Our year started with a newborn baby (Addison Joelle) and so we have been busy changing diapers, feeding, waking up at all hours of the night and teaching her "head, shoulders, knees and toes." She is now running everywhere, mostly chasing Aubrey around the house, has learned to point and grunt for anything she wants, and her new favorite spot is inside Lucie's kennel (of course when Lucie is not in it!). She's now 1 year old, 20 lbs, and she also loves to dance to any music. She's definitely more "curious" than Aubrey was, so I am always checking my back to see if she is climbing into anything or getting herself into trouble.
Aubrey is four, almost five, and is starting to read, write, and perform math (at the dinner table when she adds all her food together). She loves to color, draw pictures, do puzzles, and play with her Barbies. She started Tee ball this year, did very well, but was not too excited about it, mostly because she didn't get to wear her favorite color: pink. She also took swimming lessons, which she loves. Her cousins have been to Texas a few times this year, so she has spent alot of time playing with them.
Troy is busy with work at the police department. He is now trained as a hostage negotiator and has also trained several new recruits in the department. When he's not at work, he's at work....military, that is. His reserve duties have been abundant this year with their annual inspections and he is the go-to guy for training and deployment resources. Troy also earned his college degree and we are very proud of him for that accomplishment. He was able to convince me into purchasing a 1968 Chevy Camaro and whenever we get a chance, we go cruising in it. 2012 will bring some challenges because he will be deployed for most of the year overseas, but us girls will hold down the fort at home and count down the days until he returns!
I am still working at the county road department and enjoy the new challenges that I face each day. I love playing and spending any time possible with the girls. In the summer, Aubrey and I would take off to Schlitterbahn for a few hours at a time to play at the waterpark. I took them to the zoo with a friend in early spring, and I love taking them to the park in the cooler weather. Troy and I also have made plans to take the girls to Sea World for the Christmas adventure in a few weeks.
I took the girls to Iowa for the Fourth of July to the Walker family reunion. It's always nice to see family I haven't seen in a long time. We took a Disney cruise with Troy's family to the Bahamas in early September, then stayed at a Disney resort in Orlando for three nights while we went to the greatest place on Earth: Disney World. Aubrey loved every minute of it, but we wore her out every day, dragging her on every ride we could. We loved the trip, our first cruise, and hope to one day go on another. In early November, we went back to Florida for Tara's wedding. We enjoyed seeing family and watching Tara and Darren get married on the beach.
We have truly been blessed this year with all the new adventures our family has had. We wish a very Merry Christmas to all and a Happy New Year!
