2012 Year In Review

*  I finally got pictures added to each month, so if you looked earlier and didn't see pictures, have another look!

I was looking through the year's pictures to see if I could figure out what I want to post for this last post of the year.  Oh, my, what a year 2012 has been!  It is overwhelming just looking through the month to month albums on my computer, seeing where we have been, how far we have come, and what all we have experienced in 2012.  Insane!

In a nutshell:

January--

Fostering brought me to many school conferences (the "can I speak to you after all the other parents leave?" kind), therapy appointments, family visits, and adventures.  Basia enjoyed having playmates.  Brishen enjoyed having babies around.

Brishen and Basia competed in a robotics competition.

Our new homeschool cooperative began.

Brishen at a croc exhibit field trip.  Basia at the zoo, the first of many times we went in 2012.

February--

We found out that our landlord was going to sell our home.  Home hunting began in earnest.

Our foster sibling group was split up and sent to live with different relatives.  We asked for no new sibling groups until after our move but agreed to consider fostering one or two before then.

Exactly one week later, we got a call that brought us a gorgeous 7-month-old, Miss Personality.  We were immediately smitten.

 Valentine's Day boxes for Basia, 3-year-old foster, and Brishen.

Above is the picture Jon made for me with help from the 6 kids.  Below is Brishen at the robotics competition. 

Above is Brishen and Basia giving a presentation on Burundi for our homeschool co-op.  Below is Brishen dressed as a beatnik for one of his online classes. 

March--

We packed, accepted another foster placement, Mr. Strut, and closed on our new home.

 Our new home sweet home.

Jon's was the first birthday celebrated at our new home while we were still painting and passing foster care home inspections and not yet moved in.  Below is Basia at our church's Easter celebration. 

April--

We spent the month settling.  We settled into our new home.  We settled into parenting the two little ones.  We got to know our new neighborhood.  Things were going smoothly.

We had to document the roses in our garden because it's very likely they won't return this year since I am NOT a gardener at all!  Below you see Jon on our first attempt at irrigating using the ditch water that flows behind our house every few weeks in the summer months. 

Ping-pong by the pool = fun times!

May--

Since things were going smoothly, we agreed to take a foster sibling group of two,  Wee One and Miss Independent.  Let's just say our world was rocked.  Four kids, age 2 and under was 1000 times harder than I had expected.

This is literally the only picture in my May file!  Basia is asleep on the toilet while she was helping to supervise bath time.  I think this sums up how we were all feeling in May.

June--

Brishen completed his first full year of online classes, getting As.  Basia and Brishen went to week-long camps at Sacramento.  I bought Christmas pajamas for four foster kids even though it was more than likely that they would all be gone long before Christmas.

We wished Aunt Diana a happy birthday and said our goodbyes to Aunt Saralyn as she moved across the country. 

We frequented a downtown museum while waiting for kids at their family visits, and we spent tons of time in the pool. 

July--

Sports camp, Vacation Bible School, and youth week kept my older two busy.  Miss Personality had her 1st birthday with us.

 We celebrated the birth of our nation and the birth of Miss Personality.

August--

Jon and I celebrated 16 years of marriage.  We got news that Mr. Strut's primary goal was changed to adoption, and we were asked to be his adoptive placement.    Basia started 3rd grade.  The kids won some taekwondo trophies and earned their red belts.

September--

Birthdays galore--Mr. Strut turned 1, Basia turned 9, and Brishen turned 14.  I had a birthday, too, but we won't mention it.  We enjoyed a trip to Colorado, and Brishen saw the Space Shuttle.

October--

This was our hardest month of fostering, with virtually all of our time spent getting kids all around town to visits.  I knew something would give, and I was glad when the visit schedule got better before I collapsed.  We were a prehistoric family for Halloween, 5 dinosaurs and 3 cavemen.

Spam-a-lot date night above and punkin' carvin' at Grandmother's below. 

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event above and pumpkin patch below. 

November--

Things really started settling again, finally getting easier. We traveled to Albuquerque for a TKD tournament.  The kids loved the aquarium, and we loved watching the big kids win more trophies. Jon's family came for a visit over Thanksgiving, which was so nice.

December--

Brishen won the Geographic Bee and then the Spelling Bee.  Christmas pajamas were worn, presents were opened, and goodies were eaten.  We joined my parents, siblings, and their families at Sacramento Assembly for a wonderful reunion.  We said goodbye for a couple weeks to a little one who had been with us for 10 months.

Whew!  It was quite a year for us, and honestly not one that I will be sad to see go.  I have great dreams for 2013, and I am excited to do my part to make them come true.

My blogging self certainly has hopes that by this time next year, I will be able to show more of my beautiful children's faces on this blog!  Yep, I dream of finalizations in 2013!  Here's to lucky '13!