An entire year. One post. Much to be thankful for. Much we are looking forward to. At first I thought I would try to come up with my "Top 11 of 2011," but as I started looking back through my blog and remembering this year, I realized there were way more than 11 special moments I wanted to preserve.
January:
Home from the hospital and celebrating a late Christmas with our Brownlee family.
The first of many sweet sister moments of the year.
Priceless!
Welcoming Rebeka home with her family.
The bead phase.
February:
Spending time with good friends.
Spending time with good friends.
The last of the many blood draws... where we finally got the news we had been waiting to hear!
The magic of a surprise snow storm.
March:
A trip to sunny southern California.
A trip to sunny southern California.
Time on the beach.
Getting reacquainted with faraway friends.
An unplanned day in Disneyland.
Exploring new and exciting places.
Sinus surgery.
Baby Nathaniel.
April:
A trip to Yakima to visit friends and play on the farm.
A trip to Yakima to visit friends and play on the farm.
May:
Time in Washington to see cousins and friends.
Time in Washington to see cousins and friends.
Time at the beach with cousins.
Exploring after the rain.
Zoo trips with buddies.
June:
Mariaha's middle school graduation.
Mariaha's middle school graduation.
A day in Leavenworth, WA.
First wild bear sighting.
Brennan's kindergarten graduation.
First trip to the park after a very long winter.
Saying goodbye to a great "old" house.
Celebrating Father's Day with a fun Timbers' game.
Berry picking.
Turning four and loving green.
A new pet.
July:
Forth of July - one of the greatest days of this year.
July:
Forth of July - one of the greatest days of this year.
An amazing, perfect, wonderful, trip to the beach with family.
Many, many, many camps... gymnastics, Bible, soccer, etc.
August:
Big guy.
Big guy.
2nd annual birthday beach bash - and some of the best friends in my world.
Funny faces.
Finally finding summer sun and spending lots of time in the fountains.
Camping at Burch Lake.
Soccer games.
Soccer games.
Baby Charlie.
September:
Sister snuggle time.
Sister snuggle time.
No words.
Fountains and friends.
Warriors.
Barb's River - many, many trips this year.
First day back to "school."
US Women's soccer.
Visiting great-grandparents' old farm house.
October:
Apple orchards.
Apple orchards.
Married for 8 years.
Learning to ride bikes.
First time on a big horse.
Trouble.
Pumpkin patches.
Halloween.
November:
Turning 2!
Turning 2!
Writing (and sending) her first real letter.
Another trip to Disneyland.
Being tall enough for (almost) every ride!
Being tall enough for (almost) every ride!
December:
Christmas tree hunting.
Christmas tree hunting.
Hair cuts!
Christmas loot!
Time with extended family.
It has been a busy year full of many adventures, experiences, pictures and stories. I love looking back to see all we have done and how much the girls have changed, and yet as I close out another year of sporadic blogging, I am reminded of how much there is to look forward to in 2012. Many friends are expecting new babies, and some are planning weddings. We will take trips, and have people come visit us. There will be outings to the zoo, the museum, the parks, the beach. Grace will start school and soccer in the fall... Claire will miss her but love the one-on-one attention. There is sure to be some stress, some sadness and some sickness, but hopefully those will not overshadow all the good.
Though we look back fondly on 2011, we now welcome 2012 and all that is to come.
Happy New Year!
