Happy New Year! A Year in Review

Here we are again, thrust headlong into a new year where I'm sure I'll be making great use of my erasers as I continue to write 2011 until somewhere in mid-February.

I was looking back through my friend Amy's blog via her year-in-review post and got inspired to write one of my own.  However, because I'm clearly not as patient as she is, I'm going to accent the re-cap with pictures instead of links.

January

Lexi was on the cusp of turning five. She anticipated that birthday more than any in the past, citing the fact that five was her FAVORITE. NUMBER. EVER. We got her a camera for Christmas and she decided that she would document every mundane detail she came across. Her memory card cried.

The relationship between Caly, 2.5, and Sayer, 18 months, was beginning to change significantly, namely due to Sayer learning to express his strong opinions. These opinions were expressed with help from the fact that he was beginning to outweigh his older sister.

February

I started off the month being hugely pregnant. I ended the month gigantically pregnant. Shaun tried to take the kids places to burn off energy on a regular basis so they would stop trying to use my enormous belly as a jungle gym. I usually waddled along with them.

March

Halfway through this month I stopped being pregnant. Zoen was born on March 14th and immediately started off his reign as overachiever. He scored 10s on his Apgar evaluation and impressed everyone by handily popping his own thumb into his mouth shortly after he was delivered.

His siblings adored him as soon as they met him, especially his oldest sister.

I loved watching Shaun with the little guy... one so big... one sooooooo little.

April

Caly turned three! And for her birthday month, the weather turned from frigid into balmy and we spent countless hours outside. We also took a ridiculous number of pictures of Zoen that looked exactly like this:

Of course, he was the most beautiful baby in the world! But man, in hindsight, new babies sure are funny looking.

I decided it would be a good idea to host a million kids and moms here for a playgroup since the weather was lovely. Surprisingly, it went swimmingly. I'm guessing it's due to the chocolate.

May

I was cleared to resume normal life after my surgery and we decided to jump in with both feet. Science center, zoo, and the kids' favorite, the faerie festival

June

I celebrated my 29th birthday and continued to take every opportunity to tease my husband about being an old fart in his 30s.

The three big kids started learning to swim this year and made quick progress. Surprisingly, Sayer took to the water the best and I spent more time trying not to let him drown. His confidence level soared well above his actual ability to swim.

The kids learned that baby powder made sand removal super easy. Apparently, I neglected to mention that it applied mostly to skin, so they tried to wash the deck.

July

Sayer turned 2! We went to Texas! And we saw our beloved roommate get married in TN. The girls were delighted to be in the wedding.

Shaun and Z and I went to Alexandria for his staff conference and Z proved himself well as the easiest baby on the planet.

August

The kids discovered one of the countless toads that live on our property. This year, they were brave enough to touch it. Well, some of them.

We traveled to visit grandparents and Caly explored her daredevil side.

September

Shaun turned... thirty something? Hehe. We attempted family kid pictures. It was amusing as it always is, but we got a keeper or two.

Zoen continued to master the completely surprised expression that he wore at birth.

Sayer and Caly snuggled... with each other... an act unprecedented in this house. I caught it on film, just in case.

October

We have photographic evidence that Zoen makes the best pouty face in the world.

The kids spent countless hours playing in the backyard and giggling together. Generally, they were deeply involved in a gigantic game of "House" or "Fairy Castle" or "Super Hero"

Generally, the rest of the month was jam packed with pumpkin farms, science center trips, parks, and more. Then?

Halloween! We actually did the Trick-or-Treat thing this year and the kids had a ball.

November

The kids played outside more due to an abnormally warm November and discovered the joy of jumping into leaf piles.

We got ready for Thanksgiving and ate an inordinate amount of mashed potatoes. Ok, maybe that was just me.

December

At the beginning of this month, I had kidney stone surgery and most of the month was kind of a wash on my end. The kids got to do all sorts of fun stuff with Daddy so that was definitely a win. A little over halfway through the month and I started feeling well enough to panic about Christmas preparations.

However, we had a ton of fun doing some traditional things with the kids to teach them about Christmas and giving. I loved seeing the girls embrace tradition and bring their brother along on the way. One of their highlights, (and to be honest, my nightmare), was their Lego advent calendar. I think I stepped on more renegade Lego pieces through the course of the month than all other months combined.

We received sobering news regarding my sister-in-law's health, and were continually amazed by her grace, strength, and faith. Before she started her treatments, we went out to have some insanely good food.

Then? Christmas. Beautiful as always. The kids were ecstatic and enjoyed sharing their handmade presents with family and friends.

And of course, because the month was insane, I don't have a single picture until Christmas day from this month, and they're still on my camera.

So, that's it! If you're still with me, I'm amazed. This little review makes me grin as I read through all that happened this year.

Here's to 2012! May it be full of family, fun, and friends!