2012 in review.

December 31, 2012

Right now I'm in the air, flying home from Texas to San Diego, reflecting on not only the past few weeks, but what 2012 entailed. Have you ever heard the saying "the days are long, but the years are short"? Well, I concur -- it's true! This year was a blur... {perhaps because half of it I was pregnant and don't remember much!! (pregnancy brain)} ha!

It's the last day of the year and overall, it's been blessed. Obviously the biggest thing this year was our little bug, Jeremiah, entering the world. What a joy he's been to our family! I'm more and more convinced the dynamic he adds to our family is the greatest thing ever. Silas and Eli are truly the best of friends and they both equally adore baby J and are are super protective of and endeared to his every little move. And, the admiration is mutual. As baby J gets bigger and is more expressive, it's pretty obvious he's equally impressed with his big brothers.

Silas is doing great in school! Life certainly changes when your kid learns how to read. Si can read *anything* now and of course that leads to a whirlwind of questions anytime we are out and about, watching tv, driving past billboards, etc. Oh, and of course that means mommy and daddy can no longer spell words when talking- I guess we need to invent a code language or something. This year he has lost three teeth, also any amount of "baby chubs" that had remained and is more handsome than ever. He is super creative and loves to take photos, make videos, e-mail, text mommy and daddy, tweet, and learn anything about technology and "electronics". Dusty is pretty much his hero and he calls him a genius. He is growing up way too fast and in many ways seems much older than his young six {almost seven} years. He is so intuitive, loving and compassionate. When asked his favorite thing about the past year he said, "going to Disneyland and baby J, too!"

Eli is 4, going on...4! I can't imagine this kid as anything other than what he is now! I don't mean that in a bad way... he's just a nut. Eli Jackson is one of a kind. He has a crazy vocabulary and the funniest way of phrasing things, but is also clueless half the time! This past year he became a big brother and has taken that role with ease! I thought it'd be much more of a transition but I was pleasantly surprised. Funny how life has a way of doing that - your expectations are never quite what you'd imagined. I don't know if it's because he's not my "baby" anymore or if it's just time - but he looks so big! E is practically the same size as Silas and is a tall, lean machine! He goes nonstop, is a night owl {or "nocturnal"}, and has the best ninja moves you've ever seen. He knows everything there is to know about dinosaurs - and is a self proclaimed carnivore {because he eats meat!} When riding on a moving walkway this morning, he proclaimed, "ahhh, this is the life..." He just called Silas "Mr. fancy pants" and when asked what he enjoyed most about the past year he said in an interesting tone, "I don't *even* know what's the past year..." and continued on with his game of angry birds...

Jeremiah loves his brothers, won't let mommy out of his sight and loves to eat paper, blow bubbles and stick out his tongue. His favorite thing about the year? Milk, milk, being born, Mickey Mouse, his brothers and did he mention milk??

The year has had many blessings but hasn't been without it's hardships. I'm excited to see what 2013 brings and hopeful for the future. I know there's much in store for our precious family.