Another year has come and gone. I am so thankful for the blessing of another year we had to watch our children grow, their little personalities blossom before our eyes, all the ways they made us laugh, and for moments in time that are forever imprinted in my memory. Jeremy and I truly savor all of these moments and try not to take any of them for granted, because we are becoming more and more aware of just how fast time slips from our fingers. I didn't do a very good job updating a blog in 2011. I think I was too busy just enjoying all the moments and then cleaning up the aftermath of all the moments after the little ones were finally tucked in at night. So, I just decided to post some highlights of 2011 in pictures and hope for a more updated blog in 2012! :) We can always dream, right?
January of 2011 brought a BIG snow and we had a blast sledding and playing as a family.
We had such a special start to 2011 when al three children were baptized and we were able to profess our commitment as parents to always teach them of Gods purpose for their lives.
We celebrated Jeremy turning 32 in February. We are all so blessed by his life.
Kate started off the year losing a tooth, and she continued to lose and grow many in 2011!
We added a new member to our family in March and surprised the kids with "Daisy"
Spring was eagerly welcomed with celebrating Easter, fresh spring air, and lots of bird nests.
April was a little scary when Anna kept breaking out in a strange rash and had to have lots of testing. We were so relieved to find out it was only a "mild" egg allergy.
Little Anna also discovered a love affair with asian noodles in 2011.
We had a scary hail storm that brought lots of damage and yard work in the Spring, but were thankful that was all when we witnessed the much more devastating destruction bad weather brought many other families this year.
and the positive side of the storm, was a new van!
In May, little Kate completed her first year of Kindergarten.
We had our first family vacation to Disney World where so many wonderful memories were made that we will all treasure forever.
We enjoyed a few days of one on one quality time with the girls and then had a few wonderful days with Pops, Nana, and Caleb when they joined us.
The girls were in awe and wonder of all the "magic". Priceless.
and we will NEVER forget sweet Anna's reaction to meeting Snow White in person.
Caleb loved all of it. It was so much fun to see his reaction to everything.
June brought warm summer days and lots of ice-cream!
and we had a lot of summer fun in the water as a family.
I enjoyed my quiet Saturday mornings while daddy made special memories at the build and grow workshops at Home Depot with the kids.
In July we made a trip to Ohio and it was so fun to watch all the cousins get to play together.
By the end of our trip, the were best of friends.
Caleb celebrated 4th of July in style!
In July we celebrated our little Kate turning 7. Parrots were her big thing this year, sparked by watching "Rio".... Her spunk, and passion for life is a joy to us all.
and 6 days later we celebrated our sweet Anna turning 5. She has such a kind and tender heart and is growing into a beautiful little girl. She loves butterflies, so that was her pick for her special cake.
At the end of the summer we hiked Abrams Falls, our family favorite in Cades Cove. Pops and Nana even joined us for the 5 mile adventure and we spent a wonderful day, talking, picnicking and playing in the streams.
Our "baby" turned 2 in August and his love of horses brought us to a horse farm for a day of fun and sweet memories.
Anna started Kindergarten, joining her big sister in school! She is growing so fast and is so smart.
It has been such a special year of school for the whole family. The girls have loved being in the K-1 class, sharing life together on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we have enjoyed our days teaching them at home three days a week, watching them blossom. It has been a wonderful year and we are so thankful for Cedar Springs church that developed this program.
We had a wonderful trip to West Virginia in early fall, finally meeting Jakob and enjoying the whole family being together under one roof for a few days. Many wonderful memories were made.
October brought lots of pumpkin fun, scarecrows, fall leaves, bonfires roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, walks in the fall brisk air, and preparing for a Thanksgiving feast at our home.
All 3 kids developed a love for Star Wars this year. So, of course they were their favorite characters for trick or treat. Princess Leia, Padme, and Yoda are a very big part of our home!
We went to the Virginia Creeper Trail for the first time on Fall break. This may be our new fall tradition. We had the best times riding bikes as a family, enjoying the fall colors from our Creator, and staying in a little cottage in a quaint little town.
Anna learned how to ride on the tag a long with her daddy for the first time. She was so cute perched back there, and can you believe Kate rode the entire 13 miles by herself! She loved it.
and Caleb enjoyed his cozy ride kicked back in the bike buggy. He enjoyed all of our rest breaks when he got to get out and explore.
We ended the year with a wonderful Christmas break and Holiday season, which was especially memorable this year with all three children at ages to really participate and enjoy each aspect of the season. December pictures will be in its own blog post, because there are so many good ones to share.
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