My loves...

As I reflect back on 2011, many of my most cherished moments are of course... with my children.  Rhyse turned one in the blink of an eye.  It was almost surreal when the day came - I could not believe my baby girl was one!  It seemed like just yesterday I brought her home from the hospital, and before I knew it  she was walking, talking (saying "no" like she invented the word), getting into EVERYTHING, but most of all melting my heart with daily smiles, hugs, and giggles.  Ashton also had many milestones in 2011 - started riding a two wheel bike, learned to write his name, swimming lessons, and started hockey!  He also started pre-school - at first I was not going to put him in pre-school because I felt that he did not need to start until he turned four.  In September,  I began to notice that he was getting "bored" with our daily routines and perhaps needed some new stimulation in his life.  He started the school year off late, but fit right in.  I went to his first parent teacher interview in November, and of course shed a few tears (anyone who knows me knows that this is not out of the ordinary).  It was so nice to hear his teachers tell me how much of a wonderful child he is to be around, and how loving he is.  They were also very impressed with his knowledge level, and said "it is very apparent that you work alot with him on things at home"... not saying he is a genius or anything of the source, but moments like these not only bring tears to my eyes, but also reassures me that I might just be doing a thing or two right:)
Goodbye 2011, you were a wonderful year and I do not have any  bad things to say about you -- we had our ups, we had our downs, but everything turned out perfect in the end.