Closing out 2011
A most blessed New Year to you all!
We had a great end to last year and a very blessed beginning to 2012.
After about 3 weeks of being sick, I finally was back up to health the week before Christmas. It was just in time to find out that I had failed my first glucose test for gestational diabetes. Not to be beat by it, I put myself on a gestational diabetes diet the week before and after Christmas. I made sure to exercise almost every day and by the time I took my second test, I passed with flying colors. But I cheated on my diet last weekend and I definitely felt a difference, so I put myself back on it.
Christmas was wonderful. We went to Mass on Christmas Eve and drove to my parents’ house on Christmas Day. After 25 years they are closing down their video store. It’s been part of our lives since I was in the 5th grade. They truly deserve to retire and enjoy their 60s. This will also give them an opportunity to visit us and my other siblings more often. They had to move out of their building by the 31st. So they told us to take all and any movies we wanted. To that end, we came home with a box of movies to add to our collection. Of course since the quality of movies has gone down in the last decade, it was a small box!
It is certainly a blessing to spend time as a family and Adam was off last week. I find it sad when parents don’t know how to spend time with their kids and “can’t wait until school starts again.” I don’t know how to be without my kids. We’ve kept busy playing with their Christmas toys (Legos and Calico Critters were a big hit this year) and games, watching movies, having afternoon tea parties, going on walks on the neighborhood bike trail and playing Pooh Sticks on the bridges. They haven’t complained about being bored and we’re enjoying our second week off until we start school again next week.
Adam finished out the year meeting his 2011 goal of making chocolate bean to bar. I am so proud of him. He’s worked so hard this last year reading and taking an online course. When I am fast asleep in our warm cozy bed, he’s up reading another book, looking up new information, learning how to do this and that. He amazes me. And the chocolate came out great! It is a 70% Dominican Republic. I love that all it has is cacao beans and sugar!!–no palm oils, soy lecithin, no extra anything!
We spent New Years Eve with our friends the Shearers who will be moving back to Austin sometime in February. Elizabeth was my confirmation sponsor some 13 years ago and they are Fulton’s God parents. We are also God parents to their oldest son. After 10 years living in different cities, it’s going to be fun getting to know them again while living only 15 minutes from each other!
And to start off our New Year, I received great news that Cecilia may soon be done with her speech and developmental therapy. Her developmental therapist said yesterday, “You know, I don’t think I really need to see her again.” I like the sound of that! She is as delightful as ever and even more so with all her new words and phrases.
The next three months will be busy and go very fast. Between all the schooling and field trips, we will look forward to our 9th anniversary next week. Then Therese will turn 8 (wow!) the week after and we’ll celebrate her and Fulton’s baptism anniversaries. One of my best friends will be visiting from California in early February and the Shearers will be moving down. We’ll also be helping plan a marriage retreat at our parish that will take place in late March. Oh yeah and we have Baby G’s arrival right around the corner in late March or early April.
