2011: A Look Back

What I really want to be doing right now is taking a nap. However, Sam is going on a streak of 5 days without taking a nap, which means every 10 minutes or so I get to hear him yell, “I’m awake.” This, as you can imagine drives me crazy, makes me angry, and is not conducive to my nap taking. It is also doubly frustrating because it means he needs to go to bed earlier—which would be a bonus if his brother did as well. BUT, of course Seth is taking a nap, which means that when I put them both to bed early (because Sam is a wreck and there is no reasoning with two year olds about why one kid should go to bed earlier than the other), I get to spend 2 hours in the evening with the same frustration I currently have. Only this time, Seth will be awake and squawking away. There it is, my rant for the day. So I’m sitting on the couch, sipping my much needed coffee and finally going to write this blog post. Caution: it’s long, but remember, this is more for my mental archives, future scrapbooking needs, and reminscening more than anything. I won’t be offended if you don’t read it!

January: We brought in the new year with a demolished bathroom, sinus infections, serious sleep deprivation and as I wrote on my calendar on the 25th, “Worst night ever.” Wow. Sounds like fun. I described the boys’ language as “exploding” with 100+ words (little did I know what was to come!) and they started putting together 3 word sentences like “daddy car bye.” We had our first tattletale. They were obsessed with basketball (sound familiar?) They loved sitting on the bathroom counter in the morning while I got ready. We really started working on manners. They loved chasing each other and playing hide-and-seek.

February: It looks like this month was marked by finally getting some sleep, although also getting sick a lot: flu, colds, ear infections, you name it. Seth and Sam started sleeping with a stuffed animal: Seth a kitty and Sam a puppy. I loved how they said butterfly (fudderfly) and cringed (ok laughed) every time they said “fork” or even better shouted fork lift in the middle of Costco. Oh, and no, we didn’t finish that @#$% bathroom. 

March: March 3rd calendar entry, “We’re healthy, praise the Lord!” Another huge praise of the month: Seth and Sam finally stopped crying every morning when they woke up. And still another blessing of the month: going out to eat at PF Changs and having the manager pick up our tab because he’s a twin parent too! Favorite things to do this month: pillow piles, blocks, and horsey on daddy’s back. We got to have Caleb and Levi here for a long weekend while his parents celebrated their 30th anniversary in Hawaii…which was a huge bonding experience between the uncles and nephews.

April: My treat this month was that Ben surprised me with “a day off” including a pedicure, massage, and afternoon date with him. We took family pictures in downtown Portland by the flowering cherry trees and celebrated Easter with my family. The boys learned to count to five, jump with both feet, sing “Baby Bumblebee” with motions, oh and finally consistently sleep through the night.

May: The boys turned 2 at the end of the month. We celebrated their birthday, and then proceeded to take their binkies away. This possibly was the catalyst for the beginning of two months of hellish night terrors almost every night. Alas. We did have some positives of the month including camping with friends at the beach, spending a weekend in Dufur, celebrating the boys’ birthday like four different times with family, and hosting my first ever garage sale. The boys really started pretending this month and would tell me, “Bye, bye mama. Goin to Costco. Diapers. Strawberries.”

June: I turned 28 and we celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. The boys learned to count to 10 and played their first one-on-one basketball game. We still struggled with night terrors: at one point Seth had one 22 out of 26 nights. We felt like we were going crazy and were recommended to a sleep specialist; however after doing a couple internet-researched home remedies (like playing music and not wearing foot pjs) they gradually got better. Praise the Lord. Seth and Sam learned to ride their tricycles. They started talking in sentences. We bought Ben a new golf iron set for Father’s Day and he was thrilled. Life with the boys was all about independence and “I do it by self.” We went on a couple of adventures with the boys: to the downtown waterfront and to watch planes at the airport.

July: Fourth of July weekend was super busy with my parents visiting, then heading to Dufur to watch Levi play baseball, then scaring the boys while letting off fireworks with friends. We had one of our funniest parenting moments as the boys caught on to Ben saying “Dang it” and started mimicking him.  We spent a weekend camping in Crooked River with the extended Morris family. I picked my token 50+ pounds of berries—the boys were very “helpful.” Oh, and how could I forget? This the month that we finally pulled the plug and split Seth and Sam into separate bedrooms…oh sweet peace from sleep! My calendar says, “It’s amazing how great I can feel with sleep.”

August: Ben and I took off for a three night vacation to Seattle and Orcas Island. As a family, we ate almost every dinner outside…oh and spent almost every single hour of every day outside in the beautiful summer. I took my first stab at potty training the boys and they set a world record of a combined 17 accidents in one day. On the weekend that we celebrated Ben’s 29th birthday, we also had a visit from my parents and took a trip to Dufur to help Nate and Holly move into their new home. The boys spent a special day at fair with Ben’s parents and their uncles. Seth established a “bed time kiss routine” that we still continue to adore. Sam had a month of pushing boundaries, always wanting more, and making me pull my hair out.

September: We had another month of traveling. First we spent Memorial Day weekend at our neighbor’s beach house and had unprecedented 80 degree weather and a glorious time as a family! Then we hopped in the car and heading to my hometown of Lakeview for a long weekend where the boys got to go in a boat with their Papa. I took another couple stabs at potty training, all failures, but boy do they look cute in their undies! Seth and Sam are excited about all things sports and being sweaty like daddy (nothing changes…actually I could write this about every month) and have very serious conversation about “being older so now they can go to football camp.”

October: I got to go to my churches women’s retreat as Ben took the boys to watch Caleb and Levi play football in Dufur. We did a fun family outing to have the boys ride the Portland Gondola. I feed squirrels? (crazy mama!) My dad comes and stays with us for a couple days and we go to the zoo with Katie’s kids. As a result of splitting the boys into separate rooms, the guest bed is moved into our play room and we do a lot of jumping on the mattress. I started watching my friend Katie’s baby, Wesley, one day a week…we love having another kid in the house! Ben gets a wild hair and decides to take Caleb to an Oregon Duck football game; they have a blast and Seth and Sam adore having their uncle here for the weekend. We end the month getting to have my mom here for Halloween (and a whole week!), because Ben had a business trip to Germany.

November: Rain comes, so we start playing in the mud and bundling up to go on nature walks. Ben has his first fire pit with the boys…a real man-bonding experience. And speaking of bonding, I get to go on a road trip with my college roommates to a wedding. We pack up the car and head to Lakeview again: this time to celebrate Thanksgiving and meet my new baby cousin, Jack.

And finally, December. A month filled with family gatherings and fun. A month where the boys hit two and a half, are still not potty trained, and become even more obsessed with basketball after watching their uncle Caleb’s first high school basketball game and opening their first pair of real basketball shoes from us for Christmas. We celebrated four Christmases in a week and a half, but spent the month establishing our family traditions and teaching Seth and Sam of Jesus’ birth.

 

Wow, looking back and reflecting on 2011, it was a pretty amazing year. Actually, I can’t believe how much we packed into it! I’m so thankful to the opportunities God gave us to spend time with family and travel. Also how we were able to bond and do special experiences just the four of us.

Here’s to 2012: may it be filled with growth and adventure!