Top Ten

I decided to follow along with TonguMomma and do a top ten list of my favorite photos from the year 2010. This past year was truly a big one for us all. Ev learned to read and we entered into homeschooling full time for first grade. Les passed his test for advancement. We completed the re-do on the downstairs of the house. We had a referral for a boy in January, traveled to China for the second and most probably last time in July, and we met that little boy. We became a family of four, we went through two surgeries with Liam. Oh and there were so many happy, everyday moments that I can't begin to count them.

2010 also brought it's own share of struggles. We struggled financially, we struggled with Liam and that becoming four that I mentioned. We have faced some pretty significant power struggles with Ev during the homeschooling. Leslie's advancement means a move that we neither wanted or expected for another year at least.

I will say though that we have classified 2010 as a good year. A good, but tough year. A year full of all that life can offer. Our days have been filled mostly with smiles and laughter, love and kindness. I guess that's all you can expect out of any year.

Without further ado, here are the pictures that I have gone back to time and time again over the year. They are listed here in no particular order....

1) Liam's referral photo. He would look nothing like this and be so much older by the time we met him in July but this picture was my first look at our fourth person. The little guy that would round us out as a family.

2) Evelyn and Brevin out playing in the soft rain of a summer afternoon. I will always remember the two of them splashing and laughing up and down the street as if they had the entire planet unto themselves.

3) Les smoking his pipe. I love any picture of my husband but I like this one in particular because that is the exact expression I see on his face most days of our life. 

                                      

4) The completed down stairs. The work was finally done, the mess cleaned up, the furniture in place and I finally had the red room I have always wanted.

 5) Ev and Kate and Audrey at Cedar Point. There is just something about this that I love.

 6) Les and Ev at a baseball game. They sat like this the whole game, just talking about baseball and stats and eating hot dogs.

 7) Me, Liam and Ev on one of our many bus rides in China. This was the second or third day that we had him and we were captivated. 

8) At the Cleveland Zoo. I don't know, whats not to love about this picture?

9) My little witch and her pet lion. I snapped this shot while we were out taking pictures. It was not really intended, they were walking from one location to another. They just looked so cute, I got on my knees and snapped the shutter.

 10) The Red Couch Photo. White Swan Hotel, Guangzhou, China. Shortly before heading home with our son. The first picture ever taken with the four of us together.