looking back...

i can't believe 2012 is already gone. it seems like when we look forward to something in the future, it can't come fast enough, but when you look back you don't understand how time passed so quickly. curtis and i will have been married for 6 years this march. we have been in texas for a year and a half. sophie just entered nursery and mason will attend primary for the first time this sunday. where oh where did my little babies go?! the past few years have been huge for us and this past year was no different. we continue to see how heavenly father has such a huge hand in our lives and it is usually for the better. curtis continues to excel at work and although moving to pepsi was a big change for him, it has given him great growing space. he loves what he does and there was never a better person to be in his position. most people are shocked to hear he hasn't even been out of school for 2 years yet. it makes my heart burst with pride :) he is such an amazing man. he works so hard for our family so that i can stay home with our kids. when he is home, he helps out with housework and with the kids and is so willing to step up when i have other responsibilities outside the home to take care of. he loves me when i haven't showered for two days, when the dishes are piled in the sink and the floor is sticky, and he even loves me when i get upset over petty things. i love him so much it makes my heart hurt sometimes :) my children are another source of great happiness (and grief :). mason is so smart. he is so excited and ready to attend primary, he loves going to preschool and he loves walking across the street to his friends house. mason is just like his dad. not only do they look alike, but mason is also not one to keep his affection to himself. he just can't resist cuddles, kisses and hugs. sophie is a handful but a cute one at that. she is learning so much right now and her vocabulary is finally picking up steam. i love having a girl to try hair do's on and dress in pretty clothes! i was just thinking today how much i enjoy hearing their laughter and giggles. as for me, i continue to grow and experience life out of my comfort zone. if it were up to me, i would still be in utah living the same life i always did. i miss grocery shopping at lin's, i miss our doctors, knowing what school to have our kids attend, where everything is located, knowing the people who announce births or deaths in the paper, sunday dinners with my family and last minute trips up the mountain. as much as i want that old life back, i know that we needed this move to grow. i feel like i have changed and grown up so much! now our gps is my best friend and i have learned how to make friends and a yummy sunday dinner all by myself. i went through every woman's worst nightmare and learned how to say goodbye to someone you love so much even though you haven't physically met them yet. thanks to lots of help, i learned (and still am learning) how to lead a choir, take charge and do something i never imagined doing in my life. i learned that your ward members become your family and everyone watches out for one another. i learned that cute little field rabbits are not so cute when your back yard becomes their breeding ground.  i learned that 40 degree winters are much better than 15 degree winters and that when the sky gets thick, dark storm clouds, you turn on the news and listen for the tornado sirens. i know we won't be in texas for the rest of our lives and although i hate the thought of moving again, i know i will get through it and start growing all over again. 2012 was had some really, really  crappy moments and i'm sure 2013 will too, but overall i'm super happy with life and know that if we live how heavenly father would want us to, everything works out in the end!