Recap time?

It seems strange to be writing a recap when I haven't written anything else on the blog for an entire year, though maybe that fact makes it all the more important to write my recap. 

I very clearly remember the beginning of 2011 because the year was ushered in with a tragedy. A former coworker lost her baby to SIDS, which put my struggles with my own 3 month old baby into perspective. Every time I was about to complain that he was still waking up every 3 hours throughout the night to eat, I was reminded that he was waking up... and that I was blessed to not have to endure the alternative to that. 

Alice turned 3 this year and she very definitely became a child instead of a toddler. I have loved watching her show what a great big sister she is and how genuinely she loves her baby brother, almost as if she were a second mom to him. 

Erik's company was officially bought out by Echostar which afforded a great sense of stability that we had been previously lacking. It is a good feeling to not be constantly worried that your livelihood could at any moment be taken away. He loves the work he does and the people he does it for. 

Jack hit all of the usual milestones... rolling over, crawling, walking, babbling, laughing. His personality is really starting to show now. He is much more stubborn than Alice and has a short temper. He is a VERY loving boy, though, and is constantly tackling his friends with unstable baby hugs and covering them in slimy baby kisses. He even made sure to give the picture of the baby on the box of diapers lots of love and attention.

I got to be present at the birth of my newest little nephew. It was a very interesting experience and baby Isaac is adorable. :) He's a cranky boy, but cute all the same and hopefully he will out grow his fussiness soon. 

We also got to make a torturous drive up to Seattle for Shawna's wedding. On top of the usual bored children and restless adults, we also passed around a lovely 24 hour bug that made hotel stays and visiting family members less than pleasant. There are times when you just wish you could be in your own bedroom and bathroom. 

Alice started dance lessons this year and loved it. She got to be one of 40 sheep at her recital in the nativity. It was chaos, but still adorable. 

I'm not usually one for new years resolutions, but for the coming year, there are a couple of goals that I have in mind:

• Be more punctual. I get anxious when I am late and it'd be nice to cut out one more source of anxiety, right?
• Read to the kids more and help Alice learn to read.
• Read to myself more. I saw this list of 100 books that everyone should read, and I'd like to start making a dent in it. 

Other than that, there is of course the aforementioned goal to blog once a month. 

Happy New Year!