Goodbye 2012!

If you hadn't noticed, the blog has been pretty quiet the past couple weeks.

I've been spending almost every second with the kids, which leaves very little time to compose a blog post.

And while I've definitely had my "want-to-tear-my-hair-out" moments with them this Christmas break, it's also been so incredibly enjoyable to watch the boys play together, learn new things together, discover the joy of siblings on Christmas morning, and have lots of quality time together as a family.

Today, on the final day of 2012, Payton ironically asked me to please clear off all the videos on the Flip camera because he wanted to film something but the hard drive was full. So, I downloaded all the videos off the camera onto my computer. It was so fun to sit and watch videos from this past Spring when Parker was just learning how to walk - long before he could speak. I got to see videos of Payton with all sorts of gaps in his front teeth that are now all closed up with perfectly straight teeth (who did he get these straight teeth from by the way???). I even got to watch a video of the boys playing together with Rohy walking around in the background. And yes... it made me cry.

Wendy & I on vacation

Rohy in his "younger years"

Watching those videos made me realize that 2012 has been a year of up's and down's. There have been incredibly low low's when we experienced the unexpected, untimely death of my beloved cousin, Wendy, and also the passing of our sweet dog whom we'd had for our entire marriage and treated like our first child.

Look at those chunky thighs!

Baseball star!

However, there have been far more wonderful moments this year, like watching Payton play his first season of baseball and watching Parker learn how to walk...and then run! Seeing our family come together during difficult times and experiencing the growth of Payton's heart for God and people.

I feel sadness in my soul for the ones we have lost this year, but I feel hope for the good things that are yet to come in our lives. I think 2013 is going to be another year of change and growth, and I look forward to that both externally and internally.

So wherever you are these first days of the new year, I recommend taking a few moments to reflect on 2012. The good times and the bad. And I pray that the coming year is full of so many blessings for you that you can hardly count them!

Happy New Year everyone!

God's Best!

-Stac