What a year it has been and as sad as I am to say good bye, I am looking forward to 2012. Starting last January I jumped back into school feet first and finished in December with 36 credits and a 3.8, it was a tough year of school but I am grateful for the opportunity to work towards my career as an Occupational Therapist while still being at home with our children.
In March we went to Seattle to visit with my dad where he threw me a beautiful baby shower. We came home from that trip and 4 days later I went into labor. In April, the 2nd to be exact, Treysen was added to the mix and he has brought such happiness and joy. Trevin adores his little brother and has a lot of fun with him now that Trey can for the most part "hold his own".
In May we moved out to Chicago as we always do and enjoyed a summer of fun with our friends there. Trevin played soccer and swam a lot and on June 30th we had a big BBQ at the pool with the company to celebrate Trevin turning 3. In July I had got to experience the beginning of a life when I helped my best friend Megan during her labor with her new baby boy Lincoln Omni Call. There is nothing more beautiful than new life.
We came home to enjoy the fall with our families and managed to squeeze in a trip up to Seattle in September to see Dad and Taylor. Brad started school again and we were busy with homework and balancing time with the kids.
In November Taylor came home to spend two months with us and my little sister Eloisa played the part of Lil Inez in Hairspray, she was amazing and it is so fun to see her personality blossom as she gets older. We were very proud.
At the beginning of December Brad and I got to go on Western Caribbean cruise with his company and we had a blast in Progresso climbing around the Uxmal ruins and in Cozumel we swam with dolphins and rented a buggy that we drove all around the entire island. It was amazing and we had so much fun being irresponsible for an entire week, we even got to spend a night in New Orleans where we of course spent the night drinking Hurricanes at Pat O Brians. It was so nice to spend a whole week with him without the kids and remember why we fell in love in the first place. We decided that every year we are going to take a vacation together for one week to remind ourselves of why we chose to be with each other.
In mid December Taylors boyfriend Braden came to visit and we had fun showing him how exciting Idaho Fall is...
and later in the month my dad came to stay with us for a week for Christmas and spoiled us rotten as usual. It was so good to spend so much time with him. It all went so fast and he had some fun, but among the fun we had some trials.
My little loves on Xmas morning.
Back to Summer, in mid August I got a call that my brother was back into using and was very suicidal, I was devastated, I took the next flight out of Chicago with the boys to get home to him. We made it in time to say our good byes and spend a day with him before we dropped him off at the airport headed to Boise and to rehab. It was only 30 days, but we thought it would work, and we were happy to see how he had changed. I ended up getting Shingles from the stress and then the boys ended up with Chicken Pox. What a long 4 weeks that was.
It didn't last long, in October a dear family friend and my brothers best friend died in a car accident, it was so horrible having to deal with the reality that he was gone. TJ struggled again with depression and drugs through the holidays and has ended up in a behavioral health center while we get him into a new year long rehab.
Trials always seem to bring great opportunities to learn. What I have learned----the mind is a fragile thing, and life is even more fragile. I have learned that we all make mistakes, some of them greater than others, but that we can find true peace within ourselves when we forgive ourselves. I have learned never to judge someone because we all make mistakes and none of us is any better than anyone else. I have learned how to let go of the negative events and embrace the positive. I have learned not to take any moment for granted because tomorrow the ones we love can be gone in a flash. I have learned never to give up on the ones you love no matter how hard life gets and that there is nothing more important in this life than family and because family is most important I will fight for them to the very end..... there might be a few others, but those are the most important life lessons for 2011. I love that we have the capability to learn and grow from every mistake we make, it is a beautiful thing.
I look forward to 2012 because it will bring so much change for us. I am in my 4th semester of school and so is Brad, we are considering a big move out of state to a sunnier state with so much more opportunity for us and we have a lot to look forward to. Trevin is busy learning Taekwando and is in swim lessons and preschool, he is getting so big, I can't believe that in less than 6 months he will be 4.
Treysen is trying to walk and will turn one in less than 4 months. He says mamma and dadda and day day (TJ) and ya and what and speaks jibber jabber all day long.
Life's not perfect, but mine is beautiful, heres to 2012!
As my brother always says, we put the "D" in Dysfunctional.
