2011

When Phaeton asked me if we'd be staying up to ring in the New Year, I said, "Nah." Then Adeleigh farted. Now she's asleep. And Phaeton, with his headphones on, is dictating a play-by-play of some teenage-slasher-comedy flick he's watching on the laptop. I'm still awake, sitting next to the singing sock monkey that has taught Adeleigh the supreme power of screaming at the top of her lungs. I kind of want to squeeze the button on his hand right now, but I think that, along with the fireworks shooting outside, would give Rico a heart attack. So, I guess we're going to bed soon. But first, I need to reminisce about some of the defining moments of this past year.

January 1, 2011, New Year's Day. I don't remember that far back, so I asked Phaeton. His response, "Now this kid just fell into a woodchipper."
(sigh)

January
I found Phaeton a new job possibility at Starbucks. He applied and within a week, received an offer for Store Manager.

February
Phaeton started his new gig. The whole family was relieved and excited about the change.
Also, in February, I tried to get into couponing and visited a site that reeked havoc on our computer. We bought our first anti-virus software and paid hundred of dollars to retrieve all of the Adeleigh photos and documents off our old hard drive. Phaeton banned me from couponing because of the irony that in trying to save us money, it ended up costing us a fortune.

Springtime
We discovered the importance and happiness in swinging!

Adeleigh started eating solids, sitting up, and becoming more mobile. She also got to meet her Aunt Lori and cousins, Emily, Zach & Kara for the first time. I learned more about couponing the right way and started saving us hundreds of dollars on our grocery and household items.

Summertime
Adeleigh's personality really started to show.

She started crawling and like her Momma, learned how to eat like a lady.

She had her first trip to the zoo. Met her Uncle Bryce for her first time. Nana visited from Costa Rica. She ate her first chocolate cupcake and showed off her glorious belly for her first time at the pool.

She took her first bath in the big kid's tub. She played with all of her cousins at the first family reunion. She took her first train ride, saw her first butterfly, crawled on the grass. I went part-time at work to spend more time with her and found a new hobby in blogging. Adeleigh turned one! And she took more interest in the pets.

September

Baby's First Rockies Game for Daddy's Birthday

Adeleigh learned how to walk and soon after, run! She also learned how to bite.

October
Adeleigh's first haunted house and first time trick-or-treating.

The Holidays
Adeleigh's first balloon animal and Thanksgiving with the family.
Christmas fun and new hat and mittens for the snow.

It's been a fun, eventful, challenging and rewarding year. And we have some pretty monumental goals for the New Year.
First on my 2012 agenda, find a new career path. I'm ready to explore new and exciting opportunities. Phaeton wants to get his book published. His first draft is finished as of 5 hours ago, for those of you waiting to read it. A family goal is to move into a bigger home, so the monkey can have her own room. Us too :)

We both managed to make it til the ball dropped. Seconds before Ryan Seacrest asked, "Who will you be kissing?" I ran over to a half-asleep husband, sat on his lap and kissed him. He said, "Auld Lang Syne, Honey." I said, "What does that even mean?" He said, "I don't know, it's just what you say right now."
It's going to be a great year.

Happy 2012!