New Years and the 2012 Top Ten

Thanks to Adam’s parents, Adam and I enjoyed a kid-free New Year’s Eve hanging out and playing games with friends. Thinking back, 2012 was a pretty great year. I’m not really much for resolutions, but I always like to think of a few things I want to do better. Last year, I said I wanted to grow our family’s faith and involvement in the church. And to stay caught up on laundry. Well….the faith one we did pretty well on. The laundry…our bedroom speaks for itself. Yikes. In 2013 I want to (1) greatly reduce the amount of technology we use. We watch too much tv. We spend too much time cruising Facebook, Pinterest, Fantasy Football, etc. There have been a few times that Abi is bugging me, I look up and we are both on our phones ignoring her. I want to turn the tv off more during the day and reduce our internet time while the girls are awake. We’re tossing around the idea of canceling our cable to help us accomplish this task. (2) work ahead on TLC stuff so craft show season is not such a chaotic blur. (3) go on more dates with my hubby. It’s hard to get out. Finding a sitter is a pain and it can get expensive. My goal is at least one date “out” a month and one date “in” a month. Like playing a board game or something.  And actually, I think if we could accomplish #1, the rest will be much easier.



New Years Crew



Part of the inspiration for my resolutions is my 2012 Top Ten List. I thought it would be fun to make a list of the 10 greatest things that happened in 2012. Doing that reminded me of the things that really matter most.

And now…2012 Top Ten List!

10. TLC Business is Booming!

Traci and I (barely) survived the Columbus Farmer’s Market during the hottest summer since 1920something. We created a Facebook page, made lots of new contacts, had our products photographed by a professional, hosted our first open house and had a lot of fun along the way. Oh yeah, and we did it all while we were both pregnant. J

9. Adam Won the “Above and Beyond Teacher Award.”

He will be mad at me for including this, but seriously, I’m proud. He works hard every day at a job that’s not easy. He provides for us and makes a difference every single day. He is growing the Project Lead the Way Program and somehow helping turn squirrely high schoolers into successful engineers. And it’s so great he was finally recognized for it! What was his huge, meaningful prize, you ask? A C4 polo shirt.

8. Family Milestones!

This year Kristen and Matt got engaged and Sarah and Aaron announced they were pregnant! I love happy announcements. The best part is both of these announcements mean 2013 will be awesome too! I’ll have a new niece by April. And I am so proud to be Kristen’s Maid of Honor (who else thinks being a Matron of Honor sounds totally depressing!?) in July.  Yay for baby showers, bridal showers and bachelorette parties too!

7. Paid Off the Car

We are chipping away at our debt-free plan. This year, a big accomplishment – we paid off the car and now we are vehicle payment-free! Adam volunteered to downgrade his beloved truck to do it. Another reason he’s pretty great. J

The Silver Bullet in her glory days

6. Growing in Faith

This year Adam joined the Administration Commission at church and I was Crafts Leader for VBS. We have been praying more as a family. Our small church group read two books, had a fabulous work day with some nuns and our group grew by three kids!

The Elite Eight

5. Gatlinburg Mini-Vacation

Over spring break, we took Abi to Gatlinburg. We went to the Aquarium, fed ducks, played putt-putt, swam in the pool and the hotel lobby had free popcorn. Win.

4. Grand Champion of Pies

Yes, I am the Grand Champion. It was my proudest day. Even more so than the birth of my children. Almost anyone can have a baby. But only ONE can be the Grand Champion. (Totally kidding, of course) Well, until next year when there’s another Grand Champion. Oh, the pressure!

3. Michigan Getaway and 5 Year Anniversary

We celebrated our 5 year anniversary with a kid-free weekend in St. Joseph, Michigan. It was such a relaxing trip. We had so much fun we’re talking about going back again this summer. Things can get really crazy and hectic around here. It was great to remind ourselves we do actually love spending time together. Well, time that doesn’t involve discussing bills, trying to get Abi to take even one bite of food, tag-teaming another one of Madi’s poop explosions or how we are going to make it to all of our weekly commitments. 

2. Watching Abi Grow

Abi has been super fun this year. She has learned so many things and every day she surprises me with something she says or does. She has no interest at all in potty training and can be sooo stubborn I want to scream. But, she is healthy, smart, fun, sassy and is head-over-heels in love with her baby sister. What else could we ask for??

1.       Madelyn’s Birth

After a very long and anxious pregnancy God gave us Madelyn Joy. She is by far the greatest blessing of 2012. We named her when she was only about 30 min old. But I love that God guided us to give her the middle name Joy. Because that’s exactly what she brings to everyone who sees her – joy. She is so quick to smile and has even started laughing. She is easy-going and laid back. Even though she sometimes doesn't sleep through the night and has the most ridiculous poop explosions, she is the perfect addition to our family.