2012 in review

Year in review is a blog post I look forward to all year.  An instant glimpse at how amazing 12 months really are!  I looked back over my review of 2011, and smiled.  This is the thought I entered 2012 with:

"I welcome 2012 with open arms. The good & the bad. Because I'm realizing, the tough times only make us stronger. And make us cherish the good ones even longer."

I was right.

2012 was a life changing year for me.  I watched my children conquer sickness.  I watched them learn & grow.  I watched many friends journey down rough paths, and tearfully watched my friend bury her baby.  And I continue to stand in awe of her grace.  I learned even deeper in my soul the the value of love & life.  I learned to{try not to} sweat the small things.  And I grew in ways I never knew were possible.  2012 is a year that will definitely not soon be forgotten.

January:
We gave our first at home hair cuts.  We battled RSV.  We accidentally potty trained Olivia.     

February:
We played in the snow.  We said our prayers.  We found out Hayden is allergic to Amoxicillin.  We danced & sang!  We tried to recover from RSV.

March:
I finally went back to work post RSV & we finally got healthy!  We hit up the Children's museum.  Our talking & learning just took off!   We decided to re-do our bathroom.    And took some "silly baths" in the meantime.  We started counting.  We worked on getting our 2 year molars.  And enjoyed the beautiful spring weather!

April:
We enjoyed the unusually warm spring weather.  We hunted Easter Eggs.  We took a big leap of faith & put our house on the market.  We started potty training the boys, accidentally!  {wow, we really started THAT long ago!}  We marched with March of Dimes to support healthy babies! 

May:
We laughed!!  We kept working on potty training.  We turned 2 & 1/2!  Then there was Mother's Day.  Livi mastered potty poop.  We visited the zoo.  Our year of sickness continued.  We partied in Minnesota.  We sold our house... {for the first time.}

June:
We revisited the zoo & went to the circus!  We had a staycation, during which we camped in a caboose.  We celebrated 6 years of marriage.  Our plans for an awesome vacation, turned into a house roofing project & a Hayden tonsillectomy. 

July:
We beat the heat.  Our house sale fell through.  We watched our 1st fireworks.  We got sick...again, but managed to still get out & enjoy the community days parade.  Livi told her first knock-knock joke.  We goofed around.  We declared Hayden potty trained! 

August:
This month is in a nutshell what 2012 will always be for me.  Life altering.  We went to the fair.  We sold our house... AGAIN! We MOVED!!  And I learned that Heaven gained a perfect angel when my friend Anne tragically lost her daughter Isabelle.  A moment in my life that will change me & the way I view the world forever.  I think of you often Anne & Isabelle.   I counted my lucky stars, slept on the floor in my kids' bedroom for weeks, and I began to view my hard days as a parent very differently. 

September:
We played at our new neighborhood park.  The kids had lots of football weekends with dad.  We got settled into our new house, got big kid beds & I finished my first new house project!  And took the first of many trips to the pumpkin patch. 

October:
We enjoyed the beautiful fall weather.  Jeff got a new job!  We spent more time at the pumpkin patch.  Took 3 year pictures.  The kids started preschool & I turned 30!!  We survived the dentist!  We went Trick-or-Treating.

November:
We had a PaRtY!  We checked how much we grew.  MY BABIES TURNED THREE!!!  I did more painting.  We gave thanks.

December:
"Accident happen, & that's ok" became the kids favorite saying.  And accidents did happen!  We continued to learn so much at school.  We saw Santa.  We played in the snow.  We had our first ever Christmas Program!  And were extremely blessed this year at Christmas.


I put together this blog, in laughter & in tears.   It is truly so fun to look back on all the amazing memories of the last 12 months & sit in wonder & awe of how amazing life is. I am blessed.  And I am excited for all of the love, laughter & memories that 2013 will bring.