**sadly I have no pictures from the beginning of the year due to our hard drive dying last year**
January
January began the change that has probably been the biggest for Hubby. He started his new job. The last three months of 2010 had been crazy with a few job interviews (not counting the handful he had that summer) He ended up with two offers on the table. We were blessed. This job has been an incredible blessing.
February
Our big boy turned FIVE. A whole hand. How did that happen? He had first official big party with his friends. He was pretty pumped to turn five because he knew Kindergarten was starting soon.
March
Hmmm...apparently I don't remember well. I have NO idea what happened in March last year. ;)
April
We went on the Children's Retreat at church. The boys had a ton of fun. We got a taste for what it would be like to go to camp for longer in the summer.We also celebrated Easter, which held a special meaning for our big boy this year. He understood what Easter meant. You could see the Holy Spirit grabbing his little heart and it was a something new we were praising God for!
May
JJ graduated from preschool. He loved his year at preschool and we loved the preschool, too! So much in fact that Ty began as a three year old and I committed to serving as president of the preschool board.
During our trip we celebrated 10 years of marriage! Not bad, eh? We still haven't taken our 10 year anniversary trip or a weekend away, but one day we will. For now, I just enjoy being with my husband and our boys. We're in a sweet time of life.
June
JJ began his summer Kindergarten program, which he loved! It was just a half a day for five weeks. He was so excited to go to school and see his teacher. He enjoyed meeting other friends. It turned out to be a great experience for him.
The beginning of June was devoted to VBS. We loved Pandamania and are still listening to the VBS songs. **apparently my computer deleted my VBS pictures. Weird.**
In the middle of June Diana, the boys and I loaded up in our van and headed to New Mexico to move Jacob and Amber (who had been there since January) back. We were gone a week. We had a blast! While we were gone, Hubby and his dad worked on the kitchen. It was a win-win for everybody! (though probably more of the win on our side of things, but the work was able to get done faster without little helpers. ;) It also cut down on the amount of stress I would have felt being here. HA!July
Ty celebrated his third birthday. Suddenly, there were no "babies" in our house. Life was noticeably easier and became easier with every month.
August
We all went to camp. Hubby was a counselor in the little boys cabin, where JJ was! We had an official camper! I was in the older girls cabin and Ty stayed with me. We had such a fun time at camp that week! It was fun to get to know the girls and my co-counselors.
We had a few days before JJ started KINDERGARTEN! oh my! Those first few days were the longest of my life. My little boy was so excited that first day. The second day he had a tummy ache and I ended up with a migraine. By the end of the week he was back to loving it.We also ordered our kitchen cabinets. I know this may not feel newsworthy but after having lived with our kitchen for four years we were so stinkin' excited!
September
Labor Day weekend was one of shopping for kitchen stuff, while the boys spent two nights at Lake Of the Ozarks with Hubby's family. They had so much fun but two nights was the longest I had ever been away from them. They did wonderful and so did we! :) We met up on Sunday and enjoyed a night at the house with everybody.
The day after Labor Day Ty started preschool. He is in the three year old class on Tuesday and Thursday. He cried the first two days, but since then he has done great! (yet still runs out of the classroom telling me "I no cry today, Mom!")The second Tuesday of the month I began volunteering in JJ's classroom while Ty was at preschool. It has been a rewarding opportunity. I have helped the teachers with whatever they need and gotten to know them. I have helped his little friends with their ABCs and sounds.
September may have been our busiest month coupled with the new kitchen renovation!! Wahoo! Love my new kitchen! Hubby and his dad did a great job on it! I have never been so thankful for a handy hubby and father-in-law...oh wait- yes I was last year when they finished off our basement! :)
I was second shooter for preschool pictures. I have never been so exhausted from my side job as a photographer as I was those two days. 46 preschoolers on two different backdrops.
October
Life slowed doooown! We enjoyed fall activities with beautiful weather. We went pumpkin picking, to the pumping patch and then began cheering on our Cardinals as they won the World Series! Such a fun family month!
We also had two field trips back to back. JJ's class went to The Magic House and Ty's class went to the pumpkin patch!
During a break from school he even lost his first tooth!
November
We had a fun time gearing up for the holidays. The boys were already getting into the Christmas season at the beginning of the month.
Ty also began speech! So happy for my little guy that pretty soon we'll be able to understand him better! He has so much to say and we're happy that he is pretty easy going when you ask him to repeat himself or just don't really know what he is saying. (I'm sure I've said yes a few times when I shouldn't have!) He marched right back with his speech therapist and has enjoyed going.JJ not only lost his second and third tooth but also his fourth- three days in a row for the Tooth Fairy at our house!
Thanksgiving was fun- JJ was excited he was off for FIVE whole days!
December
December was a fun month! The boys were into everything we did! They were so excited!
In the middle of the hustle and bustle I asked JJ why we celebrate Christmas. His answer, "We celebrate it because of love." (we had just finished a book about Christmas that made no mention of the TRUE meaning of Christmas.) Before I could ask him anything else he went on. "We actually celebrate it because Jesus was born. Jesus was born so that he could die for our sins." It made our Christmas season even brighter that our son truly understood Christmas!
We had a truly fun Christmas season! Celebrating Christmas five times!
So, what does 2012 hold?
