The Second Half of 2011

I don't know if I have any readers left. I've been the worst blogger of 2011! Here's quick recaps and photos of the highlights.

1. Connor started 1st grade in August. He has a wonderful teacher, is learning a lot and recently won his class spelling bee! He's made great grades and we're really proud of him. He ran cross-country this year at school and played soccer here in town.

2. Tate is growing like a weed and is just as smart as Connor. He's extremely verbal and much like his mother doesn't really ever stop talking! He was potty trained before his 2nd birthday (YIPPEE!!) and still hasn't figured out that he's not 7 years old. He's right behind Connor no matter what he's doing and they play very well together (when they're not ready to kill one another).

3. Gabe & I have been running and working on getting in/staying in shape. In September we participated in the Warrior Dash as part of my birthday celebration. The event lived up to its hype and we were thrilled to share the craziest freakin' day of our lives together. In October we also got a new dog, Lola! She's a wonderful 5 year old chocolate lab and the kids are crazy about her! (We must just be crazy for adding a new 'kid' to the mix!)

4. In November we said goodbye to Gabe's biological dad, David. He fought a long hard battle with cancer and on November 15 his battle ended. We have been so thankful for everyone's prayers and support.

5. It's now December 14th and I'm addressing Christmas cards and putting the finishing touches on presents. I love this time of year and the magic it brings. I love this season of Advent. O come, O come Emmanuel!

For the rest of  2011 and all of 2012 I'm setting a goal to blog twice a week. Let's see how well that works out!