Best Moments of 2011

It's hard to remember *moments* from a year back. Especially when you're struggling to remember what you did yesterday. But I'm sure that if I could make a summation of the good things, the best things from last year, I would have a better perspective of how good my life is. So here goes: the BEST moments from 2011 (so far as I can remember) are:

(in no particular order)...
1.Giving birth to baby Aaron. Awful labor, but best delivery. I got to hold him right out of the womb, before any washing or anything. And then he promptly peed on me. The hospital and staff were on a different level than the experiences I had in Utah. Really, really great.
2. Doll in a bag, and all the funny things we witnessed while the kids were asleep. When Aaron and I walked into the girls' room and Nora had STUFFED her whole Jessie doll into a little ziplock bag and tucked her under her arm. She laid there, sweetly asleep, with this wacko, contorted, shrink-wrapped doll. We had tears, we were laughing so hard. It's one of the best times of the day, to walk in and kiss their little faces and laugh at what strange things they've been doing since we closed the door.
3. The Christmas sheets. I have, for two years, been coveting the Christmas flannel sheets that come out at Target during the holidays. In November this year, Aaron surprised me with them, and I was absolutely giddy. Best present ever.
4. Sara's first sentence. Sara was a little delayed in her speech this year, and so we enrolled her in a program through the school system out here. It didn't take much help before she was speaking quite a lot, and it has completely changed her. She's confident and happy, and she participates with us and with other children so much better now. I almost cried when, after so many months of almost no talking at all, she said: "Chloe. didn't. eatit. all." So great!
5. Anniversary date. Honestly, a major highlight of the year. Aaron and I don't get a whole lot of time together. And this seems like the only occasion I can remember from this year when I wasn't being pulled in five different directions and feeling really stressed out with three little ones vying for my attention. We just took a nice, slow walk all evening. No big plans, no schedule. Just wandering and being together. Best night ever.
6. Holding Ollie. My sister, Tris, had a little boy not long after I had Ari. We spent some time with them this summer and I got to hold him and talk to him and look in his eyes, and it was precious time. It kills me that we live so far away!
7. This one was pretty AWESOME:
8. Fourth of July at Gma and Gpa Fugate's, and all of vacation out there. There's something about the 4th there in Poky. The big green lawn, all the cars and people all around, the smell of firework smoke and of the BBQ chicken on the grill. Popsicles, two beautiful little girls and a brand-new, snuggly little boy. And there's something about just taking that hour while you sit and watch, to think about our country and to remember your own inner patriot. The fireworks are a really great show, much bigger and better than you'd expect of a small Idaho town like that. And, for my parents, you don't even have to leave home to see it all. It was a good time. My vote: The 4th in Poky every year!
9. When I asked Nora who her best friend was, and she said, "Sara." She doesn't say that anymore, but it sure lit up my heart when she did.
10. Sara's first steps.
11. Being in the temple at Heather and Trevor's wedding, surrounded by family, and being with Grampa Monk.
12. All those times when Aaron and I just stayed up and talked. That's the best.
13. Singing with our Christmas quartet at that moment when the sound finally came together. I could do that ten times more often than I do, if only I wasn't in charge. Singing is the best kind of sociability. It would be good for my soul to have more of these kind of experiences.
14. Conquering that horribly freaky ride at the MN State Fair, being there to watch Sam complete the Spudman triathalon, all those fleeting moments when the kitchen floor is spotless, putting up the Christmas tree and our Christmas elf calendar, watching Nora as she learns to share and be a good friend, listening to her constant stream of consciousness and discovering who she is, discovering Sara's personality little by little too, being with Tris at their beautiful house, New Years Eve at the Thomases', reading through the Iverson Christmas memories that Erika compiled, finding out that cousin Erica and Andrew were pregnant!!! (and Natalie too!), every little random text or phone call or message from a far away friend, finding Aaron's big surprise gift to me at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning--a bike!, and getting out to ride it (and finding a new thing that our family can do all together), staying up with Aaron, putting on a show and working on that silly craft project together...

I could go on. Isn't that great? On, and on, and on. If we try really hard, I think we can have more moments like these this year. I think it does take work though, and sometimes planning. Time to make a list, right? And you have to document it in order for it to exist for very long. Especially for your kids. Thank goodness for blogging, or I wouldn't remember half of it!

And I'm noticing that so many of the best moments are all about the people in my/our life. So thanks for making it such a rich life for us. You really have!

Happy New Year!