2013 in review

I have been so horrible about blogging lately, this seems a good way to catch up and recap. Stolen from Brooke .

1. What did you do in 2013 that you'd never done before?
Took a road trip to Florida with a 2 month old and almost 2 year old. "Met" Thomas the train. Went to my first (of many!) Pure Romance party. Left Luke at preschool. Went to Ikea for the first time (also of many!) I actually feel like we did a pretty decent job of kicking butt in 2013.

 2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Did I make a resolution last year? If I did, it's pretty much a blur. I probably resolved to lose the baby weight from Matthew which did not exactly happen. (Well, some of it.)

I want to *finish* losing the baby weight, start exercising more regularly again, and spend more deliberate time just playing with the kids, get back to blogging regularly again.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yep, I have a few friends who had baby girls this past year.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
No countries. We did take road trips to Florida, Chicago, Kansas City, and Steelville, MO. The boys were awesome travelers.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you lacked in 2013?
Health! We were sick for so much of 2013. Thankfully nothing serious but it was one constant cold after another and we ended the year with Matthew finally (hopefully) recovering from his 2-month-long ear infection. His tear duct corrected itself on it's own after we stressed and stressed for weeks about doing surgery to correct it or not. (And after being told since he was older than a year it would not correct itself on it's own...WRONG. It did, about a week after we were told that.) A healthy 2014 would be awesome.  And I wouldn't complain about money either. :)
 
7. What dates from 2013 will remained etched upon your memory?
Luke's 2nd birthday, Matthew's 1st birthday, Christmas with the boys, Luke's first Easter going on egg hunts and first time trick or treating.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting out of the house, regularly, with both boys on my own. (Sometimes even on time.)

9. What was your biggest failure?
Potty training has gone horribly wrong.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
We have been sick a lot with one minor annoying thing after another. We had the stomach flu twice. We are usually pretty healthy so it was a rough year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our new fireplace and sectional. Also my Nook glowlight. For the kids, our backyard wooden playset and our zoo membership.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I think Joe may win for taking us along to Florida and KC. The Cardinals for making it to the World Series.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
 Agreed with Brooke on Congress. And America in general with the lame Duck Dynasty crap and whatever. And the Cardinals for playing like crap and losing the World Series. And the crazy parents and their stupid crap my teacher mom and other friends who work in schools have to deal with regularly. I am so glad I am no longer teaching.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Stuff around the house- furniture, tv, kitchen island.

15. What did you get really excited about?
Cardinals! Matthew taking his first steps. Christmas with the kids.

16. What song will always remind you of 2013?
 Sad but "What Does the Fox Say" is the first thing that comes to mind. Luke likes doing the "nah nah nah" part and Matthew stands there and dances when it comes on.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder?  happier  
 thinner or fatter?  slightly thinner but definitely a work in progress
- richer or poorer?  about the same

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
More blogging, more sleep (nothing crazy but getting 5 hours a night in a row would be amazing on a regular basis).

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
 Less online shopping--went way overboard for Christmas on "great deals", on the bright side, done with Luke's bday present.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas morning with my parents and siblings after the boys played on their ride on train, then to my paternal grandmother's house for Christmas with the extended family, then the cemetery to visit Olivia, then home where the boys finally opened their presents under the tree. It was a crazy whirlwind day.

21. Did you fall in love in 2013?
Already was.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
So many. New to me was Suits. New in general Masters of Sex except now our free trial for premium channels ended so I missed the last episode. (If you have Showtime, it is a fantastic drama about an obgyn/fertility doctor doing a study on human sexuality. It is based here in St.Louis at Wash U and is not actually as smutty as it sounds. It also touches on subjects like infertility and pregnancy loss and does it spectacularly IMO. It has been nominated for awards.) Not new but in general- New Girl, The Mindy Project, The Voice.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hmm. Not that I can think of.

24. What was the best book you read?
Lots of smut. Wallbanger by Alice Clayton was the funniest, "best" is relative.

25. What was your favorite musical discovery?
Hmm. Jetty Rae. She is a folksy style singer who sings about losing her daughter, especially "Climbing Clouds" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qeZ5__PwQ0

26. What did you want and get?
So many great trips and happy memories with our kids

27. What did you want and not get?
Sleep!

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
We have only seen Catching Fire in theater, and liked it a lot (and btw, it was totally worth the extra money for the fancy heated massage seats and food service!) We really don't get to watch a lot of movies because there is almost always little eyes and ears up if we are both awake. (Maybe that should be another goal for 2014- more date nights/find a real babysitter besides family!)

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
30- went to dinner with my family, tried to have a party the next day but it turns out as usual Dec.27th is a horrible birthday-date wise, so my best friend from hs only made it and we hung out and watched Magic Mike and drank wine. (I made Joe take the kids out for a few hours.)

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Eh...having Olivia here? Winning the lottery? This question is kinda lame because what's the point?

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2013?
"I hate my body right now"/struggling to find things that look decent/don't want to spend a lot of money on new clothes when I'm working on losing weight= lots of jeans and tshirts

 32. What kept you sane?
Watching the kids play together, is the best thing ever.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I love Kate Middleton as well. And Channing Tatum. :)

34. What political issue stirred you the most?
The gun control stuff makes me insane. Agree with Brooke on the ACA too.

35. Who did you miss?
Olivia

36. Who was the best new person you met?
Drawing a blank.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013.
This too shall pass.
It is HARD having 2 kids only 18 months apart. I don't remember the last time I slept through the night, and if it happened there was almost definitely a kid in bed with us. It takes me an hour to get both kids ready and in the car (to say nothing of getting myself ready). The kids already fight over toys, hit and bite and push each other. And we were sick a lot last year. And Matthew is still VERY clingy especially to me.

But it definitely has gotten easier as they get older. I know there will be someday when I do get to sleep through the night without a kid draped across me. And I will probably miss these days of blogging with Matthew napping nestled up cozy in my other arm (literally right now). And it is worth all the hard work and hard times. It definitely beats the alternative of not having them here. The boys fill our hearts and lives with so much love and light.


38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
Mine would be you
Sun keeps shining, back road flying
Singing like crazy fools
Making up our own words
Laughing 'til it hurts
Baby, if I had to choose
My best day ever
My finest hour, my wildest dream come true
Mine would be you
-Blake Shelton

2013, road trips, lots of laughs, two healthy, happy kids (albeit sleepfree), our finest hour yet.

I am happy to put 2013 "in the books" as my old softball coaches would say and looking forward to all of the promise 2014 holds. I hope all of your new years are full of love and laughter as well.