Like every year, 2011 had it's ups and downs, but I would say that it was a pretty good year for us.
There were a few weekends where we got to get away. We spent a weekend in January with David's family in Rancho Mirage. It was to celebrate his great aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary. It was nice to get to know some of his extended family. And then in June, we went to visit some of my family in Pahrump, NV. David was able to meet my uncle and aunt and some cousins. I was also able to meet some of my cousin's grandkids (My cousins are a bit older, so they were having kids around the same time as my parents). Our kids had a great time meeting their extended family too! We took a little family weekend trip to San Diego for my birthday. We spent one day at Sea World and then spent some time walking around Balboa Park. It was a good 32nd birthday.
Last year, we also visited a few amusement parks...Disneyland, California Adventure, Legoland, and of course Sea World. Caleb loved it all...the people, the rides, the lights, and noise! Sammie, well, to put it nicely, she could have lived without going to Disneyland. :) In fact, just a few weeks ago we were watching Ellen and she was telling a family that they were going to get to go to Disneyland. Sammie looked at me with the saddest face and said, "Can you not take me there?" Ha...poor thing! Of course in that Sammie convo, she asked to go to Vegas instead. :)
Speaking of my Sammie girl, she changed and learned so much in 2011. We learned about her sensory processing and how we could help her and also had to put her under to get her teeth fixed. I must say, that was much harder on us that on her...to this day, I don't think she realizes that her teeth got fixed. Sammie learned all of her letters and their sounds last year and also learned to count. I mean, not just say the numbers, but actually point to objects and count them. She also learned to draw happy faces and people. Her love for arts and crafts exploded in 2011. She literally turned into a full blown little girl right before our eyes. She rode her first roller coaster ride without Mommy or Daddy last year and also started AWANA, which meant I dropped her off somewhere and drove away for the first time. Both very bittersweet. Sammie also started making friends whereever she went, like at the park. And she turned into kind of a leader...kids were following her everywhere and doing what she said. Sammie started having real conversations with us and with her friends last year and with that came a lot of attitude..."Moooommmm, I told you!" or "It's not fair!" or, one of my favorites, "Calm down Mooommm, just calm down." Of course a lot of the times those came with an eye roll too...really, isn't 3 a little too young for that? But there were good things coming out of her mouth too, "You're my best friend!" or "I love you more, I win!" or "Jesus will make me feel better." She seriously amazes me everyday.
I don't even know where to start wtih Caleb...He changed sooo much in 2011. He learned to stand (really early, may I add), walk, run, climb, talk. He says about 15 words now including the normal "mom" "dad" and "ball." But also some interesting ones like "cheese" "waffle" and "popsicle." Of course there's a lot of words that have to do with eating...I am pretty sure he'd eat all day long if we let him. Caleb found a love for cars and climbing last year. "Vrrooom" is one of his favorite things to say and he loves his cozy coupe and car race track he got for Christmas...so much that he doesn't like to share. He learned to climb on so many things and if he couldn't climb on it, he learned to make anything a step stool to help him. I don't know how many times I found him on Sammie's bed "jumping." or on our coffee table with a huge smile on his face. Caleb celebrated his first Valentine's Day, Easter, Fourth of July and birthday last year. Of course he had no clue what was happening, but did like the fireworks. He got 6 teeth in 2011, and the rest are slowly coming in. He has had these 6 teeth since 11 months....that's 5 months and has not gotten any more, but we do see another one starting to come out. Caleb went to the OT too last year because he had a hard time eating without choking. The OT said that his chewing was actually advanced, but his need to move was what was causing the choking. Like his sister, our boy can not sit still. He constantly shakes his head or looks around when eating. It has gotten better though, and Caleb loves his food! So far oatmeal has been the only thing he doesn't like. Caleb also learned about tv last year. He watches way more than Sammie ever did and really gets into the shows. He hands me the remote and tells me what he wants to watch, "Lala," "bubu," "Pat pat," "Mou (mouse)," "Wowow." His favorites are definitely the ones with music because he loves to dance! And he loves bubbles! I actually think the love for bubbles started early this year, but close enough. :) I was looking at Caleb today and just couldn't believe how big he has gotten. What a wonderful little boy we have!
As for me and David, we celebrated our 5 year anniversary. We were going to go out of town, but ended up not being able to. We did spend the entire day together though, kid free. It's nice to do that every now and then. We definitely learned to trust God more and for the first time in our marriage got on our knees together and prayed...just really giving it all to Him. Finances were a little hard last year because we had some obstacles when it came to our tax return, but when it came down to it, God always provided. The money always came just when we needed it; whether it was to pay for Sammie's dental work, fix our car, buy the kids something they needed or pay a bill. I can't speak for David, but as for me, I came out of 2011 with so much more faith in our God.
We did loss a few people in 2011. My Aunt Joyce and Grandpa Warren and David's Grandpa John all passed away last year. With every passing, it's always a reminder that life is short and we just never know what's going to happen or when will be the last time we will see someone. That's why is 2012, I plan on visiting more family and friends and really show people how much I care for them.
So like I said, 2011 was a pretty good year overall. I am looking forward to 2012 and all the adventure that lies ahead. I feel it, it's gonna be a great year!!
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