2012

I realized today that 2012 is the only full year that we will be a family of five, in a few short months we will be a family of six!  This year has blown by and the kids are growing so fast, I can't believe another year is already here.  Being pregnant and having three little ones sure does drain you, hopefully I can capture the year in one post.

Emma turned six in October and is definitely little mother.  She is constantly telling Josh what to do and what not to do, she can be quite bossy sometimes and has a flair for overreaction.  She started Kindergarten in August and though she struggles with being very advanced compared to her classmates, she is doing well and has made a good deal of new friends.  She is reading so well now and does a great job sounding out words she doesn't know, she is constantly asking to read to me and I hear her reading to Josh at night after they've been tucked in.  Being very smart can be a wonderful thing but it also can be a challenge.  Emma likes to be right and gets very upset when she thinks she is and you try to challenge that.  She and I knock heads often when I'm trying to teach her something new and even though I probably say the same thing her teacher says (who's never wrong in Emma's eyes), I can't possibly know more than a smarty pants 6 year old.  Emma has always been one to do things in her own time and right now our battle is her bike riding.  The training wheels came off months ago but now she has decided she wants them back on and absolutely refuses to ride without them.  Eric tries to take her out so she feels more secure again (in AZ there is not much bike riding over the summer) but the second she starts wobbling, she gives up.  The girl drives me nuts but I know when she's ready, she will start riding her bike again with no problem.  Emma has lost 5 teeth this year and has another 3 loose in her mouth, the tooth fairy is going broke!  She is still in dance class and seems to really like it, I'm not such a fan of the studio or the cost we are paying but she wants to continue, so for now, she will.  After a year in the child care center at church, Emma began coming to mass with us every week and is doing great.  I can see that her catechesis classes are making an impact on her and that she is beginning to have a genuine love for Jesus.  She loves singing at mass and really loves our pastors last name and runs around saying it often.  Emma is a beautiful little girl and though she really does make my eyes twitch most days, I know these days are few and that she is growing to be such a wonderful young lady.

Josh will be four soon and is a great helper around the house.  He is still a cuddler and will snuggle any chance he gets.  He is still very much attached to his stuffed friends Dog Dog and B and though they are disgustingly ratty, I'm not sure when he'll part with them.  Lately Josh has become whiny and throws a fit about almost everything.  For such a sweet little boy, it seems so abnormal coming from him.  I truly feel he's feeling his place out in our family and isn't sure where he belongs right now.  I'm hoping having another little boy in the house will help, but for now, we are trying to spend some quality time with him so that he knows how important he is too.  Josh started preschool in August and though he puts up a fight every morning that he has school, he gets upset on the weekends when he doesn't have school and talks about it all the time when he's not there.  Josh has a great imagination and when he and Emma are playing, he tends to come up with all the ideas.  He has a soft heart and his feelings get hurt very easily when Emma is nasty to him (which is often) or when he gets left out.  He loves catechesis class and is very excited to go each week.  He has a great time in the child care center on Sunday while we attend mass and as soon as he can sit through mass without needing to get up every five minutes, whining about being bored or wanting a snack, we will start bringing him with us.  Josh has a genuine love for others and will pray for almost everyone he knows during his nightly prayers.  It is heartwarming to hear his prayers that need no prompting, that are from his heart and are so easily said.  Josh is obsessed with Superheros right now specifically the Avengers and Spiderman.  He loves ASU, the AZ Cardinals (we're not really sure where that one came from), movies, tv, riding his bike, and being outside.  He is so excited to have a baby brother and even more excited to start playing sports in the spring.

Elizabeth turned 1 year in October and has been the biggest joy.  She was so quiet for the first seven months of her life and then she found her voice.  She is SO dramatic it's hysterical to watch, she will literally throw herself to the ground when she doesn't get what she wants and flop all around making sure she is getting attention.  We've found the less attention you give her when she's doing this, the sooner it stops.  Lizzie is still a terrible eater (compared to the other two) but has developed a love for milk.  Unfortunately the milk comes to her in bottles and I am still struggling to get her to drink it from a sippy cup.  The girl downs juice and water in a cup but that's not the case with milk.  It was the doctor who suggested I give it to her in bottles and I resisted but finally caved when she just wouldn't sleep (her belly was never full enough).  Lizzie still takes two naps a day except for Sunday when she misses her morning nap because we are at church.  She does great in the child care center and has undivided attention in the baby room since she's the only one in there most weeks.  On Christmas Eve, she took her first real steps and by New Years Day, she was cruising around the house.  We took her to get her first pair of shoes and it is adorable to watch her toddle around.  Lizzie loves being outside and is content in her stroller as long as we are moving and she has things to look at.  She loves playing with toys and loves pushing anything with buttons that cause something to light up.  Like Emma and Josh, she already has about 10 words.  Our favorite and hers is Emma, said more like Emmmbaa.  I'm pretty sure both Josh and Emma are Emmmbaa to her and she calls out to them whenever they aren't near to her.  It will be interesting seeing her when the new baby comes, she definitely has baby of the family syndrome and wasn't to sure what to do when I was holding our new niece on Christmas day.  Despite her flair for drama and craziness, she has been a wonderful baby and I am excited to watch her continue developing her personality in this next year.

Eric moved branches again at the end of the summer and seems much busier at work now.  He went out dove hunting a few times and even took the kids once (they still talk about it).  He cracks me up because he can't see a dove now without making some sort of comment or shooting noise.  He hasn't been doing much photography lately but helped a few times with Life Teen events over the year.  A few months ago he and my dad started the tile in our bathroom.  So far, it looks great and I can't wait until it's finished.  He played Fantasy Football again this football season and did really great in both of his leagues.  I don't mind football but having it on all day, every Sunday gets a little old (okay, alot old).  Eric was excited to hear we are having another boy but I know he would have been just as happy to have another girl.  Eric is a great father and one of the only dads I know who spends his midweek days off with his kids.  The kids all love their dad and love spending their time with him too.

As for me, I am almost 24 weeks along now and this pregnancy has been great.  When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I didn't feel as good as I did with Emma and Josh and really thought she might be our last.  It's funny how things happen and though I'm nervous to be that mother with 4 small children, I am excited for this new little guy to come into our family soon.  I don't feel like I have done much over this past year but somehow I've been really busy.  I guess with working, running kids to different activities, having an infant, being pregnant (again), trying to maintain relationships, have me time, and all the other good stuff that comes along with life, I have been busy.  I'm ready for life to slow down a bit but does that ever really happen? 

I didn't make any resolutions this year, I pray that 2013 will be a healthy, happy year for our family.  I'm sure the year will not be perfect but I trust that we can learn from all that isn't perfect.  I look forward to where God will take us in this new year and for all that He has planned for us.