2012 In Review

Brian, Kate, Emily, Aleah, Leila, Becca and Colleen, Dec 2012

This has been an eventful year.  January started off with Brian gone on work trips and me sick with a nasty cold and pregnancy.   I don't think I have ever been so sick.  Emily stepped up and cooked many meals and Colleen and Kate became proficient navigating Pandora radio and would do dances for me as I lay dying on the couch.  Friends from church helped tons and watched the little girls twice a week in the mornings and brought over some meals.  I can't even express how grateful I was for their help.

Emily was in the middle of 6th grade with her wonderful teacher Mr. Barth.  Mr. Barth assumed Brian and I were divorced, because Brian went to all of the parent/teacher meetings by himself.  Good times.  And Aleah's 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Dietrich was back from having her baby.  She was also a really good teacher.

As an early spring came, I began to feel better and the hundreds of daffodils (500+) we had planted began to come up.  I think we need even more!

Emily played her trombone in a special concert (in the bright green) for honor band.  They had a special guest conductor and played all day practicing for their concert that evening.

On a windy day in April we went down to the Kansas City Temple open house.  We had a good time although every time I think we might be ready for a road trip, I remember Colleen asking as we neared Des Moines (20 minutes into our trip) if we were there yet.  Not even close child.  It was very upsetting to her that it took so long.

 Although a fun morning in the hotel's swimming area was enjoyed by all and I had the best hamburger ever at Smoke Box BBQ.

Aleah and her 1st grade teacher Mrs. Dietrich

School ended with good grades, concerts and parties.

Aleah by her locker

Aleah and Brian at the Betsy Ross play - note Colleen reading in a chair in the background.

Aleah ended the school year with a class party in the park and some class plays that parents were invited too.  She played Betsy Ross in her play.  She also started losing teeth this year.  She is not a wimp at all about having them pulled (unlike other children we know...Emily....) and will even pull them out herself.  The teeth are slow growing back in so she has looked like a Jack-o-lantern most of this year.

In June Brian, Emily and Aleah went on a train trip (Brian had been wanting to go somewhere by train forever!) to Washington DC to visit Brian's mom.  They had a great time visiting, canoeing and going to museums.

It was a hot summer.  Little rain and highs in the 90-100's most days.  It was so hot that the kids didn't play outside much.  We got just enough rain that Brian's corn did ok, as did our garden, but I did not go out to work in the garden much at all -- it was on it's own.

We went to the splash park and Slater pool regularly though.  Kate was still taking afternoon naps, so we would go in the evening with Brian and bring dinner to eat during the 10 minute breaks the life guards took every hour.  By the end of the summer Aleah was doing cannonballs and starting to be able to tread water and Kate could blow bubbles.

Colleen spent the last part of the summer playing school, drawing and teaching Kate about germs and such.  After much back and forth and thinking on my part Colleen started Early Kindergarten this year.  It is basically a less intense kindergarten experience.  It is still full day, but I drop her off after lunch and she rides the bus home with Aleah.  It is perfect for her and she will go to kindergarten next year.  Her teacher is Mrs. Asterita and she is very supportive of this plan.  Mrs. Asterita's classroom was described to us over the summer as "controlled chaos" and I think that sums it up.  I would go crazy, but she and the kids are thriving.

Aleah on the first day of school

Aleah's teacher for 2nd grade is Mrs. Elleby.  Aleah is doing better about waking up this year for school than last, but it is still a struggle every morning.  She takes after me and my dad.  :)  This year she really took off reading and finished all of the Magic Tree House books at the end of 1st grade.  Over the summer she graduated into the Box Car Children Mysteries and some of the beginning reader classics we have.  This fall she read the first 4 Harry Potter books and loves anything with adventure and magic.

Emily on the first day of school

 Emily started  7th grade and is loving it.  She is still playing the trombone and taking choir as her electives.  She also seems more organized this year than in previous years.

The big news of the fall was the birth of Rebecca Jane Gardunia.  She was born September 12th and weighed 9lbs 5oz.  It was seriously the most low key birth I have had.  Everything went well and she was born really quickly.

My mom came to help for a week and then we entered the I'm-a-parent-of-a-newborn-and-I-don't-sleep-more-than-two-hours-at-a-time-anymore zombie phase.  I am so glad that is over!  Brian would go to sleep with the girls at 8-9pm and I would stay up with Becca till she fell asleep for real at 12-1am.  Then Brian would hold her when she woke up for 2 hours at 3am.  Oh, the joys!  We discovered that she would sleep better if she was in her car seat so that is where she still sleeps for naps and night time.

 The week of Thanksgiving was eventful!  On Saturday the 17th, Aleah celebrated her 8th birthday with friends: Rosa, Savanna and Eleah.  They decorated cupcakes and played games.

 On the November 18th Rebecca was blessed in church.  (My Dad and Grandma Brenda were there!)

 On Monday we all (Emily even wanted to skip school to see it!) went to see Aleah in her class' Thanksgiving play.  She was Sarah Josepha Hale who petitioned President Lincoln to make a set day for the celebration of Thanksgiving.

On Tuesday November 20th, Aleah was baptized!  Brian baptized her and Grandad confirmed her a member of the church and gave her the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

It was so great to be able to have my dad and Brian's mom there for all these special events!

 December started with our first real snow and sick kids.  Kate was so sick that she didn't eat for days and lost a good 8lbs.  She was soooo skinny.

But the tree was decorated, presents wrapped, the Nativity acted out and Christmas dinner eaten.  A great Christmas was had by all here at home.  A great end to 2012!