Happy New Year, We're Getting Old

New Years came a little early this year...my guess is that the toddlers had a hand in our 9:30pm champain popping. What we lacked in New Years Eve celebration was made up on New Years Day. Last year Stefan and I decided to start a new family tradition, an annual New Years Day XC Ski. This year we rounded up a group of friends to come along. It was the perfect day and the perfect way to start 2009. With mimosa's in our water bottles, thanks Craig, and snacks in our packs we headed off into the Uintah Mountains for an afternoon of snowy white fun.

   

I honestly can not believe that 2009 is amongst us. Each New Year we take time to remember the events of the year in passing. Team Kirby started 2008 off as new parents with a 3 month old in tow. We ended the year with much earned experience, knowledge, personal growth and inspiring confidence with a one year old walking by our side. We spent most of the year introducing Greta to the world, as her awareness and abilities gradually awakened. We expirenced her first smile, her first giggle, her first food, her first haircut, her first beach, her first birthday and her fist steps. We took her camping, backpacking, hiking, skiing, to the state fair, to the 

library, to the pool, to the hot springs, and out to dinner. We introduced her to green grass, to fall leaves, to the moon and the stars, to cold water in between her toes,  to her extended family and to ice cream! We read story, after story, after story! But mainly, we sat back and watched our little baby girl grow into a toddler. 

2008 turned out to be a fantastic year for Team Kirby...with the exception of losing two loved ones in our lives. In June, we lost Stefan's Aunt Joan when she lost her battle with pancatic cancer and in September we lost my uncle Bob when Lou Gehrig's disease took his last ounce of strength.  It is always hard to loss family,  especally when that family member was so present in our lives. And as it turns out, it is much harder to deal with these losses when distance places you far from those you need to be with in times of sorrow. We will miss them both!

 

We spent our mid-January weekend back in Colorado for a 40th birthday celebration. That's right, I said it...we celebrated our good friends 40th birthday. All implications apply. WE'RE GETTING OLD! This by no way means that Stefan and I are even close to turning 40, we still have 7 long years.... but it does mean that we have been given the $200 for passing go and no longer have to show our ID at the door, if you know what I mean. Jokes aside, we did get to spend a fabulous weekend in Silverthorne amongst friends, Hot Dam and hangovers. All of which we have been lacking lately!

 

Now as 2009 is slipping quickly past us...for tomorrow is February...we end our month as we began...on skis with friends. Life is good!