A Glance Behind, A Look Ahead

I have done lists of resolutions, set goals, and made grand plans for new years. I have had good intentions, accountability partners, and color-coded charts. Some have been resounding successes. Others have failed miserably. Luckily, I tend to live on the positive side, and each new year I have an uncanny ability to only focus on the things I did well and not wallow in the missed opportunities, gained pounds, and unorganized closets. Either way, I have decided to take a different approach this year. I will take a look back at what made this past year the amazing one that it was (challenges included - they serve to make our successes that much more successful), and then I will look ahead to what lies in store for the new year. I think it will be interesting to see how my fortune telling pans out a year from now.

2011 - A Glance Behind

• Jeremy met his idol. This has been a popularly revisited subject all year, and I am so glad we were able to do this. We almost didn't since I had a baby 1 week later, but we knew the little man needed his own celebration before becoming a brother. It also provided me with one of the most precious photos of my man - the moment we told him where he would be going later that day!
• Chef Brian! It has been so much fun watching Brian turn into a culinary genius. I admit I am not always excited to try his new concoctions, but he has proven me wrong with every delicious bite. Also, I hate to cook, so this new hobby has been a dream come true!
• Surgery. Turns out this was a year for surgeries in the Hopper house. There was one point I remember talking to my mom and I said that if I have to say the word surgery one more time I will kill someone. In total, we had 5 different surgeries this year. Two for Jeremy's mole, one for Violet's birth via c-section, one for my tongue, and one a week after the birth for the lovely complications that I so happily got to experience. And, with surgeries comes medical bills - a fun new development we will be bringing with us into the new year.
• Travel! I was preggo for both of these trips, but a free trip is fabulous at any size. Since we can never afford a vacation, I love the little perk my job offers of conference travel. I attended professional conferences this year in both Mobile, AL and Philadelphia, PA. We even sprung for a treat and Brian was able to make the trip to Philly with me - one final adventure just the two of us before becoming parents of 2!
• New car! We didn't really plan on this, but I cannot tell you how much of a relief it has been to have two working cars in our family. We have been married 5 years and lived 4.5 of those years with only one or one plus a broken one. We cannot actually afford it, even at the amazing price we got, but our twins are now part of the family!

• Potty Training! Finally! At three and a half years old, Jeremy woke up one morning and asked to wear underwear. A request he had NEVER uttered before. I had decided to quit pushing it now that Vi was here and my hands were full enough, but I jumped all over that request. He has not worn a single diaper since that morning and he has had a grand total of three accidents since (why one had to be at Thanksgiving in front of family I will never know). In true Jeremy fashion, he waited until he was ready and took matters into his own hands without looking back.
  
• Speech and reading. Really? Really?! This kid never ceases to amaze me and surprise me in so many ways. It appears that Mr. Jeremy will be speech therapy free and not hampered by a disability label when he starts kindergarten. I simply cannot process that idea in my brain. So many tears, sweat, and time went into this and I am FOREVER grateful that all has apparently turned out okay. And while I am on the topic of amazingness, my barely 4 year-old can read. Legitimately read. Crazy. I have gotten so many questions and comments about this I will have an upcoming post about it- stay tuned.
• 5 year wedding anniversary. I love my husband and I am pretty sure he loves me too. We have built a pretty great family in 5 years, and I am proud of every moment of it.
• Baby Girl. Saving the best for last. This is what 2011 will always mean to me. She has only been a part of our lives for 7 months, but she has been a part of our lives forever. (That makes sense to the parents out there.) Our little ball of chub who loves watching her brother play trains, snuggling with her daddy, and dancing with her mommy has been a game changer for all of us and we couldn't be happier. Sure, I almost succumbed to the postpartum depression haze, but we survived. And just look at that face. Totally worth everything and more.

2012

• Holidays! We will be spending the 4th of July in Nashville with all the fun Hopper babies - it should be insane this summer with all 5 of the little ones walking and being crazy. Thanksgiving will be in Memphis with the Carr/Boldreghini clan, so a house crammed with 50-plus loud and hungry family members bursting with laughter and sarcasm awaits us. I simply cannot wait!
  
• Big boy! I would never have predicted the huge strides my baby boy took this year, and I hope to be equally impressed this year. Let's see, what is left for him to accomplish?? I predict by the end of the year he will be solving complex math equations and proofing the first draft of his novel. Seriously, though, we will begin looking at kindergartens and beg the question: Catholic school or public?
  
• Vi's first birthday! Oh, I cannot believe it. This year will be a big one as our little girl goes from baby to toddler. 2012 should see her crawl and take her first steps. I have a feeling I will barely recognize my Chunkster by the end of the year, and possibly I should stop referring to her as a chubby chunk. I just don't think I am ready to let go of the smooshy cheeks that simply beg to be smothered in mommy kisses. The roly-poly baby months are too short!
  
• Dani's wedding. That's right, folks. My 8 year-old sister is getting hitched. I am told that by this summer she will actually be a 22 year-old college graduate, but I am not convinced. I had to do some fancy (ie horrible) editing to show this without spoiling the Dan in a Wedding Dress Surprise, but come on, is there anything better in life than sisters? (don't worry, none of these are THE dress, not even the bridesmaid ones - these are just us being ridiculous in the store)
• Dr. Cheri! My older sister is earning her PhD in Philosophy this May. Dr. Carr. Sounds crazy. She has worked so hard and is the smartest person I have ever met, and I have met some pretty amazing people after working in higher education for the past 12 years. I am so proud of her and will not miss her walk across that stage for anything.
  
• President...? I am not the most political person in the world, but any election year is a pretty significant year. I am not looking forward to the mudslinging, but I am looking forward to some progress for our country.
  
• And what am I looking forward to most of all in 2012? Family time at home with my kids and the man I love. Because, really, is there anything better than curling up with your kids to watch PBS cartoons? Or spending an entire weekend building a new train track layout that takes up the entire living room floor while you watch the wheels spinning in his brain as he figures out the complicated puzzle to make it all fit? Or repeating the same fake burp sound 20 times in a row to hear her laugh just one more time? Absolutely nothing.

Here's to the new year! May it bring us all one step closer to our heart's desires, and keep us safe, healthy, and wise along the way!