Dear Friends and Family,
What an amazing year 2011 has been. I honestly feel like the whole year has been on fast forward. We have had so many wonderful experiences. In the beginning of the year we were blessed to have my nephew Alan live with us. It was wonderful to hang out with him. He has always been so much fun to be around and it was great to see the amazing person he is becoming. He is currently serving an LDS mission in Italy and I couldn’t be more proud.
I have been able to attend 2 LDS widows conferences in Bountiful, UT this year. The people I have met there have had a vast impact on how I perceive the world that I have found myself living in. I enjoyed some very choice experiences there and am very grateful for the wonderful people that put their heart and souls into making such a supportive group.
One of the things I have discovered this year is that I LOVE reorganizing and redoing the rooms in our home. At first I felt like I couldn’t move or touch anything because I couldn’t face the idea of change, but now I find myself loving every picture I put up, and whenever I become more organized our home runs more smoothly and I end up a happier mommy. It has been very therapeutic for me every time I have made something my own.
This summer was filled with family and fun. In May we were able to take a trip with my parents to visit lots of family and friends. (Uncle Bob, Grandma and Grandpa Hamilton, Grannie Annie, Missy, Grandma and Grandpa M, and the Carlson’s.) We were also able to visit the place where Michael passed away for the first time. It is beautiful there and I felt such peace. I am sure that he is happy and content with how Heavenly Father planned this, and that brings me peace too. The whole trip was filled to the brim with amazing people and places and I am so grateful that my parents helped us to go so we could visit everyone.
When we came home we were able to celebrate Michael’s birthday by having his new monument stone delivered. It turned out perfectly and I am very happy to have something at “daddy’s place” for the children to look for and recognize. Little E loves visiting and often gives his picture a kiss. She is such a sweet and tender girl.
We had a lot of work and fun in our yard this year. We had a beautiful garden that gave us more than we could use. Little E was just talking about how she wants to grow tomatoes again next summer. She was a great little helper in the garden, and Little M was pretty patient with me while I had him sit in the stroller as I weeded.
We were lucky enough to get a new sprinkler system installed this year! I am so happy to not have to pull hoses anymore while watching my lawn die a slow yellow death. Yay!
At the end of the summer we were able to attend the K family reunion. It was such a blast! I loved getting to spend time with some of the family that I hadn’t really ever known before. The talent show was pretty amazing too. But my favorite part was jamming on the guitar with my nephew Dainon. I am definitely going to have to learn more songs so we can play together next time we see each other.
The highlight of the summer for me was doing my first ever Sprint Triathlon. I did the Rush with my sister in law Jen. It was a very difficult course, but I was able to finish without ever having to stop and walk. It was so amazing to work for something for months and be able to reach my goal. I think I may be hooked. Next year I think I will invest in a road bike though. That hill was a beast on a mountain bike!
Fall and winter have gone by very quickly. Three of my siblings moved closer to home and we have had a wonderful time getting to play with all of them. We had a great Halloween where we dressed up as a family. Little E was a kitty, Little M was a doggy, and I was an animal control officer. I thought it was fitting. :)
Thanksgiving was spent at my brothers new home. It was a lot of fun to go somewhere new this year. Christmas this year looks like it will be filled to the very brim with family fun! I can’t wait to see Little E and Little M’s faces on Christmas morning. It is so great to have kids during the holidays. They make it so magical.
Updates on The Kids.
Little E has had many growing experiences this year. On valentines day I asked her what she wanted to do and she asked to go to a farm and milk a cow. So that’s what we did. It was her first experience with live cows and chickens and she had a great time. She still talks about going to the farm to see the animals. She also had her first ever hair cut this March and still tells people that she just got a hair cut. Its pretty funny how certain things excite her and stay with her.
In April she had a run in with a corner and enjoyed her first ER visit where they glued her forehead back together. She was a champ and stayed very still for the doctor.
In May she turned 3 years old and we had a big birthday party that was Dinosaur Train themed. Her Great Grandma Phyllis had just passed away, and we had all of our family home for the funeral which made for a fun cousin filled party. We got to ride on a mini train and everyone loved it, especially Little E!
She has really matured this year. She is fully potty trained, learned how to ride a running bike, and started preschool. She loves going to school and often writes letters for me. She knows a lot of them and even knows how to sign them. She is working on writing her own name right now. Her favorite toys right now are eggs, even the rocks she finds outside become a part of her vast egg collection. She has become my little helper and I don’t know what I would do without her.
Little M has changed so much this year! He went from not even being able to sit up on his own to running around the living room. He got to have his first ER visit this year too when he swallowed a bead decoration from my cell phone. We just x-rayed him to make sure everything was fine while he flirted with the nurses.
He has learned several signs including doggy, milk, all done, more, drink, eat, book, and fishy. He is very good at communicating what he needs and is a self entertainer. One of his favorite pastimes is sitting in his sisters closet and looking through all of her books. He also loves to stand at the top of the stairs and shake the gate like king kong. He has grown so big during this year that he can see over the top of the table and has just learned how to open my closet doors. As my mom often says “In’t he HUGE!” He had a really fun experience this summer where he got to sit in a Ferrari, and he is definitely all boy. He was grinning from ear to ear and grabbing onto the steering wheel or any other part of the car he could reach.
He turned a year in September and we had a ball themed party for him. He thought the cake was awesome and had a great time playing with his cousins and all of the fun toys they got him. He absolutely loves his family. He enjoys pestering his younger cousin and can’t get enough of Papa (my Dad). He will throw a fit if Papa walks in the room and doesn’t pay enough attention to him. My dad has affectionately nicknamed him “Toad” and he loves it. He also adores his sister who can keep him happy and entertained when everything I try has failed. They are such wonderful companions to each other and I am so grateful for both of them.
We hope that you are all having an amazing Holiday Season and look forward to another great year with all of you in our lives.
Merry Christmas!
Jenny, Little E, and Little M
