Pledge for 2012

 Wow, I can't believe how few pictures I took in 2011!  I think I felt like I was too busy living to take pictures. Looking back it was a really challenging and full of changes year...some of those fantastic and some tragic.  My dad passed away in January which was beyond words.
 

During this I was 8 and 9 months preggo...hard work! We had Jack and Josh in February.  Jack swallowed amniotic fluid and then had serious complications which resulted in 11 days of hospital stay and the stress of not having him with us or being able to bring him home with Josh. 

We brought Jack home and started adjusting to our exciting new life with 4 kids 4 and under.  Then at 6 weeks old Jack and Josh were up at Primaries with RSV for 6 days.  Again we had to adjust to life after the hospital.  After that we had a pretty good stretch of time where life was "normal."  From November of 2010 Maggie started having a lazy eye and in May she had eye muscle surgery where she was put under and had her eyes straightened.  She did so well and was sooo brave!  She seriously didn't even cry once...she took the anesthesiologists hand and walked right in to the operating room...so brave!  Her eyes are now perfectly straight, says her doctor!  Then, Kendall got called to be the young men's 1st counselor, which was great, but takes a lot of time...more adjusting.  We had a great summer and went camping a couple of times.  We were sideswiped in our Suburban and had pretty good damage that seemed to take forever to get fixed.  After that, the rest of the year seemed pretty calm.  We were still busy, but no major changes.  The interesting thing about this year is that although the financial burdens of medical bills, death and major change have been hard we have been able to do more than just cope.  I know that is because we are immensely blessed!  We are a closer family because we are led and directed by the Holy Ghost and then Heavenly Father can bless us when we are doing what he asks us to do.  In no way does that mean that we think we are perfect, or that we are more deserving than anybody else, but I know for sure that the only reason we can be happy through our own personal trials is because we are trying to do what we have been asked.  It's amazing what a difference there is when I try to do things by myself and when I ask my Heavenly Father for help...it's almost like I float through trials because part of the pain from the trial is lessened.  Does that make sense???  The trial may not go away, but the heaviness of the burden can be lifted!  Anyways, I am so thankful for this year; as hard as it was; because it brought us closer together and helped us to teach our children how to have a relationship with our Heavenly Father and Savior.

Anyhow, after going through the pictures I realized that even though I may be busy living life, I definitely will be taking a lot more pictures of our crazy life this year.  I plan to have my camera out more often and take at least 1 picture a day! Even if every ones hair isn't done...that's my usual reason!!!


Here is the first picture of this year.  Today we decided to stay home and snuggle all morning!  Jack and Josh have been teething so they have been wanting to snuggle anyways, but Sam had school today and we played hooky!  You just have to do that every once in a while.

After finger painting and play dough playing, while I painted the last forest green thing in our house...(pictures coming), they were back in my bed watching Wild Kratts.

While these two little stinkers were emptying out our dresser as quickly as they could!

What a great and slow day...my favorite!