Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, my friends! Okay, so yeah. When I said "We're Baaaack!" last time, I guess I didn't mean it. I'm going to try to get better about blogging, but no promises. There's so much on my plate lately, it's a bit overwhelming...

Still! I think I can suck it up for one night, right?

Rexy is almost 11 months old. I cannot believe how much he's grown, yet his first year has seemed to go by slower than my previous two children's first years. He is, by far, my most challenging child. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It's an exhausting thing, but not always bad. He's just a busy boy who is not as mobile as he would like to be. He is still not crawling in the conventional fashion (prefers to army crawl), but he's pulling up on anything that stands still and is quite vocal about not getting to do things as he sees fit. He is something else. Energy for miles, smiles for all, unbridled anger, and the appetite of a 17 year old athlete. Joy!

Ben is 4 now and is such a sweet, sensitive boy. He also has such a wonderful, dry sense of humor and a vocabulary that knocks us over every other day. He says the darndest things, as the saying goes. He has adjusted to Rex being around, but is now having to stake a claim on his things and play area. Ben LOVES floor puzzles and puts them together daily. Guess what? Rex loves floor puzzles too! He regularly army-crawls over to Ben's puzzles and it's like watching Jaws approach. I'm serious, you can almost hear that horrifying music as the tension builds. Ben is learning to tell Rex "no" and I'm learning to be more sympathetic with the plight of having a little brother who is...an infant. It's not easy for Ben, but he is learning patience and is still so loving with Rex. It's actually pretty amazing to see.

Vanessa is doing well in NYC. She is working as an assistant for a photographer and really enjoys the people with whom she works. It sounds like a quaint, familial environment and she is really happy with her job. Other than that, it sounds like she's living the New York life. She was down visiting for a week for Christmas and we had a wonderful time with the family. When she's home, there is a certain energy in the house and all feels complete, at least for me. When she leaves, part of my heart goes with her. There is nothing so hard for me as letting go of my first child. She is on her journey now and much as I miss her, I know it is time for her to grow, learn, and live. Still, I do miss her and as I write this, the tears are falling. Boy, I miss my baby girl.

Mike had a great year at work. He is still with HCA and is so blessed to work on a team with people he really loves. They're like a little family, much like what I had working with Chris and Wes at Burlington Resources. It's such a rare and wonderful dynamic to have. He is so fortunate. And I'm blessed to have him. He is an amazing husband and father.

Personally, I expect quite a bit of personal growth this year. I'm making changes, learning, and growing myself. It's not always easy and sometimes it's downright painful. But when I look back after I get through the trials, there's always so much progress. And that's the deal, right? Progress, not perfection. Sing on, sister.

For anyone who reads this, and even for those who don't, I wish all of you a peaceful, prosperous new year full of love and self-discovery. It's easy for me to look ahead and worry about something that hasn't happened yet and may never happen. But all I have is today and it's so easy to live just one day at a time.