A Year in Review

January! Of note this month? I realized (quite painfully) that one should never trust a bad hair colorist twice. Other than that? Hendo was the cutest ever.

In February, Hendrix and I flew to Illinois to celebrate my lil' sister's 16th birthday. I also got my hair fixed by my girl, Kristen back home, and the seeing world screamed, "THANK YOU!!!!" For Valentines day, we celebrated at home with our new tradition a "VALENTINES FORT!"

In March, I made quite possibly the best meal I've ever made-- corned beef and cabbage. I'm telling you, it was ridiculous. I threw myself a 27th birthday party, complete with a scavenger hunt! Also of note, Hendrix fell asleep without the aid of my cuddles as shown above for the first time in his toddler life.

In April, we hosted a big Easter party at our house. It was so fun. Eric celebrated his 28th birthday. Our family all went to a minor league baseball game to celebrate. It was Hendrix's first, and we had a blast.

In May, we met the Werners for the Temple . It was insanely hot, but it was also AWESOME. Hendo and I also went to the Austin Children's Museum with our good friends Heather and Ella. It was so fun to see Hendrix actually understanding a few of the exhibits.

In June, we traveled BY TRAIN to Illinois to visit my whole family (specifically, my sister, who is serving in the Peace Corps). We had a great trip, and we were able to visit with tons of friends.

In July, Hendrix took his very first swim lessons! I found out I was PREGGERS on July 4th. One of my old students, who was an exchange student from Germany, came to stay with us. We also were visited by the Underwood's (who are old friends of ours from college). It was a busy and AWESOME month!

In August, the nausea came. It was also the summer of heat and draught here in Texas. So, we spent a lot of time in the pool, and I spent a lot of time complaining. My parents flew Hendo and I home (before the 2 year old ticket price). We were able to watch two of my great friends from college get hitched.

In September, we celebrated! First, we went to the Children's Museum for Henry's friend Francis' birthday. Then, we celebrated our 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY by pigging out on sushi and sneaking dollar candy into the dollar movie theater to watch Bridesmaids. Next, were my niece and nephews big birthdays (15 and 16)! Then, we saw both of them off to HOMECOMING. Finally, was Hendo's big number 2 (his birthday celebration took place in October).

October started out with a trip to the ER for me. Dramatic, I know. After spending most of the night getting sick/ hooked up to an IV, we woke up and got it in gear for Hendrix's FARM PARTY! It was a great success thanks to my family and friends, who all pitched in when I could not. Shortly after the party, we traveled with Ya-ya to Iowa to celebrate Eric's cousin's wedding. We had a blast, and Hendo got to spend time with his 2nd cousins, who we wish were around the corner. Then, my mom came to pick us up and we spent a calm week with my grandma and her. Hendrix weaned himself this month! It was an easy transition for both of us, I couldn't have asked for anything more perfect. We found out on October 28th that we were HAVING A BOY!!! And then on the 29th, we threw A HALLOWEEN PARTY! :)

In November, we chilled out our lives. As you can see, we were quite busy in the previous months. However, my Aunts, Tracey and Ann both came to visit Ann's family, who lives in Austin. In an odd turn of events, their RV was damaged, and so their trip was extended! We got to spend tons of quality time with them (although, it's never enough). If only they would move here! We celebrated Thanksgiving at Ya-ya and Papa's house, and I ate my way through more pie than I care to reveal. :)

December was Christmas filled! We finally found a church we love! We started a few new traditions including Elf on the Shelf (thanks to Great Aunt Sherry), and an advent calendar. Watching Hendo's excitement grow every day has been more fun than we ever imagined. We had a great visit from more friends from college, the Preuls! We had a blast just spending time with them and their gorgeous daughter, and exploring South Austin together. I finished Hendo's first year scrapbook! We celebrated Christmas day at Andy and Liz's beautiful new house, and had a blast fighting over grab bag gifts by playing Minute to Win It games. Then, the next day, my family arrived. We had a perfect week with them. They treated Eric and I to an overnight (our first without Hendo) at the Omni Hotel in Austin. Eric and I had the best time. Luckily, Hendrix KNOWS his extended family. We are blessed to have been able to see them so much in the past year.

All in all, 2011 was wonderful. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!!! I can't wait to see what 2012 brings.