End of the Year Recap

I know, I know, I'm a terrible blogger...blah, blah, blah. I have no excuses except laziness and lack of motivation. I've just not been in the mood to blog...and yet there is this nagging guilt in the back of my mind that reminds me that this is all I've got for recording my family's memories. Blank baby books sit on shelves; I haven't had a photo printed in YEARS, unless I have a specific purpose for one here or there so, needless to say, photo albums are nonexistent after Gabbie's second year of life.

That leaves this blog. And I don't even think anyone reads here anymore (except for my hubby because I tell him to check it out the second I hit publish on a new post--hi, Danny!) but I'm doing this for my kids. And myself. I actually feel semi-creative and inspired when I spend my time here (but obviously, that feeling doesn't last very long).

So, I won't be making any New Year's resolutions about blogging more regularly...I will consider it an accomplishment if I do a quick catch-up post once a month or so...but I will at least try for my own catharsis. So, here we go with a quick rundown of Fall 2011 in our neck of the woods:

Gabbie's First Day of School

Gabbie is a Kindergartner. It came as no surprise to us, but she is flourishing in school and the entire experience (so far) has far exceeded our expectations. Danny & I (okay, mostly me) agonized over our decision on how to best educate her this year and, in the end, we felt that public school was the right option at this point in our lives. I won't go into all of the details or reasoning (but I'd be more than happy to chat/email about it, if you're curious), but it was/is a decision we are completely at peace with.

Her teacher is an absolutely perfect fit--not only for Gabbie, but also for her slightly neurotic mom--and is really challenging Gabbie--not only academically, but in developing her into a better human being. And we couldn't be more pleased.

Gabbie has made many new friends and, in the process, Danny & I have also gained new friends with their parents and grandparents. We feel more connected to our little community than ever and pray that we will use these opportunities to bring God the most glory by any means necessary.

A couple of closing thoughts on the whole school thing: First, when we decided to enroll Gabbie in school, we also committed to being as involved as we possibly could in her education. For me, that has meant being the co-room mom for her class and volunteering in her classroom as an extra set of hands for her teacher. For Danny, it has meant helping out A LOT with drop-off and pick-up (there are no buses in our little town so everyone walks/drives to school which isn't always the most convenient thing with three kids) and also showing up to "surprise" her (and her friends) once a month or so in the school cafeteria for lunch.

I am so thankful for Danny's willingness to have an active part in our children's lives and that he takes great delight in spending special time with our kids. He is simply the best! And you better believe Gabbie LOVES every minute of her lunch dates with Daddy (he'll take it while he can get it!).

Onto the good stuff!

(Crazy Sock Day)

(Hat Day)

(A Thanksgiving turkey project)

(Holiday Party/Pajama Day)

(Gabbie and her student teacher, Miss M, on Miss M's last day.)

Trip to Tennessee

I hardly have any pictures of this trip because we were so busy just soaking up the love with our family and friends but it was a great time! It was our first time down since Jonah was born and we followed the lead of our brother- and sister-in-law and drove through the night on the way down. Danny didn't love it (he did all of the driving) but he was a trouper and agreed that it was SO nice to not hear a peep the whole way down and the first time the kids opened their eyes, we were about 20 minutes from his house! We did the drive back home during the daytime and although the kids didn't sleep the whole time, they were so, so, so well behaved!

Halloween

Not much to say about this holiday except that I scored Luke's costume for $3.75 the day before Halloween and the other two kids wore old costumes we had lying around the house--hooray for a bargain! We enjoy trick-or-treating as a family and visiting with some neighbors whom we wouldn't see otherwise and, if I remember correctly, the weather was just perfect. Lots of fun!

Christmas

Christmas was bittersweet this year as we said goodbye to Grandma Norquist after a long battle with cancer but some of the pain was lessened as we were surrounded by family we don't get to see very often.

The kids are all at great ages for Christmas and we enjoyed many sweets and treats of the season! Each day of the holiday season was magical to them and I don't know who was more excited for the long-awaited gifts--them or me! So much fun, celebrating this time of year with kids!













Well, that's my (long-winded) recap of the end of 2011. I will be back to post a few miscellaneous pictures and videos that didn't quite fit into this post.

I make no promises about my blogging habits in 2012, but I know regardless of what makes the blog, memories are still being made every day.

Happy New Year!