Remember when I used to blog :)

I have been so overwhelmed with catching up on blogging that I haven't. i was sad to see that my 2012 blogs were almost 1/2 as many as 2011. So here is my quick attempt to update so I get get back to blogging so that I can match and hopefully beat my 2011 blog entries.

My last post was about my sweet cousin David that passed away a couple weeks before Christmas. I had an amazing experience to go out and attach myself to his sweet widow Cristina. It was one of the hardest, yet most spiritual weeks of my life. It was good to be back with my "2nd" family the Kenneys in the home where we lived when Houston was born. It made me happy, despite the situation, to walk down the stairs and see Bruce and Jimae in their room the same way they were the morning I knocked on the door to tell them we were headed to the hospital to have Houston. I love those two so incredibly much and was grateful to spend a week of healing and growing with them in December. Cristina- I love you. You are so strong! Thank you for letting me be your companion for a week.

Christmas was wonderful. Michael and I were so blessed to have both set of parents here. We feel so lucky that our parents get along and I think actually enjoy each other. They actually went on a cruise together with a group- withOUT us- so they love to party together. We were so grateful to have both of them make the journey to enjoy the holidays together.

Michael's brother Kevin came out in October to live with us for a few months. We enjoyed our too few times of laughing about his late nights "at the Tree" (he worked at the Dollar Tree), his hot dates with the ladies, and the adjustments of coming home from a mission. We were excited, yet selfishly saddened when he decided he was going to start school at UVU in January and left us. Houston still sometimes tells us to save a seat for Kevin at the dinner table- because "that's where Uncle Kevy sits". We love you Kev and are so proud of you. We miss you like crazy though!

The next month was a blur. I was trying to get things back in order after the last minute trip to Utah for the funeral and the holidays when within 48 hours I got called as Young Womens President, Michael's work had layoffs and completely changed the structure of the company (he still has a job and things are going well- but it was a little confusing there for a bit), I started Real Estate school, and.... I found out we were pregnant with number 3! The night after the action packed 48 hours- Michael and I got a babysitter and headed to the temple. We were SO INCREDIBLY exhausted. We could barely lift our arms or open our eyes. When we walked in the temple doors, we knew we could not physically make it through any of the work in the right mindset. We asked if there was any way we could just go sit and feel the spirit in the Celestial Room. I'm sure they saw our zombie eyes and decided to make a special exception. It was a beautiful spirit that we just held each other and although we didn't know a lot of what the future held for us with all this new news- we knew it would be ok. I am grateful for the temple and the beautiful reassuring spirit that is there.

So fast forward through a lot of vomiting and you get me finishing Real Estate school and now 13 weeks along in pregnancy (and still quite a bit of vomit :)- Due Sept 11. I take my National Real Estate Exam next week... you know... I'll be older and wiser then seeing as this week is my 30th birthday! YIKES!

Speaking of birthdays- my little man turned 3 (holy cow!) and my "Bear" turns a whopping one in two weeks. I often find myself lost in love for my sweet little family. Yesterday was what I like to call a Celestial Sabbath- everything seemed perfect- well the spirit at least. Sure it was a little crazy when I have to go to Ward Council and leave Michael to get the kids ready and to church by himself (which he did- ON TIME! Apparently I'm the weak link!). And yes- I cried pretty good when I realized I had left my sweet sleeping Hadley in the library for 5 minutes because I was teaching a combined YM/YW/Parents Missionary Month Kick-Off and Michael was doing his Elders Quorum Presidency Duty of teaching an awesome lesson. And sure- I might have assisted in slightly breaking the church's printer because I asked someone to help- and they changed the toner to which they did- but apparently it wasn't toner. But aside from all that... we came home and after my husband told me in a loving way and with a sweet smile after giggling a little under his breath (and it is a good thing he did) "you are acting pregnant today".

Is it weird that I don't remember acting this way with the others. I have found myself wondering- does each pregnancy make you more tired and I guess I will never know the answer because there will always be the outlier that the actual pregnancy probably does not- but the pregnancy PLUS taking care of another child PLUS having a more exciting yet demanding church calling PLUS being a grown up instead of a grad student wife PLUS ... etc .... NOW THAT might make each pregnancy a little more exhausting. And yes, I do find myself "acting pregnant" more. But at least when my husband says it, he has a twinkle in his eye and will tell me "I love it when you act pregnant because it reminds me you are my wife and carrying our baby". I am constantly amazed by how much more I love my husband everyday. I'm grateful for his hard work at a job he doesn't always love. I'm grateful for the nights that I try to be productive and get things done and he says, "no- just come let me snuggle you". I'm grateful that he is letting me throw a pretty decent sized party on the 1st weekend of March Madness without even a whine. I love that my son IDOLIZES him and that our daughter lights up to almost GLOWING when she sees him in the morning. (sidenote: Which is good because Houston recently said, "I don't want dad to help me- he is scary in the morning!" which was good for Michael to hear and he has really tried to improve his "morning-daddy" voice. :)

I'm sorry for the lack of pictures but if I wait for pictures it just might not ever get done! Maybe someday I will catch up on the rest of 2011. Like the Amazing Hock reunion at Clear Creek, or when/how the Johnsons moved out East too, or the wonderful Christmas we had with mom and dad Hock in our home, etc etc etc. But for now, I have to remember- as much as I love having people read this-- this is really not for them. It is for my readers who still don't know how to read. Because someday my little sweethearts- including the ones not even on this earth yet- will want to know how my 2012 was- so I can't miss any more of it.

Here is to a great 2012! Let's start blogging!