Goodbye 2011

It feels as if I blinked and 2011 was over. I remember thinking at a July 4th get together that it felt like we just had New Years 2011. Then the next thing I knew it was Christmas. They say time seems to go by faster as you age and your children will grow up in a blink of an eye, I believe it!

2011 in review:
- January- We started 2011 with a smiley 6 month old who could sit up really well. We also had several snow days. I went from being a contract employee to a federal employee.

- February- Eliza had a 23 hour EEG to check on her weird "posing" (which she still does sometimes) it came out OK with no signs of seisures, but the EEG was miserable.

- March: I began my last year as a "twenty-something" and Eliza learned how to crawl.

- April: I worked a lot in preparation for our office's evaluation. Kase and Eliza accompanied me on a work training trip to South Carolina. We had fun eating out and playing in our hotel room. I also finally started going to a book club. More on that later.

- May: Thanks to our neighbor and friend "P" Eliza learned to walk. During church, P was playing with a ball. Eliza figured out how to walk with the ball and she has been going ever since.
Kase's job was really slow and he was not getting many hours, but we made it through.

- June: Eliza turned one! She had a fun owl themed birthday party.

- July: We played a lot outside. Kase turned 28. In an effort to be more productive and money smart, we canceled cable. (This was big for us as we love to watch tv, BUT we have not missed it!)

- August: Kase and I celebrated our 5th anniversary with our first night away from Eliza. It was nice to sleep in and relax. But we missed her. Eliza began talking a lot!

- September: I took a week off just to stay home with Eliza. It was awesome! Eliza was a very pleasant 15 month old.

- October: I switched my work schedule to getting every other Friday off. It has been really nice. Eliza began singing a lot (The Wheels on the Bus and Twinkle Twinkle). We were the Flinstone Family for Halloween.

- November: Eliza entered into the first of her temper tantrums and meltdowns. But we love her any way. We hosted our 1st Thanksgiving and cooked our 1st turkey. It turned out pretty good! I got into a car accident (not my fault!) and fought with the other driver's insurance company for the next month. Booo

- December: We spent a lot of time with family for Christmas. Eliza enjoys singing a lot (Love is Spoken Here, I'm Trying to be Like Jesus, Baa Baa Black Sheep, I Love to See the Temple, I'm a Child of God.) I enjoyed another week off with Eliza, although it went by way too fast!

We had a wonderful year. It is so amazing to me how quickly Eliza is changing and growing. Every new stage is my new favorite. She is our life and our love and we wouldn't change that for anything. Watching her grow up is better than any trip we could take or adventure we could go on. We're excited to experience another year with her.

This year, I have also really enjoyed reading again. What have I read you ask? Let me tell you!
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
- Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan
- The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
- Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Matched by Ally Condie
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My favorite was The Book Thief. Tied for second would be: The Help, The Hunger Games Trilogy, and Unbroken.

I didn't really like the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy by Carrie Ryan, but I had to read it once I started.

I hope to keep up reading this year!

Goodbye 2011


PS It is my Daddy's birthday. Just so you know, he is the best. He can fix just about anything. He makes the best smoked turkey and popcorn. He is kind, smart, sweet, and extra cheesy. He is the perfect dad for me. I love you Daddy!