2012 in Review

I cannot believe that it is this time of year again. It seems like last month that I was adding in all of our 2011 memories. This year has been full of so many great memories, and lots of great changes too! Our family has been more blessed this year.

In January, I started working for the County Attorneys office in the county that my family now lives in. It was a lot different than what I had been used to for the past four years. Paperwork and a desk job, or in court constantly was very much out of my norm but I loved the new people I was working with.

My Mom and I hosted a Valentines day party for some of Charli's friends back home in February. They had tons of fun doing crafts and eating sweets. Mom did such a wonderful job! I met the 90's pop singer, Tiffany at my work - even though I had no idea who she was at first, she was super sweet!  Charli and Curtis enjoyed their first Daddy Daughters dance for Valentines day as well. The three of us also went to our annual trip to the Lonestar rodeo. We are excited that Bryar will be able to join us in 2013.

March and February were full of sicknesses for both of the littles. Bryar had to go on breathing treatments for a while and Charli had link eye in both eyes.  Bryar also had his first ER trip in March.

April is always such a fun month of celebrations for us. It includes Charli Beth's birthday on the 6th, Easter and Spring break!  We celebrated Charli's birthday in cowgirl style with a "horse" themed party. She still tells us that it was the best party, ever! Curtis, Charli and I also enjoyed her first concert at WKU seeing Casting Crowns.

Charli started her second season of Softball in May. She made major improvements during the season, and also became the catcher for the team. We also made it through her first year of school. Kindergarten was over and my Mommy heart was sad that she was growing up so fast.

As soon as softball started, it practically ended in June. Our family all went through our first case together of a stomach bug. It left the babies very poorly for a few days. Curtis and I celebrated our one year anniversary, with a night out to eat together. Charli also helped take care of a calf named "blacky" that she fell quickly in love with. Although, as he got bigger and time passed by she now sees him less and less, but it was a great learning experience for her that I know she will never forget.

In July we enjoyed our first family vacation together to Clearwater, Florida. This trip was also the kids first plane ride. Charli absolutely loved it and getting to see the clouds from high above. Just before we left for our trip, Bryar learned to crawl. After returning from our trip and much discussion it was decided that I would leave the Attorneys office to stay home and provide child care in our home. Even though I hated to leave a place I had just started working at, I was so excited to spend more time with my family.

August quickly approached and it was time for first grade to begin.

Charli started to have headaches after school and had to get glasses in September. She only wears them to do school work but she looks super adorable in them. Bryar and my nephew Trace had their first annual NICU reunion. It was wonderful to see so many of our favorite nurses! Charli began her third season of softball during Fall ball. During September, one of the best days of my life happened, in which Charli Beth was adopted by Curtis. As stated in the post, I cannot even begin to explain how blessed I felt during these moments.

October was a huge month for us as we celebrated Bryar's first birthday! It was such a cute and fun party! Charli had her first field trip of the year and I was able to host their class party at school. We
also attended my favorite Glendale Crossing Festival with my Mom. The kids were so adorable as a lion and Dorthy in their Halloween costumes.

In November I took the kids to the Veterans Day parade and loved being able to teach Charli about our history. We also took a family day trip to Patti's in Paducah. Delicious food and even better family time! I became a red head and fell in love with darker hair for a while. Curtis and I went on our first deer hunting trip together, even though we did not see a single thing it was a great time!
At the end of the month all of our family went to The Polar Express together and was wowed by the amazing Santa at the end.

December has been such a busy month that hardly any blogging has taken place. The kids and I enjoyed parades in my hometown and one that Charli was in near our community now. I held our first annual cookie exchange in our home. It was a major success and I was left with tons of cookies to share with my family. We went to see the Santa at BassPro and loved watching Bryar cry at him while Charli dazzled him with her sweetness. After getting the lists into Santa, we took the kids to Opryland Hotel to see the beautiful lights. I am very sure that I dream of staying there at least once in my lifetime. It is such a beautiful hotel. During the entire month of December, the kids and I enjoyed our first year of Christmas Book Advent or 25 Books of Christmas as some may call it. Our Christmas holiday was such a blast with both kiddos this year. Charli's imagination was amazing and so fun to enjoy! I hope that she never quits believing and we have many more fun Santa adventures!

2012, as all years had it's up and downs from sickness to jobs and I know that 2013 will be just the sane. We will rise and fall at times, but the one thing that will never change is our love and our family. We still have years of growing to do in our marriage and us as parents, so I am excited to see where we will go from here.

My goals of 2013:

- Be a better servant to the Lord.
- A better wife, mother and friend
-Eat Healthier but not be obsessively of course... (Mama has got to have her Taco Bell some days!)