Recap

It's a brand new year....stretch......can you feel it?

You know what I haven't done pretty much all year? Tell you what we're up to. I mean, yeah, I've posted some highlights, but no real summary of who we are and what we're up to. So here it is: The Clarks- 2012.

Steve- Big Daddy

This has really been Steve's year. He got a motorcycle from his dad, which was an awesome gift. He had a blast riding this year and taking us for rides too. My brother Dan got one too which was great, because then Steve had a riding buddy. Or maybe Dan had his first. I can't remember. I bet Amy does though :)

Anyway, even I learned how to ride the motorcycle. One day, I circled our block 13 times learning how to shift without killing it. I thought I was pretty cool for a few minutes. To prove it, Eli and I are holding a sword.

Steve also bought a snowmobile. This was the culmination of his life dreams. Strangely enough, Dan also had a snowmobile and they are now riding together. Does anyone see a trend here???

That being said, despite these boys and their toys, we have spent a lot of time with the Powers' just doing whatever. It's nice to have family as neighbors to meet up for pizza or football or ridiculous holiday parties or whatever!

Olivia:

Olivia is turning the BIG 10 next week. She is also BIG. She is a mere few inches shorter than I am and wears roughly the same size shoe as I do and many of my things go missing and are found in her possession. Odd. She has no idea how they got there.....

She is into dance and earrings, boots, and reading. She is creative and silly and wants to be grown up but then decides she's not ready. She reminds me of me. She is beautiful and thoughtful, but still fiesty and frustrating. Some things never change, no?

Liv has started basketball this year. We're coming up on her first game this weekend, but I'm guessing it will be fun to watch, especially considering her height. DUNK IT LIVY!!! DUNK IT!

Sophie:

What can I say about Sophie? She's 8 years old, in the 2nd grade, and she is as unique as ever. She dresses as a undercover spy. She collects foreign currency and dinosaur bones. She loves dogs, still. (If you were wondering). She still wears slicky pants everyday, but will sometimes throw in a pair of jeans if all else is dirty. This is an improvement from previous years.

Sophie is playing basketball too this year. She will have her first game this weekend too and we can't wait to see her in action. She is mostly pumped about her sweet basketball shoes. We'll see if her enthusiasm transfers to the court. Her true love is still soccer and she's looking forward to next season.  She loves to play Wii and loves to read comic books. She makes us laugh with her comments that she doesn't mean to be funny, but they totally are.

Eli:

Eli is 2 years old and living the dream. He has two big sisters to dote on him and to carry out his demands. He is big into school buses and dinosaurs and loves to be read to. He is the HAPPIEST little creature in the world, which makes up for his high maintenance milk and soy intolerance issues that we deal with. Aside from that though, he is the joy of our household.

Me:

Well, for me. I'm still working away with the surgeons. My good friend, Jen joined the team this year, which has been awesome. I'm taking some classes on the side, got asked if one of my essays could be published in a nursing journal (whoop whoop!), went on an amazing trip to D.C., and became an auntie again. Oh, and I turned 30 this year. And it's been great. I love 30. Even with the downs of taking our house off the market after having it on the market and wondering just what we are doing here and what we might be doing later....I just feel, well, comfortable in my skin for once. Here, at age 30. I've lost almost 20 lbs. on my way to my goal of 30 for my 30th year. That feels good too.

So, that's it. Another year. We're hanging in here. Goodbye 2012!

Clark 2012 - Online Slideshow Creator

Love,

The Clarks