2011 Recap

January

We discovered the mysterious baby in the mirror...

...and perfected our kiss-giving technique.

February

I got a glimpse of what it means to raise a boy.

Sam learned that the easiest way to make a friend is to bribe them with food.

March

We discovered mobility...and life was never the same.

I learned that little boys are constantly looking for ways to injure themselves.

I had my first successful encounter with bulbs.

And the weather warmed up a little so we could get outside and play.

April

We celebrated a VERY important birthday...

...we enjoyed a fun day at the park...

...and we enjoyed a fun Easter with some really cool people.

May

I planted my first-ever garden...

...and enjoyed my first-ever tulips!

We celebrated Mothers' Day in Paula Deen style.

June

We spent some time enjoying the water.

We ditched the bottle.

Shawn and I celebrated our 11th anniversary.

And we said goodbye to a friend.

July

I made Sam start earning his keep around here.

We enjoyed the fruits vegetables of our labor.

Sam got his first haircut.

We welcomed someone new into our home.

We took a trip to the zoo.

August

We got a little taste of life with a lab.

We learned how to ride a tricycle...sort of.

We spent some time just enjoying our silly little boy.

We attended UK's Fan Day.

Sam earned the nickname, Mr. Independent.

I successfully canned some salsa.

We went on the best vacation EVER...

...where Sam really learned how to walk like a man.

September

Sam had his first all-boy injury.  And Mom and Dad spent the better part of the month trying to figure out a way to wrap him in bubble wrap for the rest of his life.

October

Sam helped me decorate for fall.

We had a fun day at Kings Island.

We had a rootin'-tootin' Halloween.

November

We (hopefully) made a few soldiers smile.

We had a very...ahem...memorable Thanksgiving.

December

We celebrated some of our favorite Christmas traditions.

Sam discovered his talent for technology and photography.

We were a little suspicious of Santa.

We had a great Christmas.  Ummm...pictures are coming--I promise!!!

2011 was a fun year.  2012 promises to be pretty exciting, too! 

Happy New Year, everyone!  We hope 2012 blesses you with the kind of laughter that leaves you breathless, the peace that comes from a life well-lived and a few happy surprises along the way.

Thankful Thursday

This week I am thankful for:

1)  An extra day off.  I needed a day to catch up on some rest.  I didn't feel that great all last week.  I have been T.I.R.E.D. lately, and last week was difficult.  I was grouchy with my coworkers.  I was whiny to Shawn.  I was distracted with Sam.  A day at home to take a big nap and get caught up on some of the laundry that had been staring us in the face all week was just what the doctor ordered.

2)  Our supplemental health insurance.  A couple of months ago my company offered a supplemental health plan to purchase.  Kinda like those duck commercials you see.  I bought one and because I have a son who likes to climb, I added the optional broken bone policy.  The plan became active just a few days before Sam broke his leg.  I finally got all of our receipts submitted and we got a check in the mail last week to cover almost all of our out-of-pocket expense.  What a nice Christmas present!

3)  Sensicare lotion.  My hands always stay so dry during the winter.  Probably because I work in a medical clinic.  You know who goes to medical clinics?  Sick people!  So I am constantly washing my hands or, worse, using that horrible alcohol hand sanitizer.  My hands were cracked to the point of bleeding last night when Shawn said one of the nurses that he works with suggested using this stuff.  After a dose last night and another this morning, I'm happy to report that my hands are as smooth as a baby's behind.  Will definitely be keeping this stuff around the house. 

What are you thankful for this week?  I'm linking up to Black Tag Diaries.

And Then There Were Four...

Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs at you.  Things can happen sometimes that are so unexpected...so out of the blue...that they just smack you right upside the head with a little dose of what-the-heck and a sprinkling of whoa! 

Shawn and I found out a few weeks ago that we will be welcoming a new miracle into our home next summer.  I've always heard that every pregnancy is different, and this one is already vastly different from my pregnancy with Sam...even down to the way I told Shawn.  Last time, I bought Shawn a UK baby blanket, wrapped it up in a nice little gift bag and met him after work for dinner.  This time, it looked more like me walking out of the bathroom holding a pregnancy test with a completely shell-shocked look on my face.  Shawn took one look at me while feeding Sam his dinner and said, "Uh-uh."

Don't get me wrong--I'm not unhappy with this pregnancy.  It's just that the timing isn't really what I anticipated.  I always thought when/if we had another baby our finances would be in a position that I could stay home or at least work part time.  I thought I'd weigh ten pound less.  I thought Sam might be potty-trained.  I thought my closets would be organized.  I thought our basement would be finished.  I had all of these things on my to-do list that I thought had to happen before we could have another baby.  Don't you just love it when you have everything all planned out and God chuckles and says, "Yeah...that's one way to do it.  But how about this way?" 

I have to be honest--I'm a little nervous about another baby.  Every life is a blessing and a miracle.  But with great blessings come great responsibilities.  It's an honor and a privilege for me to be a mom, and it's a job I take very seriously.  My only trepidations about having another baby lie solely with my doubts about myself.  What if I'm not cut out to parent two children?  What if I don't have enough patience?  What if I can't give them each the time and attention they need and deserve?  What if I don't pray for them enough...hold them enough...teach them enough?  One night I was hurling all of these questions at Shawn, and he just looked at me and said, "It might not be how we planned it, but God doesn't make mistakes."  I just love how he can cut right to the heart of the matter. 

I'm worried about my blood pressure.  Last time, even though I had a healthy pregnancy, I developed post-partum preeclampsia that led to post-partum hypertension.  I took blood pressure medication for about 9 months after Sam was born.  What's gonna happen in a few months?  Will it spiral out of control again?  And it if does will I be able to handle the anti-hypertensive-medication-yuckiness on top of the I-just-want-to-sleep-all-of-the-time-pregnancy-fatigue?

I'm worried about the delivery.  Last time, I had reservations about an epidural all along.  During one of my OB appointments, I mentioned my concerns to my doctor.  He's very vocal about his faith, and he told me we would deliver the baby however I wanted but he felt like epidurals were a merciful gift to allow women to avoid unnecessary suffering during childbirth.  Shawn, out of concern for me, always wanted me to get an epidural, and when we left the office that day he triumphantly looked at me and said, "God wants you to get an epidural."  But after the terrible experience we had with it last time, I'm pretty convinced that we should deliver this baby without one.  And that scares me.  Because by the time I got the epidural I was honestly pretty glad to get it. 

I'm worried about the recovery.  What if I go crazy again?  I remember how, for months after Sam was born, I questioned everything I did.  EVERYTHING.  I wasn't confident in anything, and I constantly felt like I was doing it all wrong.  At least this time we have a better idea of what we're getting ourselves into, but are you ever really prepared for a new baby?  Whether it's #2 or #22???

But somewhere in the midst of all of that uncertainty, I'm reminded that this is a gift.  A precious, life-altering gift.  When I lie in bed at night and think about all of the questions I have, God whispers His peace to me and I drift off to sleep.  It's all going to work out.  And in the end, Sam will have a friend to walk through life with.  My heart will grow bigger than I thought possible.  We get to experience it all again--the sweet coos, the little grunts, the slobbery kisses, that precious first time they reach for you to pick them up, the 1000th time they reach for you to pick them up that is every bit as precious as the first, the baby food facials--we get to do it all again.  Our cup runneth over.

Welcome to our hearts, Baby King.  It's a good place to be. 

Lately...

...Marty the Mouse has been evicted.  No...not by us.  He's way smarter than we are.  The cat finally caught him and took him back outside.  Wasn't that considerate?  She chose not to dismember him in our home; she took him outside to eat him and let him go. 

...Sam has really started to push his boundaries.  His most recent trick is to launch his cup across the room while we are eating dinner.  We have tried everything we can think of.  I have tried leaving it on the floor--it leaks and makes a mess.  We've tried picking it up and calmly putting it back on the table like it's perfectly normal--he takes that as a challenge to throw it even farther the next time.  We have tried making him get down to pick it up--he thinks that means dinnertime is over and it's time to play.  So usually I just look at him and firmly say, "Sam, NO!"  The he immediately looks back at me with a very stern look and tells me, "NO!"  And then I don't know if I should spank him or cover his face with kisses.  Shawn usually just buries his face while his shoulders shake with silent laughter.  If this is a glance at what two looks like, we are in big trouble.

...we are getting ready to enter our Christmas traveling.  Shawn and I are both, admittedly, a little intimidated.  When I was pregnant with Sam, I prayed for a good eater and a good sleeper.  God answered both of those prayers with a big old yes.  At bedtime, we go through our little rituals, then I put Sam in his crib, give him one last kiss and walk out.  That's it.  He sits in his crib and entertains himself until he goes to sleep.  But when he's not in his crib...nobody sleeps.  And I like to sleep.  We're a little worried about how it's going to go with our traveling, so I will be accepting all tips for getting a child to sleep somewhere other than his bed. 

...Sam has discovered the iPad.  The little turkey knows how to unlock it and everything.  We have a couple of little games loaded that he can play, and he totally knows how to open them without any help.  One night this week, I was finishing supper so I was letting him play with it to keep himself occupied, and suddenly I heard Shawn's mom's voice.  Sam had pulled up Facetime and successfully called her, all while I took a casserole out of the oven.  He's also figured out how to take pictures.  These are just 2 of the approximately 40 that Shawn discovered on it this week.

...books are becoming even MORE important at our house.  Sam has long had an appreciation for books, but he mostly just liked the touchy-feely ones.  Now he's starting to enjoy actually having a story read to him.  He's even starting to recognize pictures and say things about that page when we come to it.  I love how he "asks" me to read to him.  I can be sitting in the floor, and he'll go get a book, give it to me, then position himself right in front of me and slowly, deliberately back his little caboose into my lap.  Of course, Molly has to be right in the middle of everything. 

And I'm using this picture to Embrace the Camera over at The Anderson Crew.

...one night this week, I was resting on the couch, and Sam was quick to inform me that I could still read while relaxing.  So that's just what we did.  Notice his foot propped up on the couch.  Funny kid...

Top 10 Christmas Traditions

Here are some of my favorite Christmas traditions:

1)  Our Hallmark Christmas ornaments.  When we were kids, we always had a Hallmark Christmas ornament series.  On Christmas Eve, we would open just one present, and it was always the ornament from our series.  My series, Frosty Friends, is now in its 32nd year.  Even though it may be a childish tradition, it's one of those things my mom always did that I just can't give up.  So last year I started Sam a series, and I always get Shawn some kind of sports-related ornament.  Here are our choices for this year:

 Frosty Friends

 Sam's Christmas Cupcakes

Shawn's ESPN ornament

2) My annual Christmas CD.  Every year I buy a new Christmas CD.  I guess I started doing this right after Shawn and I got married.  We didn't really start out for this to be a formal tradition--it's just something that kinda happened.  They are all loaded on my iPod, and it's funny to hear the mixture of music we have.  One minute we'll be listening to a Bluegrass version of Star of Bethlehem, and then it will switch to a classically arranged Oh Holy Night. 

Side note:  Oh Holy Night is my all-time personal favorite Christmas song.  There's just something about that money note when a really good tenor sings, "Oh night....di-VIIIIIIIIIIIINE!!!"  Gives me goose bumps every time.

This year, I had a hard time deciding on which one to buy, but I finally settled on Matthew West's cd.



3)  Christmas candy.  Actually, I kinda have a love-hate relationship with Christmas candy.  I love it and I think it's a great handmade gift, but to be honest I'm not that great at making fudge.  Especially now that I have a little helper in the kitchen, I'm prone to not constantly stirring or not cooking on low heat until it reaches the soft ball stage...or whatever you have to do.  I mean, seriously, why can't I just turn the heat up and make it go a little bit faster???  But I love finding new recipes for candy, and I dream of the day when I can leisurely make big tins of candy for all of my friends and family at Christmas time.  This year, I attempted this chocolate chip cookie dough fudge that I found on Pinterest.  For real...

4)  Operation Christmas Child.  I know I have mentioned this charity on here a couple of times before, but I seriously love this organization.  I always have so much fun picking out little gifts that will go to a child I will most likely never meet this side of Heaven.  I always try to pick a mixture of useful items--like a toothbrush and toothpaste--and some fun things--like pretty hair bows or toy cars.  I look forward to it every year. 

5)  Hallmark Christmas movies.  Shawn likes to pretend that he hates them, but I think secretly he really loves them.  That's why I set our DVR to record about 3 this week alone so we can watch them together.  I know he'll be thrilled.  He's a lucky man...

6)  Christmas lights.  I know...maybe something else that is a little childish, but I just love to see the houses all sparkled with lights.  The more Clark Griswold-ish the better!  Disclaimer--I am NOT a huge fan of the blow-up thingies.  Whenever I see them I always think about blow-up dolls, and that's probably kinda creepy.

7)  Christmas cards.  Specifically, the Christmas cards that have pictures on them.  I always enjoy seeing how kids have grown, how hair styles have changed and vacations that people went on.  After Christmas, I cut out the pictures from the cards and put them on a little photo board by my front door so I can enjoy them all year long.  And I don't mind bragging...OUR Christmas card is rockin' awesome this year if I do say so myself.

8)  Hot chocolate by a fireplace.  Thanks to our unusually warm fall, I haven't used our fireplace very much this year.  But with this most recent cold spell, I have been making up for lost time!  I love putting Sam down for the night and curling up on the couch for a few minutes while the fire warms my bones. 

9)  The Salvation Army bell ringers.  I can remember begging my mom and dad for change whenever we went into a store that had a bell ringer out front.  Now it's one of the first things I notice about the Christmas season.  I especially enjoy the ringers that use their talents to entice you to put change into their bucket.  Every now and then you'll see someone who is playing an instrument or singing or just striking up conversations with the customers as they come and go.  Their metal red buckets just scream, "Christmas" to me.

And last but not least...and this one's not so much a tradition as it is the ENTIRE REASON for
Christmas:

10)  The Christmas story.  Most of the time, I prefer the more modern translations of the Bible.  But there are a few passages that I just need to hear in the King James version.  The Christmas story is one of them.  I just love hearing it every year.