My first year in review!

Oh my goodness, I have been trying to get to this post all day, but things just kept happening to keep me busy.  Well, it has been a year (not exact to the day, but pretty close) since I started this blog.  I have done a terrible job of updating on things at the shed and I already regret it.  I have blogged about other things that I enjoy though and I'm happy with that.  I'm not usually one for reviewing at the end of the year, but I also wasn't one for blogging a year ago either and I have enjoyed that, so I thought I'd have a go at a review of my year.

This year has probably been the most eventful one in my life so far.  We have done so many things (many of them things I hadn't even considered we or I would be doing this year, even only a few months before the year started).  I'll think I'll do this in bullet point form.

December 2010:

• Moved North to be closer to our immediate family.

January

• My baby girl turned one and we celebrated with spaghetti and her first taste of chocolate cake.
• We found out that both my and daddy's grandma's were both diagnosed with cancer and that meant I couldn't see my grandma until her chemo treatment finished because I was pregnant.  January was the last time I saw her.  Lyle's grandma was not having chemo, but radiation and Milly and I stayed with her during the day while daddy and his granddad worked on the shed.  
• I found out I was pregnant again!
• I started a new job teaching a laptop class.

                                                 
April:

• We went to Brisbane for the school holidays and caught up with some friends and did some shopping.

May:

• We moved into the 'shouse'.
• We spent the first night in the 'shouse' from 3am  in a hospital room with Daddy's entire family and his grandma died the next afternoon. My aunty died of cancer the day of his grandmother's funeral.
• I was very spoilt by my class and my teaching partner with a surprise party for my birthday.  

June:

• I finished work and was spoilt by my class and my teaching partner with a surprise going away party.  

July:

• According to my photos this was the month for baking! I remember being really grateful to have the time at home to spend with Milly and to do the things I love, like baking.  I also remember it taking me awhile before I wanted to start using my spare time to craft.  I think I was too tired for that!

August:

• This was the month of my due date (30th), but it was not to be and so it felt like the month of suspense. 
• Installed a 'craft room' (a few shelves in a corner of the lounge room) and I unpacked all my craft stuff. 
• Still lots of baking and just putting my toe in the water with some crafting.  I made the owls and the fabric boxes 
• We got the concrete tank for Daddy's studio delivered.
• My aunty died from cancer. 

September:

• Claire Bear is here!!! It's very difficult to imagine our family without this amazing little girl. I won't tell you how much I love her because if you're a parent you already know and if you're not a parent I can't describe it well enough.  
• I recovered from my caesar with some incredible care and help from our mummies. 
• 2 weeks later Claire met my grandma only 3 days before she died.  I will never forget the smile in my grandma's eyes when she met Claire, her 9th and last to be born (but only by a few weeks) great grandchild.  
• I think this is the month we started the vege garden.

October:

• Made Milly's 'nice and warm and soft' blanket (my first ever patchwork) and a drawstring bag.
• We lost a good friend of Daddy's to cancer.

November:

• Harvested our first and many cucumbers!
• Tried to figure out how to stop the rats eating our tomatoes before they ripen.
• Got a trampoline.
• This must have been the month for family gatherings according to my photos

                                           

December:

• Milly moved into a real bed and since then falls asleep on the floor almost every night and every afternoon.
• Claire started to become a lot more interested in the world around her and started playing with toys.
• I lost my sewing mojo and it's still not back, but I'm working on it. 
• Breakfast got a whole lot more exciting with a new coffee machine and toaster! (I'm easily pleased). 
• We got our first serious rain for the season and the water tank is still not properly installed!

                                                

So, it's been a hectic and bittersweet year and very emotional.  We had to say goodbye to too many wonderful people, but we got Claire.  We worked hard on the 'shouse' and we go to see family every weekend, which is why we moved here in the first place. I feel like I've learnt a lot from and about myself this year and I think it will be remembered as a pretty significant year of my life.  

                                

As a child we never did anything special for New Year's so it's never really been a big deal for me, but I'm learning that life happens very quickly and it was nice to take a moment (or a lot of moments over 2 days due to a baby that is refusing to sleep these last few days!) and look back over the year to remember and think about some of the important things that happened to us, that we were a part of and that we accomplished together as a couple and as a family, so happy new years and I know we have some exciting things happening this year and I hope you do too!