Last year we started a doing a 'Time Capsule' with the kids on New Years Eve. We had fun looking back at 2011 when we opened last year's capsule...and it was also interesting seeing 2012 from their eyes.
When I think back on 2012, I think about how difficult this year was for us. We lost Jut's dad on March 1st. The kids didn't mention that significant event...I doubt X even remembers it. My grandfather passed away at the end of April. The kids didn't think about that either...however, that didn't hold much significance for them except for the excitement of seeing their other cousins.
However, for Jut and I, both those events were life altering. Life will never be the same as it was when 2012 started. Jut still had his dad...a very sick dad...but still his dad. I still had my grandfather...and an intact family. So much has changed. With the passing of my grandfather, their estate had to be settled. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever envision the fallout of settling the estate. Family dinners and gatherings with the extended family are no more. It has been a hard road to travel...and I am just a bystander of a grandchild. The struggle of the generation above me has been awful as this has all unraveled.
Those are the two events that stick out in my mind when I think about 2012. However, the year wasn't all struggle and turmoil. We got the joy of watching C blossom from infancy to toddlerhood. Today he finally gave up crawling. Walking is now his preferred mode of transportation. He's vocal and can signal what he wants. My baby is gone...a little baby that started the year without teeth now has 10. A little baby that survived on milk now eats and eats and eats whatever you feed him. There is so much joy in watching life bloom and grow.
Also, we had a phenomenal vacation this summer...it even made it on the 'best things of 2012' for E. We rented a house on a bay near TC with another family and just escaped life for a week. It was great. No church issues...no school (for Jut)...just family and friends. It was perfect.
There were other things that made the year interesting, too...Jut assumed the role of 'lead minister'. We had our first ER visit with X and his bout of pneumonia. We experienced our first ambulance ride with C when he drank my bottle of essential oils. E started kindergarten this fall at home. That has been an exciting journey.
We look forward to the new joys, adventures and challenges that wait for us in 2013. We will be so excited for Jut to finish his coursework and graduate with his Masters in Missional Leadership this spring. We look forward (with much anticipation and some anxiety) to buying my grandparents' house and the extensive remodeling project that will follow. E will be in her first dance recital this spring...X and C will continue to grow and blossom and be too cute for their own good. A new member will be joining the extended family in June and the kids will have their first 'real' first cousin. Exciting times. We are looking forward to 2013!
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