Get You Some Goals End

Review of my goals in 2012. I know it's going to be sad. 

1. Take a family picture (I know, you are all laughing, aren't you?)

You had good reason to laugh if you did. It didn't happen. 

2. Have an organized move come June

Thanks to all the help we had and being able to leave Henry for two nights with my mom, we were able to get everything done fairly smoothly.

3. Attend the temple 12 times in the year

I didn't keep track but I think we went closer to 6 or 7 times before Thea came. 

4. Be a better visiting teacher

I am sure I could have been better than I was, but I think I did improve. 

5. Magnify my calling

I tried, but honestly, I am not sure I can feel I did this very well. It was difficult especially since I felt like I didn't have much support. But I learned some things and hopefully if I ever have that calling again I will know how to go at it better. I have been subbing since we moved but got a calling last week but won't start until the second Sunday of the month. 

6. Read Daughters in My Kingdom: The History and Work of the Relief Society

Yay, one I can definitively say I did do. 

7. Read 10 books (plays and short story collections can count too, maybe a few plays to count as 'a book')

All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

All Things Wise and Wonderful by James Herriot

All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot

Bleak House by Charles Dickens 

Daughters in my Kingdom

Short Stories of Oscar Wilde

Silas Marner 

I guess if I count two or three of the Oscar Wilde stories as one a piece I can make it to 10...But wow, I really need to read more this yearc. 

8. Finish all of MI-5 (kind of a stupid one, but a doable one, plus I won't be able to handle it when the post-partum hormones come)

Yes! This was how Johann and I de-stressed at night.  

9. Have one-on-one time with Henry

I should have defined this goal better. We have been together a lot, obviously, but I am not even sure what I meant by one-on-one time now exactly. Sooo probably didn't do this as well as I should have. 

10. Go on 6 actual dates with Johann (ie-not dates we have at home)

Didn't keep track. But I'd say we did at least 3 or 4.

11. Continue working out daily

Yeah, around 4 months I sissied out. 

12. Work on family history (transcribing my dad's journal, taking names to the temple, they also just called a couple to teach a family history class so we'll attend that)

I've transcribed a bit of my dad's first journal and taken some names to the temple. That family history class never started up in our old ward either. Last night I distributed some names to my brothers so hopefully I will soon have all the printed names done. Next I need to learn how to research and find ancestors to add. My brother is going to take some family history courses and I'll just have to have him teach me the ways. 

13. Send out birth announcements for the little one

I did it! If you didn't get one don't be offended, I only had enough for family since we were still living off savings. 

Hey, that turned out better than I thought it would. I guess past me knew that 2012 me wouldn't be able to get much done and made some reasonable goals. Here's to the end of 2012 and looking forward to a new year. 

Don't mess

Sound asleep. 

Christmas Time

Twas a nice Christmas this year. It would have been nice for Johann and my mom to have more than 2 days off before Christmas but we were mostly prepared and able to enjoy it.

Speaking of preparing, I tried to start a new family tradition this year as we don't really have any currently. I saw a pin about doing a Christmas Eve box and gave it a go. Bad go.
Firstly, he was mortified that I told him to open the box (elves dropped it off on the doorstep) since no one is allowed the open presents until Christmas day.
Secondly, he was personally affronted by the contents of the box. He has an on again, off a again hatred of movies. When he saw "Arthur Christmas" he threw his hand up in the air, said, "THIS IS RIDICULOUS" and went to his room.
Later he finally came out and said we needed to leave cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and the reindeer.

Apparently I chose the wrong to tradition to start.

So while Christmas Eve was not that great, Christmas day was nice.

We woke up and heard Henry's excitement then he ran into our room and yelled, "Santa wrote me a letter!!!", had breakfast and opened stockings and gifts here in AV and then got ready and headed to Riverside to spend Christmas day with the Simonds side of the family.

Santa's gifts to Thea and Henry

waking up to stockings

proof Santa came

Thea's stocking 

mmm. mama's cinnamon rolls. 

Uncle Aaron not only got him another sword but also Hulk hands. Pretty sure his favorite gift.

Johann's new shirt 

Yay to sparing my poor knees!

Miss Thea

Learning to open the presents 

And the cutest little Christmas girl ever

Henry loved all the presents he received and is so lucky to have so many people in his life who love him. The same goes for Thea and it was so much fun to watch her holding the presents or trying to tear the paper.

 Mr. Max opening presents

 Kailee helping baby Apollo open gifts

 With Aunt Nani and Thea

With the cutest little Christmas bear ever

cousin Jeremy and Henry are a dynamic duo

 Thea practicing her sitting up and playing with toys 

Playing Rock 'Em Sock 'Em with Nani

Merry Christmas! 

Of Note

WARNING: BIG POST

Follow up from the last post--No, still haven't decided what to do about school for Henry. I think I'll just wait it out, keep exploring options, and when it comes time if I feel like putting him in, I will. If I don't, I won't. Since K isn't required anyway, I've decided not to worry about it anymore. I did take him out of the community center preschool--it was too expensive for what it was and I didn't love the teacher. Glad he isn't doing it anymore.

I recently realized I haven't mentioned some of the big things that have happened. So this post is a quick catch up of the big and some of the little too.

End of September-Johann stopped working in Las Vegas and started working in Palmdale, Ca.

He had been commuting to LV starting the end of August, staying during the week at hotels and then back on the weekends. Henry, Thea and I stayed in Apple Valley with my mom while he was gone all week. It was sad.We started looking for a place to rent, found one we really liked and then it was no longer available. After that I struggled to be happy about any aspect of moving to LV. We really just couldn't find anywhere we wanted to move. We had a bad experience with where we lived during the internship (neighbor drug dealer, narcotics raids, girl kidnapped in the complex over and the area was made into section 8 housing) and really wanted to avoid that.
Johann continued to look for positions in CA and saw one open in Palmdale. He applied. Then he met a new hire psych in LV who had just left from Palmdale, and it was his position that was open. Douglas (the LV psych) made some calls, gave Johann a great recommendation, and after some paper work and figuring out how to get Johann an emergency CA credential, he was officially hired at Palmdale. We are incredibly grateful to Douglas for all he did and for the Palmdale hiring for being willing to work with him through the credentialing process.
Now he commutes an hour both way to Palmdale daily, which is hard, but it is so much better than LV. We are staying with my mom so we can pay down loans and save up. We are also so thankful to her for allowing us to stay and make some goals for us possible much sooner than they otherwise would be.

October-Halloween

Pictures of the kids. Henry was The Flash. Thea was an Owl. We had lots of things going on here at the house so I ended up not getting her costume done until just before the ward party. My mom helped with cutting and we finished in about an hour. It wasn't fantastic but I have to start somewhere and she's still a cute face.

November-Thanksgiving break. We went to Northern Ca to be with my Aunt Virginia and fam for Thanksgiving. We stayed in a hotel in Pleasanton and had our first family vacation planned and paid for by us and as a family of 4--woot! We also switched rooms and are in the house instead of in the guest room off the garage. We have a new nephew! Apollo! Congrats to Johann's brother and wife. 

 Cousins

 Monterey. Favorite day of break. So much fun and so beautiful. 

Thanksgiving day. So much to be Thankful for this year!

December-We got all of our stuff out of storage in LV and are officially done with that city! We are still working on getting everything put together and organized and have taken a temporary break to try and enjoy Christmas time. Oh and Thea turned 5 months! I probably should do a whole post just on all the Thea catch-up but if I'm honest with myself, it's incredible I am even doing this post! Had our ward Christmas party. The Santa did SUCH a good job. We also got to see our new nephew, Apollo, blessed! 

 Thea is 5 months!

 Ward Christmas party

 Baby Apollo looking handsome!

Cousins and mommies=)

I need to do some more individual posts with things I mentioned, but it may not happen, so this will do for now.

ON TO CHRISTMAS!!!

=)