It is the start of a New Year. I can remember as a child, going to my grandmother's house on New Year's Day and eating black eyed-peas with ham and stewed tomatoes, which would ensure prosperity in the New Year. I lost my little grandmother this past year, and these are the memories that I continue to treasure. Like many others, I tend to reflect on the past year and only hope that the coming year can be just as wonderful as the past.
As 2007 began for us, we had a very BIG surprise, we found out we were pregnant! So I started off the year enduring a second pregnancy, and nine months later giving birth to a healthy and handsome baby boy. We were not the only ones to welcome a new baby into the world..... Between family and best friends, we have welcomed six precious babies into this world.
At this time last year, we were focused on the safe arrival of our niece, Claire. Her strength and determination amazed me from the moment she was born. Watching "Claire Bear" grow and blossom, you would never know that she had any problems with her heart.
A week later, our best friend's identical twin girls, Abby and Matty, made their arrival into the world a little early. I am proud to say that these healthy little miracles and will be celebrating their first birthday soon.
We also soon found out that I was not the only "Ledlie" pregnant. Shonna, David's brothers' wife was pregnant with their third boy and due in August, and David's sister, Kathleen was pregnant with her first boy and due in October. (Yes, Stephen was born in September.) Within 3 months, we added three more boys to the Ledlie family and doubled the number of grandchildren. The current count; 5 boys and 1 girl.
So in a nutshell.... we have welcomed a son, a niece, 2 nephews, and a set of identical twin girls, served the community as Chief of Forest View Rescue Squad, turned 30, attended our first "Wiggles" concert, lost a dear and once feisty little grandmother, moved another dear and strong grandmother into Westminster Canterybury, played dress-up and got invited to tiny tea parties, supported and prayed for Claire's survival of open heart surgery at 11 weeks, promoted to Manager at Circuit City Corporate, turned three, attended a wedding of a dear college friend, retired from the interior design world to be a stay-at-home mom, started preschool (at the same place I use to attend many years ago), attended 2 NASCAR races, bought a "new" house in the suburbs, sold our "old" house in the city, survived moving and unpacking, celebrated my father's retirement after 37 years as an elementary school principal, watched Cinderella with Kate more times than I can even fathom, picked a plethora of pumpkins in a patch with lots of children, made cookies, Josie (my sister) finished law school, survived time-outs and tempertantrums, laughed, smiled, and loved my children and husband more than I could imagine. I only hope and pray that the year to come can be as wonderful as the last.
