Happy New Year

4th Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years all come and gone in a blink of an eye.  Time waits for no one, especially these days.  The space-time continuum certainly accelerates dramatically when you are working full time and juggling 2 rambunctious kids.

 As with any New Year it is always a time for reflection.  In 2011 we had many adventures and milestones and are gearing up for a few more big adventures in 2012.  Our Christmas Card reflected many events of the past Year:  Audrey's foray into Dance Class and Recitals, Ben trying out and bailing on gymnastics, yet still loving and having a knack for sports (he's looking forward to playing TBall and Soccer this year), the heartbreaking passing of both our beloved family cats, my continued teaching of international students and Dave's ever changing freelance gigs.

2011 Christmas Card

This past September I began work on what would be an epic undertaking into what I now refer to as "The Big Bed Transition of 2011."  The kids were getting a bit big for the toddler beds I made for them utilizing their crib mattresses.  We considered the notion of buying new beds/frames for them.  After searching several local, and not so local businesses and scouring the internet for anything that would remotely fit into their room and be approved by the kids, we (and by we, I eventually mean I) were left to construct the beds our(my) self.

Test Drive

Princess Castle Bed

I am proud of the end result, although it ended up taking A LOT longer than I had originally planned.  Turns out trying to build (2) fairly large and complex beds from scratch while having a full time job with two 4 year olds during the Holiday season takes a HUGE amount of time.  (Parents thinking of doing the same - You have been warned!)

Once the Magnum Creations were finished and installed, the kids seemed to enjoy them.  And they better - for they will be using them for the rest of their natural lives! :P

Finished Batmobile

Update on our Benjamin:
In December we returned to the doctors for a follow up on his weight gain.  Fortunately he gained a whole pound in two months and continued to grow a 1/4 inch.  So for now, all is well.  Unfortunately we are still struggling in getting him to eat a decent amount of food at a sitting.  We are all hoping that he grows out of this phase quickly. Prayers welcome.

Now that the Holidays are behind us, our next adventure will be a trip to Orlando/DisneyWorld come Spring.  Summer will be full of traveling, Fall will bring two big milestones: School and turning 5.  And maybe this Winter we can just chill out for once.  Here's to a smooth ride...