A Year in the Life {2012}

Oh what a wonderful year!

This year was so wonderful. If I could do 2012 over again I would in a heart beat. Here is a little recap:

Adam had a fantastic year in his career. In April, he made the decision to switch schools and applied for a teaching position at Forbuss Elementary school. Although it was sad to say goodbye to Tanaka, this change has proven to be a huge blessing in Adam's career. Doors have been open, opportunities presented, and he feels so much happier and more validated. Whats more, he works less than a mile from home which is a huge blessing for us. Adam's favorite part of 2012: our trip to Hawaii and watching Paige develop into her own person.

Me(lissa) I've had a fantastic year as well. I basically made three goals at the beginning of 2012. Those were to get fit, read 50 books, and run a half marathon. I was able to do all of those things and I feel that I've grown tremendously over this past year. One of the things I feel I've learned is to mourn with those that mourn. Several of my friends have gone through really difficult things this year, and my testimony in our Heavenly Father's love and our Saviors atonement has grown. My favorite part of 2012 was of course Hawaii, but also, I echo Adam's statement, it has been a privilege to watch Paige grow into this person who belongs to us. She has such a wonderful personality. Two years ago this very night (New Years Eve) we learned that I was pregnant with her and I feel that of the four of us, she's done the most growing from a cute little lump on the floor to the darling little girl she is now...more on Paige later.

Hannah: I think Hannah's biggest thing this year has to have been potty training. She has done an awesome job with that. Of course she is super smart and has always been a highly capable person. She love princesses, and Disneyland. She loves playing with her friends and using her imagination. She loves preschool and working with her hands. She is an independent woman! She loves to do things on her own timeline. At preschool, she sometimes wanders off to play toys by herself, rather than learn. We'll work on that...Hannah is such a sweet kid. She loves everyone and is enthusiastic about everything. She is very expressive and has so much joy. She is an amazing big sister. She is always watching out for Paige and making sure her needs are met. We are in a really good place right now together.

Paige: What can I say about my sweetheart. She is such a joy and has so much joy. When she first joined our family, I wondered what place she would fill. I felt like the three of us fit together in a perfect puzzle and I wondered if our family would ever feel the same again. Paige completes the puzzle in a way I never imagined. She is the spark of joy we never knew was missing. Hannah loves her sister so much and Paige loves Hannah too. Paige has grown so much in the past four months I can hardly recognize her. She has the funniest sense of humor and she fits right in. Just this afternoon she kept singing "look down, look down, look down..." I asked Adam if she was singing what I thought she was singing. Hannah said "She's singing Look down, look down, your standing in your gwave." Both my girls were singing songs from Les Mis. It cracked me up. What 16 month old kid sings Les Miserables? She is smart, quick, and sweet. Her favorite things are soft and fluffy and she loves to cuddle.

We were able to go to Hawaii for a week long adventure, California (Disneyland and the beach) twice, we saw Allie and Jeff and Sean and Lindsey get married, we paid off our car and paid off all of our credit cards, our AC broke, we went camping, we played hard, we worked hard, and we loved each other a lot.

Thanks for a great year 2012! I wonder what 2013 has in store :)

And for record keeping sake, my completed reading list 2012:

*I Capture the Castle by Doddie Smith

*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

*The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley

*The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card

*The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Girl who was on Fire by Various YA Authors

*Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Divergent by Veronica Roth

The Future of Us by Jay Asher

***Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielson

*The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

*Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

*The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Before I go to Sleep by SJ Watson

Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

*The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Paper Towns by John Green

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

*Diary of a Young Girl by Ann Frank

***Let it Go by Chris Williams

*Looking for Alaska by John Green

* The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The People Code by Dr. Taylor Hartman

*Persepolis Volume 1 by Marjane Satrapi

*Persepolis Volume 2 by Marjane Satrapi

* 1984 by George Orwell

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chobosky

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K .Rowling

*True Sisters by Sandra Dallas

*The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery

Strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louise Stevenson

*The Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

*Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts by Talli Roland

The Letter by Marie Tillman

Fairy Tale Interrupted by RoseMarie Terrizino

*Unwind by Neal Shuesterman

Shiver by Maggie Svsdkalkdjflkd (something I'm not going to look up in this exact moment)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

*Doctrine and Covenants

*Les Miserables by Victor Hugo