:: 2010 ::
This year FLEW by. Seriously I can't believe I'm already writing out 2010 newsletter! I want time to just stop for like a month so I can catch my breath! It has been a really GOOD year and a really crazy year too. God has been preparing us for something great - we're excited to see what God has for us. We are so thankful for all the amazing people that He has placed in our lives that encourage and pray for us regularly. We have felt it this year! God has brought us so many new friends that we feel like we have known forever. We love our church, Gateway. We still stay really involved with all the fun ministries/activities, leading Embrace Grace and all of the kids camps/activities the kids do and serving at Pink Impact.
The kids still love their school {Oakridge}. It’s our 4th year and they have made so many friends. It seems like they have friend plans every weekend. Jess is in 6th grade making all A's and Mackenzie is in 3rd grade and making A's and B's. Landry is going to a new school that is right by Ryan's office called Mildred Haupt Preschool - it is a part of the Arlington Heights United Methodist school. Landry loves it and likes having a backpack and lunch box and being crafty and having fun :-) She is in Pre-K but since she is the baby I think we'll make her do Pre-K one more time.
As for the ever-looming question of if we should move or not, we decided to stay where we are and settle in. With our church in NRH/Southlake, kids school in Arlington and Ryan's office in Fort Worth, we decided to just stay put. No matter where would move, it would require driving so why not stay put. So we've been settling in and decorating more. It's been SO fun. I just wish I was a billionaire because it's expensive to decorate!!
{update on ford’s}
landry rose: My little baby girl is 4 years old now. It seems like she jumped from a baby to a little girl this year. She still has the strong-will and is tiny and mighty but with a sweet and tender heart under that feisty nature. She keeps up with her big brother and sister and doesn't even realize how she is little. I don't want her to grow up!
mackenzie ryan: Kenzie is in 3rd grade this year and is a social butterfly. She always talks about her friends at school and who said what on the playground. She LOVES people. She is a free spirit and is always in a good mood. She is happy and content. She is on the swim team and having fun with that as well as tried soccer for the first time and surprised herself how much she enjoyed it. She is trying basketball next. She also has been playing the violin through lessons at Oakridge. Her favorite hobby is drawing - especially her favorite animal, horses.
jess michael: Jess just turned 12 and I actually cried a little. He wears mens shoes and clothes now. taller than me … but he is still my baby boy. Jess is so smart, and we really {really} have no idea where he gets it from. He has dedicated himself to his favorite sport this past year - baseball. Lots of private coaching, regular teams and select teams and has improved alot this year. He gets a break with baseball to do basketball this season. Jess eats, sleeps, breathes sports. Right when he wakes up he turns on ESPN to see highlights and scores of the games that he missed due to bedtime. We're ok with it since he does good on his grades. Sports is his passion - (I'm just glad it's not the girls yet).
miscarriage: We had a wild hair and decided to try for a baby for 1 month (and make that 1 week because we got nervous haha). we got pregnant of course being "fertile myrtle" here, but we lost the baby at 8 weeks pregnancy in June. We still go back and forth about trying again but I would say today as I'm writing this, we're leaning towards not but it really depends on the day. it's hard to start all over when your youngest will be 5 this year ... but then we always thought another little boy would be sweet. so one of these days we'll figure it out. who knows, maybe we'll adopt someday <3
baxter: Our 1 and only dog we've ever had as a family ran away in March. It was SO sad and mackenzie STILL makes lost dog posters and is looking for him. We're hoping Ryan will buy us a new one this year :-)
ryan: Ryan has been busy working but he loves it. He has enjoyed his insurance agency relocation in the cultural district of Ft. Worth. Fun restaurants, shopping and atmosphere. His other business, Keystone Merchant Services (credit card processing) has had a great year as well as his Farmers agency. Ryan made some new year resolutions that stuck this past year, he lost 60 pounds and still going! He changed up his eating patterns and dedicated himself to working out, even if it is 11:00 at night. He looks SO good.
me: I am SO excited about this past year. I have been working with Ryan helping out where needed with Farmers & Central Risk. He fires me every other day but it just keeps me on my toes lol! As most of you know, I co-lead a group called Embrace Grace – a support group for single pregnant women. We just finished our 5th semester with a total of {34} girls that have gone through the program so far and their lives have been changed because they turned their broken hearts to God. I am so blessed to be a small part of God’s big plan for this group. Our plan for this next year is to take EG as a 501c3 non-profit org. We want to be able to help all we can with the single and pregnant girls in the community, but also to be able to help churches across the nation start Embrace Grace and help. The girls have been so impacted by the group that most want to come back to volunteer and help the new girls coming in. 32 babies now have moms that have more freedom and understand better what grace really means and 2 babies have been given to a wonderful family that have prayed for years for their miracle baby. I am finishing out prior commitments to other things I'm involved in but this year planning to devote all my focus to my family and Embrace Grace. The Lord has even been stirring a book in my heart to write. Every day is an adventure – a Zoe life. {John 10:10}
So in 1 word or phrase, this is what each of us learned in 2010:
Ryan - Patience.
Amy - Discipline in my Passion.
Jess - Practice.
Mackenzie - Forgive.
Landry - I'm Hungry.
Don’t waste another breath without knowing Jesus. You can keep up with us the same way you always have – phone, office, email, facebook or my blog! Have a blessed 2011!
amy ford ryan ford
817.501.7856 817.437.2982
aford@ryanfordinsurance.com ryan@ryanfordinsurance.com
www.amyford.com www.ryanfordinsurance.com
817.285.7000 (office) 1.877.702.5189 (fax)
{dream big • give big • love big • live big}
yall r some awesome peeps. keep up the good work!! Excited to see what yall do with 2011!!! :)
Posted by: Lacey Edmondson | January 05, 2011 at 03:41 PM