A Whole Year?!

Yes, an entire year has passed since my last post. How exactly did that happen? I don't know.

Is it possible to look back and attempt to summarize the last 12 months? Probably not. But here is a look at the random snippets my memory held onto....enjoy the ride.

MILO finally started walking at 17 months then promptly sustained fractures of 3 metatarsals a week later during an innocent fall involving his oldest sister this required two weeks in a "disturbingly cute" blue cast that prevented any and all weight bearing so he was back to scooting on his heinie he has mastered the art of non-verbal communication and if there were an award for the number and variety of motors a person can impersonate he would win because when he is asking for a toy there is no doubt whether he means his jeep motorcycle dump truck tractor train race car bicycle bus van helicopter jet vacuum lawn mower or stroller because he makes a different "motor" sound for each and every one he experienced many "firsts" including a hair cut (grandma wore me down) eating lemons and cartwheeling down various steep inclines such as our stairs and rock retaining wall his pediatrician chuckles because he's been to the doctor more in 2 years than my girls combined in 9 years wish me luck SCARLETT left the land of preschoolers and hasn't looked back she is a girl who marches to the beat of her own drum and although she cares little what others think she is still kind and considerate of their feelings it is a surprising and lovely combination she celebrated her 5th birthday among the princesses at Disney World and you'll have to take my word for that because I managed to lose every last picture of the entire week long trip she continues to be hypersensitive to all tactile input and we've finally realized that her screams that once convinced us she'd amputated a limb generally mean she's scraped a knee on the cement or has a trampoline burn on her elbow she would rather wear pink pants a size too small with holes in both knees and a stained yellow t-shirt than any of the latest fashions her love of animals has expanded far beyond dogs and horses and when asked she will tell you that when she grows up she wants to be a zoo keeping-farmer-dolphin training-rancher who lives among wild wolves she is freakishly strong and agile for her size and can outrun and outwrestle her older sister her favorite kindergarten activities are music class coloring and chemistry experiments she has been shockingly cooperative and sweet for the last year and is suddenly showing signs of shifting her approach wish me luck OLIVIA completed the 3rd grade at home by some miracle as I was sure we would kill each other on a daily basis the funny thing about all the drama and conflict is that it ends up that we both wanted the same thing- for her to be more independent she grew her hair amazingly long she finished her second year of piano lessons and switched to violin she sold hundreds of boxes of girl scout cookies and has her first "real" best friend who now hears all of her deepest darkest secrets instead of me she performed her first monologue on stage in front of a decent audience and turned 9 years old she added the family laundry to her chore list and started wearing a bra she continues to have a knack for fashion and loves to sketch original designs she has used my sewing machine a few times and is making noises about having one of her own she is straddling the divide between little girl and young lady it is bittersweet to witness her play with Barbie one minute then roll on her lipgloss and play Taylor Swift on her ipod she is lovely and complicated wish me luck BEN is still the love of my life he parents our children with the wild abandon of a mountain biker the hard working drive of a marketing VP the creativity and finesse of an artist and the sheer joy of a perpetual kid he has travelled enough this year to easily explain the existence of a second family he has opened new Cafe Rios in 5 states rallied his bike down the slopes in 2 countries and taken some or all of us to Arizona California Oregon Idaho Florida Las Vegas and Hawaii his lastest venture rendered him injured when his bike bucked him off he is every shade of black and blue and struts around like John Wayne will it slow him down- only until the next ride wish me luck TINA baked four birthday cakes witnessed a baby's first steps and a daughter's first heartbreak she learned history science and latin along with her girls she considered her lumps and lines and shaved her head she attended births started a new business went back to school and began a new journey wish me luck OUR FAMILY was busy at county fairs water parks museums school activities music lessons theatre productions play dates vacations amusement parks national parks backyards book club art class mountain cabins beaches hiking trails biking paths zoos campouts cookouts concerts recitals races weddings reunions parties and street festivals it will be a tough year to live up to wish me luck