2012 Year End Review

I've been so bad about updating my blog.  Journaling has always been a challenge for me. So I thought I would reflect on a few highlights from this past year, instead of trying to do a massive catch up on all that has occurred these past few months.

Brighton and Briya have a love hate relationship.  I guess that goes with most siblings.  But they do have a good time playing together, and mommy truly enjoys those sweet moments when all is calm in the house.  I don't remember where we were, but B climbed into the pack and play with Briya, and had a cosy night together.

The youngest, is now potty trained, wooohooo!  So nice not having to change those nasty diapers anymore :)

B learned to ride a big boy bike over the summer.  He has already worn this one out, and is on to bike number 2 which is a little bigger.

We finally fixed the nasty shed in our back yard.  It has been so nice to look out the back window at something other than this!

Now we see this :)  Skylee and I worked for days hauling mulch to put under the tree.  It was tough work, but I'm glad I had her to help.

One of our homeschool outings to the museum down town.  7th grade has been a lot smoother now that we have the routine down.  Skylee also got to go to a three day homeschool camp this year, and get away from the fam for a few days.  She had a blast!

Sigh, every kid has their moments, and you wonder how they manage to survive.  B's first bike accident was a doosie.  His black eye lasted months!  

Brighton started Kindergarten this year. He loves it, but we've already had a few visits to the principals office. Yup, we're in for some fun with this one.  Can't wait to see what the teen age years bring!

We got a new puppy and gave that puppy away, all in the same year.  The kids loved her, and she was a good dog, but mommy was worn out.  She had destroyed just about everything in the back yard, and had to run several miles twice daily.  One day we'll have a huge yard, and try again.  I just don't have what it takes to have an indoor dog.

Little sis Whitney got married.  It was so fun to go to the wedding and see family (especially Grandma and Grandpa Bluth).  It was also a refreshing break from the kids.  They got to stay at Aunt Stacey's house, and play with cousins for a few days.

We always enjoy those moments when Paul is home for R&R.  This upcoming Feb. will mark 2 years of him working over seas.  We are ready for him to come home!  He is diligently looking for a job, and we pray every day something will come up.  Hopefully this next year, we can all live on the same continent.  (fingers crossed)

We took a family photo!!! And....it was Paul's idea.  I don't know why, but he hates taking pictures, and is always so uncooperative.  I was pleased as punch to have a recent photo. 

Here's good bye to 2012.  It's been a great year, full of memories.  What will 2013 bring?

Traveling up the east coast

In May we drove the oh so fun 16 hours to Atlanta.  We spent a fun week there with my parents.  We went to lots of parks, and tried our first 5 spot frozen yogurt.  We went to the Yellow River Game Ranch and saw a lot of animals, and fed some deer. The kids loved it.

Then we traveled up to Virginia to see my sister and meet their newest addition to the family, Miles.  Although, by the time we got there he wasn't so new (9 months old!).  We were there for Quinlan's birthday, and the kids had a great time playing together with their cousins. Everyone made their own Tie Dye shirt at the birthday party.

I left the kids there with Dacy, and headed to Washington D.C. to pick up Paul.  We spent the day checking out the sights, and doing LOTS of walking.  The highlight for me was seeing the Star Spangled Banner.  The mall was disappointing because it was under construction, and not too pretty to look at.  We had a fun adventure learning to use the metro,  getting on the wrong train, and Paul loosing his ticket. We topped the day off with the perfect dinner at a FANTASTIC restaurant in Georgetown called 1789.  The food was beyond delicious, and the atmosphere was very cozy, decorated with antiques and historical prints all over the walls.

We then headed back to Dacy's to get the kids, and begin the long drive home. It was a very memorable trip.  Hopefully we'll go back to D.C. again to see a few more sights that we missed.

April

This month has kept us busy.  We went and spent the Saturday before Easter with Paul's grandparents, and had a fun Easter egg hunt in their back yard.  I don't know if they enjoyed the hunt more, or pigging out on all the candy afterwards!

We've got our garden planted and it's looking good! We planted tomatoes, cucumbers, jalapeno, and green beans.  Our sweet potatoes are just about ready to put in buckets, since our garden space is limited. I dream of having a huge garden one day, but until then, my little yard will have to do.  I'm hoping friends can keep it watered and alive while we are away on vacation soon.

We go on morning joggs/walks and the kids ride their bikes. After just a few weeks, and many tumbles off the side walk, Brighton had messed up his training wheels beyond repair. So, it was time to go with out.  He was quite a determined little man, and in just a few days, he was riding like a pro.  Now if he could just learn to start and stop on his own!

We are looking forward for Paul to be home in May.  We leave in just a few weeks to go see my parents, then Dacy, then pick up Paul in D.C. I'm very excited!!!

Disney World

Wow, how lazy I have become. I cannot believe how fast time passes these days. I never even blogged about our fab vacay to Disney World back in November. Well...it was a blast, the kids had a ton of fun. The highlight for B was the Buzz Lightyear ride, and meeting Lightning McQueen. Skylee went on and on about how cool The World of Harry Potter was. Briya was just happy to do what ever! Due to the increase in Disney vacation comercials these days, they ask me constantly when we are going again. Not for a while!

B's first day of school

Summer is over

We've had a fun, hot, dry summer. The kids did the neighborhood swim team, and B finally learned to swim. He can only doggy paddle a few feet before he starts to sink, but it's definitely progress. Skylee worked hard and improved upon all her times through out the season. We missed the end of year party because we were headed out for Atlanta to visit my parents for a few weeks. It was a nice visit. The kids got to go swimming quite a bit, since we knew they wouldn't be able to once we were back home (we don't have a neighborhood pool to go to). The kids got to see the laser light show at Stone Mountain, and my Dad rented a boat for a day on Lake Lanier. We didn't want to leave, but had to head back to finish registering Skylee for school, and get a good deep cleaning done on the house before Paul came home. We picked up Paul at the airport at the beginning of August, and he was able to stay until the 24th. We had a great time while he was here. We went up to the land for a weekend, and took a day trip up to a swimming hole outside of Austin. The rest of the time was spent hanging out around the house, and eating a lot of good food. Briya, Paul, and Brighton came down with some sort of virus which kept us locked up for about a week, which was a bummer. Thankfully Paul was well several days before he had to fly. Some how Skylee and I were the lucky ones and we didn't get it, whew! Saying good bye wasn't any easier this time. I keep thinking it will get easier, but it doesn't. I try to remind myself that these years will pass quickly, and he will be home for good soon. Until then, the daily grind has begun. We finished our first week of home school with Skylee. She's doing an online virtual academy, which makes my job a little easier. I just need to supervise, and clarify things she doesn't understand. She had 2 friends spend the night last night so she could get in a little social time (since she doesn't get to see them in school any more). She'll also be swimming 4 days a week with a local year around program. Brighton is more than ready for his school to start. He'll be going to a 2 day a week preschool that starts in Sept. He picked out his new lunch kit while daddy was home. Briya is learning to say more each day. Her new thing is an annoying song from a DS game. She sings "I'm a banana, I'm a banana, I'm a banana......." Aside from being cute, she can always calm my nerves when she comes up, places both hands on my cheeks, and gives me a big kiss. As we adjust to our new school schedule, I'm sure things will get easier. It takes me a little bit to get into a groove.

The End of the Road for Elementary School

Skylee has offically graduated from elementary school. I can't believe I have a middle schooler now (am I really that old?!) She's worked so hard this year, and we are truly blessed to have such a wonderful daughter. She was on the honor roll with strait A's all year. We hope her dedication to her studies continues. We have decided to home school her for the next few years (which she's not happy about at all, because she's such a social butterfly) because our school district has made some drastic changes to some programs. This seems to be the only way to keep her on her current course, and we know she'll be ahead of the game when it comes time for high school. At this time we've told her she could go to high school, so she can have the "social" opportunities that high school provides. I don't blame her, I have very fond memories of my high school years. So...unless the entire school system goes to heck in the next few years, that's the plan. We'll see how mom holds up since the teenage attitude has already begun to creep into our home.


Mrs. Abrams her english teacher

Mrs. Alford her math teacher

Her best buddies

Her class mates from church

All A's honor roll students