Happy New Year!

Happy be-lated Holidays and Happy New Year to all our friends and family. The season came and went without a peep from me. What can I say? I guess nothing. We had a wonderful holiday. The children were all here. We saw aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and more. The past 2 months have been filled with joy and laughter. The highlight of our holiday was definitely going to see the musical "Wicked" on Christmas Eve. A gift from grandma Demke. What a treat. Lots of gifts were exchanged but we were most happy just to be all together under one roof for Christmas. We all agreed that was our best gift this year.

Our family got another big Christmas surprise/gift a little early this year. We found out we will be expecting another sibling in August. This is my excuse for the long winter nap from my blog. I'm one of the unlucky women who has a pretty miserable first trimester. Complete exhaustion and all day sickness. Pretty much like having the flu for 4 months. But just the same we are very happy and excited to be expanding the family once again. 

As the year comes to a close and as I have been spending a lot of time laying around and thinking, I have been wondering what this new year will bring for our family. I obviously have my hopes and wishes but as I looked back on the past year I realized that for me it had been a pretty disappointing year-and I feel bad for that. I don't want to spend another year feeling the way I did this past. I've realized that whatever we hope for and whatever we want often doesn't come when we would would like it to and that's just the way things go. Too bad so sad, what are you going to do? Sometimes nothing other than wait. And a  year is just too long to be angry and sad. We had the missionaries over a few weeks ago and part of their message was from the Preach my Gospel manual. This was like the perfect wrap up for our family and I wondered why they felt inspired to share this particular message that night. It really changed the whole feeling and tone in our home.

Patience

Patience is the capacity to endure the delay, trouble, opposition, or suffering without becoming angry, frustrated, or anxious. It is the ability to do God's will and accept his timing. When you are patient, you hold up under adversity calmly and hopefully. Patience is related to hope and faith- you must wait for the Lord's promised blessings to be fulfilled. 

So no matter what is in store for us this year and we look forward to one miracle coming, I plan on making it a good one filled with joy. No matter what is or isn't happening. 

I keep thinking about the words to a song that I love. "Life's about changing, nothing ever stays the same." It doesn't. I look back at the past 10 years of my life and remember that as each January rolled around I was somewhere completely different in my life. But somewhere a little farther along than the year before. Life changes, it never stays the same. So once again I look forward to another year for the Demke family. Whatever it may or may not bring. 

Here's to a very very Happy New Year! With much love to our dear friends and family, we love you all. Best Wishes to 2009!

Thank you Ruth for the beautiful family photos. You are the best!