! After all the gifts under the tree were opened and tummies were full of candy (yikes!) we told the kids that we needed to go check on the cat. Really we wanted them to see this gift pictured above. It wasn't really a lie since the dog had attacked the cat the day before and we were worried about her. Anyways, this go cart was waiting for them outside! Wow! I never had anything like that! And it goes FAST! Like more that 35mph! We let them drive it around the yard first. Dustin failed to teach Henry about the brakes...the old Power Wheels Henry used to drive simply stops when you let off the gas. The first thng Henry did was mow over my brand new lights trees I had in the front yard! I mean mowed them over- zoom! Dustin said he could fix them. I made him promise no duct tape!

More from Christmas Eve

Here is Dad reading the Nativity story from Luke 2. It's something we do every Christmas Eve after everyone has their new jammies and new pillowcases on. After this I read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and off to bed they went! Jeff woke us at 4:06am to let us know Santa had come and that "it was getting light out". I told him that was the street light and to go back to bed! He fell asleep on the couch looking at the tree and the gifts!

THE KIDDOS

I almost forgot to post a pic of the four kids together. This is not an easy shot to get and I always wish I could just photoshop one good smile from each kids into one photo, but I don't know how to do that. So this is what you get! It's pretty good, no one is crying and everyone is looking the right direction!

The Fam

We have had a great year. Things are so much better since our move to Mississippi! It was one of our best choices! It's lovely here. We love our house, our yard, our neighborhood, the boys' school, the weather, the beach, the fun things to do, the base, and Dad loves his new job. I don't know if Dustin will ever get me out of here. :)

HENRY!

No doubt about it...Henry is growing up! This year was a special one for Henry. He was baptised this summer and started Cub Scouts, which he loves! When Henry was in preschool, we had a parent teacher conference and the teacher said, "Henry is high energy". Nothing has changed. The boy doesn't stop. He loves to play outside, play pirates, ride his bike, and play the Wii. He's pretty good at that thing and can figure out new games in a heartbeat. I am always thankful when I am not last on MarioKart and he's screaming into first! His teacher is often impressed with his intelligence and how well he does on testing...even material that is completely new to him in the form of pretests, but she says, "Henry makes me earn every penny!" He is all over the place. We are so glad we switched schools. North Bay embraces Henry's energy and finds ways to keep him engaged. Our old school would've just broken him into their mold. How sad that would have been! We are excited to see the young man Henry becomes. That energy has got to be put to good use!

JEFFREY!

Oh, my Jeffrey! Jeff's had a big year. He is doing so well with wearing his patch for the recommended time each day. Most days he has a very good attitude about it and I am so proud of him for that. His lazy eye is improving and he is able to see more clearly with it. His doctor thinks by the end of summer he'll only be wearing it every other day. We are looking forward to that! Despite his eye sight Jeff is doing really well in school and is a wonderful student and friend. His teacher is very impressed with his attitude and perseverance, even though it's pretty hard right now. We love Jeff. He is a thoughtful and loving child who loves to draw you pictures. He is a great artist and can often be found with art supplies in hand.