Some Favorite Events of 2011

  I keep telling myself that I'm going to catch up on all the events that have transpired in the last few months and I have come to terms that it's not going to happen, so I thought I would just throw out some of my favorite things that happened last year.

  My absolute favorite thing that happened last year was the birth of my beautiful, Mina Belle. We were trying for another child when Dave got sick (Nov. '09). Babies got put on the back burner though during the year it took for Dave to recover and get back on his feet. When we were finally ready to try again there was a fear that because of Dave's illness we weren't going to be able to have any more children. I was impatient because with our first three kids we basically just had to say we wanted a kid and we were pregnant. 8 months of trying was very hard on me. Every month that went by just made it more and more real that we were finished. When the pregnancy test finally showed that I was pregnant I was ecstatic! (Listen, I know that trying for 8 months before getting pregnant is normal. I know that some people try for much longer and actually need to get outside help from doctors and stuff. I'm simply going off of my own experiences where 8 months was a long time.) April 13th 2011, I went in for my doctor's appointment. It was still 2 weeks until my due date. My doctor made sure to tell me that because it's my 4th child it was important that if I started having contractions I needed to get to the hospital quickly. Almost immediately after the appointment I started having contractions. We got the kids to my parents and headed to the hospital. The nurses decided I wasn't far enough along and wanted to send me home. My doctor intervened and told them that I needed to stay no matter what. All night I stayed the same (dilated to a 4). My main nurse was very rude and made it very clear that she felt I shouldn't be there and that I was wasting her time. Anyway, around 7:15 am on the 14th my water broke. I called the nurses and told them my water broke and there was a lot of pressure. My nurse came in and I tried to tell her it was time to push and that she needed to call the doctor. She just nodded her head and them started to casually do her business, ignoring what I was saying. It really made me mad. I said again that I felt a lot of pressure and that I needed to push. Finally the nurse checked me and then started frantically calling for other nurses and doctors. Mina was born at 7:46 am. I am thankful that my doctor stood firm with the nurses and wouldn't let them send me away. Maybe I could have held on a few more days but if my water had broken at home my beautiful baby would have been born at home or in the car. Hospital or bust. That's my view. All in all, everything worked out great and my sweet Mina is now 10 months old, wiggling around the room and smiling at everyone she sees. She's a blessing.



Mina- 1 week old

   My sister and sister-in-law also had cute little girls this year. Lucy (Kevin and Amy) was born on May 25th and Chelsie (Lorrie and Evan) was born June 10th. They are adorable. They both have more hair than Mina and weigh more than her too. Mina was the runt of the litter, I guess. =)

  My sister Leslie and her family visited in June. They live in Georgia so we don't get to see them very often. It's crazy to see her four girls because every time I see them it's like they skipped years. Well, maybe not years but they are always so different it seems like years. It's a bummer that we don't get to see each other more but sometimes that's just the way it is. Anyway, it was a fun two weeks. We did an adults only trip to Tucanos one night, which was delightful, while Rachel and Lauren watched our kids. When we came to pick up the kids they had a surprise fashion show for all the adults to see. It was really fun!

  Another thing I loved this year was our season passes to Lagoon. I was concerned about it because Mina was only 3 months old the first trip there but we got everything worked out. We were a smooth running machine by the end of the season. The kids had so much fun and it was nice to get out. We ended up going 8 times by the time all was said and done and we never tired of it. I was always willing to sit out with Mina but I still was excited every time we went. The best part was seeing the joy it brought the kids. It's probably the only time we'll get season passes but I'm glad we did it. The kids happiness was worth every penny.

  One of Dave's brothers got married in August. Matt and Elicia. They are so cute together and fun to hang out with. Dave actually helped set them up. He works with Elicia's dad, but that's another story. Anyway, it was a really fun and pretty event. I had a picture I was going to post but I can't find it at the moment. Maybe another time.

  In September Dave's older brother got married. Mike and Andrea. They had dated a few years before and had broken up. I was sad. I was thrilled when they got back together and then got married. It was a small event with basically just family, but very beautiful.

  We went to Disneyland in September but I already posted about that so we'll move on.

  Dave and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We were able to sneak away for a nice dinner at the Olive Garden. I love their food!

  In December my parents took all the adults (minus Lorrie and Evan, because they moved to Texas, and Leslie and Dale, because they live in Georgia) to The Desert Star Playhouse to see It's a Wonderful Life. Dave and I had so much fun! Dinner, a show and family! What a perfect combination. It was really funny. They do a little musical thing at the end (I can't for the life of me think of the name) and our favorite one was when the men came out in tutu's and danced to the Nutcracker. Thanks Mom and Dad! It was a special night.

  Well, all in all it was a fun year. I probably missed events because I have a horrible memory. Sorry if I did. I was hoping to have more pictures to post. I will work on that. I hope that 2012 can be as fun and memorable as 2011!