Where Did 2010 Go?!

2010: A Year In Review

January started off with Ledger turning 8 months old!  He was just learning to crawl, clap, and pull himself up on the furniture.

February did not start off well.  Ledger was pretty sick and had had his fist big fever.  Since he wouldn't take oral medicine, we discovered acetaminophen suppositories, which saved the day!  We sold our Honda Pilot and bought a Honda CR-V with cash as a jump-start to our Dave Ramsey financial plan.  We went snow-skiing in Kansas City and Josh took a nasty spill and broke his collarbone.  By the end of the month, our little mover had figured out how to climb up the stairs all by himself.


At the beginning of March, we had Ledger tested for allergies and he  was positive for allergies to corn, soy, dairy, and egg.  We visited the Vanderbecks in Pittsburg and braved a blizzard to drive home.  Mommy and Daddy suffered through the "cry-it-out" method and finally were able to lay Ledger down without a fight and he even slept through the night!

In April, Ledger experienced his first Easter.  Mommy and Daddy rocked out at the AC/DC concert in Kansas City.  Ledger went from taking a few hesitant steps to officially walking!  We also visited BoomMa and BoomPa in Oklahoma and visited the aquarium there.

Ledger celebrated his first birthday in May!  We had a big piece of hypo-allergenic chocolate cake for the birthday boy.  His family and friends came up to celebrate with him too, which was a little overwhelming!  We also went to Lawrence for Josh and Amanda's wedding.  Ledger went to the 4th grade skating party and even tried on roller skates!  At the end of the month, we had a very successful garage sale to save some money for vacation.

In June, we took a Michel family vacation to Colorado.  We visited the Hindmans in Boulder, the Denver Aquarium, the Pogues in Colorado Springs, and stayed in cabins at Manitou Springs.  It was a great vacation and Ledger did better than expected in the car.  Mommy's laptop screen got cracked, so blogging was put on hold.

July brought some fun times at Lake Kanopolis with friends and family.  Ledger got his first "big boy" haircut by Tracy.  Ledger started at a new child care with Sandy.  For the first time ever, Mommy and Daddy left Ledger with Oma and Doodah to go on vacation to Hawaii.

August started out with Mommy and Daddy in Maui with the Powell and Perkins families.  We had a great vacation, but missed our little man!  Ledger spent a lot of time at the lake with Oma and Doodah and really loved playing in the hose.  Mommy celebrated her 30th birthday.  Mommy's BFF Ann had her 2nd baby, Clay.  Ledger learned to drink out of a cup and really started developing a little attitude of his own!

September brought the start of football season!  Every Sunday Ledger wears his Chiefs gear to watch the game!  BoomPa spent a weekend in Salina and brought Ledger some OU swag -- including socks!  We also went to KC and went to the Renaissance Fest (Ledger was afraid of the costumes) and Ledger's first Chiefs game.  Ledger learned to say "First Down!" (sorta).  At the end of the month, Grammie Pam had her second knee replacement and did great!

In October, we went to the pumpkin patch and corn maze with the Kinions and were a little disappointed.  Later that month, we met the Powells and Perkins in KC and went to another pumpkin patch.  Ledger enjoyed playing on all of the slides.  We also went on a tour of Arrowhead stadium and Daddy achieved one of his life-long goals by putting his feet (and lips) on the field!  Our whole family got sick and fought the stomach flu -- blah!  Ledger started giving kisses and parroting everything that he hears.  We dressed up for Halloween -- Ledger as a lion, Chris as Luigi (with Damon dressed as Mario), and Mommy as a veterinarian ;)

November disappeared in a flash! Ledger turned 18 months old! We visited the Vanderbecks in Pittsburg and saw our first Pitt State football game.  Mommy and Daddy went to the midnight premier of Harry Potter 7 - Part 1.  Mommy worked hard to figure out how to bake the Thanksgiving turkey and Daddy worked hard to make the house clean and cozy for our holiday guests.  Ledger continues to entertain the crowd with his tricks -- including pressing his belly button and saying "ding dong", identifying his nose, eyes, and mouth, and making dog and cat noises.  Once again, Mommy and Daddy went Black Friday shopping in Tulsa.  We also visited Granny Mone and Uncle Buddy in Muskogee.  We also went to the Salina Christmas parade with the Simpsons and Shawn and put up our holiday decorations -- including the Christmas tree.  Miraculously, he leaves the tree and ornaments alone.

Now, it is December.  Ledger is in the process of cutting his "eye teeth" which has caused weeks of discomfort and disrupted our regular sleeping schedule.  Ledger's vocabulary is expanding daily and he always amazes us with a new word.  He is also learning to sing, which is hilarious.  We are working hard to get Christmas cards in the mail and Christmas gifts purchased for the family.  We have a few meetings with Santa lined up, but I'm pretty sure he's going to be scared of the stranger in the big white beard this year.  We are looking forward to time with family during the holiday season!