2008 Rearview Mirror

Had fun with this last year and figured I'd once again compile some of the notable moments of the last 12 months in a single post. We actually included something of a written update in this year's holiday card, but Blogger offers much more generous space allocations than Apple printing, plus the ability to hyperlink, so here goes.

2008 was fun and active year during which we...

Enjoyed another January family vacation in Aruba, and became happily reacquainted with The Program

Celebrated Ava turning 5

And Madison turning 7

Made a fair amount of Sunday Sauce, and remembered our time at Rao's

Continued to search for the perfect pizza at home, and remembered Ed LaDou

Were extremely honored to have been chosen as one of Blogger's "blogs of note"

Expanded the family by one with the arrival of a beautiful hypo-allergenic kitten in March (Olive)

And hit the repeat button on that in July (Orly)

Found ourselves faced with a case of unexpectedly early heat

Got an eight-month jump on our Christmas List

Decided to share Ava's self portrait, and Madison's self description, with the world

Wound up in Washington, D.C. at the same time as the Cherry Blossoms

Found a new and ridiculously tasty way to enjoy tomatoes

Made another summer pilgrimage to Vermont

Rediscovered the best ice cream flavor in the world, and learned that the source of its key ingredient was in peril

Posted our favorite wild art photos

Had fun with all kinds of craft projects

Continued to watch Top Chef, and imagined a family function edition

Lost a few more teeth, and made sure the Tooth Fairy was fully informed

Contemplated the meaning of "Dad"

Worked with the girls, and a cool Web site, to compile a list of our favorite bedtime books

And, for the adults, our favorite picture shows

Were just as confused as everyone else by those Microsoft ads

Watched our second set of siblings get out their winter coats

Talked about the possibility of a girl president, which particularly intrigued Madison, but ultimately felt OK with the way things turned out

Got Mom to babysit so we could eat some Mexican food, drink some tequila, and see Oasis

Introduced the girls to Shea Stadium, moments before they started ripping the old place down

And, as I noted in last year's rearview mirror post, we did it all together, which is the most important thing. Thanks to everyone for stopping by this little corner of the World Wide Web in 2008, and here's wishing you and yours a great 2009...