A Year In Review

Wow I can't believe how fast the end of 2012 has come!!  It has been a crazy and exciting year with lots of changes.  The biggest change of all was moving in to our new house.  We are still getting settled (and yes that means I still have some boxes needing to be unpacked, but don't know when I will get around to unpacking them).  We have been welcomed in to our new neighborhood and ward and have met lots of friendly people.  It appears as if we aren't going to be sending out Christmas Cards this year so you will have to settle for a blog post of our year in review instead.

I will start with Noah. He turned two this year and keeps me busy.  He has gotten in to the mischivous stage and is always getting into something.  His favorites are playing with the toilet and getting into food inside the pantry.  He is in nursery and after a few months he has actually started enjoying it--which means he doesn't scream when you drop him off.  He was in early intervention for a bit since he was slightly delayed, but he has graduated out of that and is doing well.  He follows Sarah around and whatever Sarah does, Noah is quick to follow.  He continues to be cuddly (which I LOVE) and is a sweet boy.

Sarah turned four this year and started preschool.  She loves going to school just like her older brothers.  She is learning a lot.  She still continues to be in dance and loves to dress up in her costumes and dance around the house.  She still can be one stubborn girl (which is why it took forever to finally get her potty trained), but she is just as sweet when she wants to be.  She loves being my kitchen helper, especially when I make bread.  I love being her Sunbeam teacher.

 

Daniel turned 7 and started first grade this year.  It was weird to send him to school all day, but he LOVES it.  He continues to be quite allergic to dairy, tree nuts and eggs, but he brings home lunch to school every day so we don't have to worry about it (most times anyway).  He is in basketball and enjoys it.  He is learning how to read and loves to read anything and everything.  He lost his four top front teeth this year and has been called "Fang" for most of the year.  He still is cuddly and makes sure he has his brown blankee with him when he needs to cuddle.  He is also our comic relief at our house which is great when things can get crazy which happens more than I care to admit.

 

Josh turned 9 this year and started fourth grade.  He LOVES school especially reading.  Reading has gotten easier for him since he got his glasses in April.  We don't recognize him now without them.  He will read anything and everything.  His favorite thing to read is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series.  He is very thoughtful and a huge help for us at home.  He continues with piano and is getting better day by day (when I can get him to willingly practice).  He loves to stump me with different facts.  There is not a day that doesn't go by when I don't hear, "Hey Mom did you know -------?"  He loves to help me cook and bake.  This summer, Josh ran his second 5k, this time running the entire time.  Not bad for a kid who can't sweat (due to the anti-seizure meds he's on).  He enjoys scouts and learning new things there.  We are also happy to report that he has been seizure free for almost a year.  YAY!!  He is growing quite tall.  He is trying to surpass Matthew and makes me measure him against Matthew at least once a month to see if he has finally gotten taller than Matthew.  It hasn't happened, yet, but probably will sooner than later with the fast way he is growing.

Matthew turned 11 this year and started 6th grade.  He has switched to a new school, his fifth school and sixth school change in seven years, but that can be common in special ed.  He has a new teacher that is great and he enjoys school a lot.  He LOVES trains.  In fact, it is a rare feat to find him without anything train related on his person, whether it's a train ball cap, train winter hat, or his favorite train calendar.  He is a very happy kid and loves to give the neighborhood kids "train rides" by tying the wagon to his bike and towing them around.  He is a VERY happy kid, which means that Mom and Dad spend a lot of time trying to contain that happiness.  Hey, it's better than him being angry all the time.  He loves playing with Sarah and Noah as well as the Wii.

Rebecca turned 29 this year, again.  She stays busy taking Sarah to preschool and keeping Noah out of trouble.  She started baking bread quite a bit this year, and the kids keep her busy doing it by eating up to 12 loaves a week!  She is a Sunbeam teacher, which has been great since she gets to teach Sarah every Sunday as well as many of the little girls in our neighborhood.  She took up the hobby of running this summer and managed to run a half marathon in September after only training for about 10 weeks.  Rebecca is an accomplished painter, repainting 1/2 the bedrooms and the dining area while Aaron was out of town this spring.  She also managed to bottle enough food to keep the Mancil boys fed for a couple of months (this may not sound like a lot, but trust me, it is!!)

 

Aaron turned 45 this year, at least that's how he felt.  He has stayed busy at work up at Hill AFB working on F-16 software engineering stands.  He got to take a trip to Ft Worth this year for work where he got to see the brand new F-35 jets being built.  He stays busy in the Elder's Quorum presidency at Church, where he got put in as second counselor in March.  As far as the yard went for the new house, Aaron surveyed what needed to be done, helped lay out a plan, and then promptly hired a company to put the yard in.  He did, however, set up the garden with the assistance of Rebecca.  However, the garden was put in too early and promptly froze, forcing garden 2.0 to be implemented.  This didn't do well, either.  Oh, well, it's a learning experience.  Aaron joined Rebecca in training for the half marathon, but lost in the race to Rebecca by only a few minutes due to an emergency pit stop.  We will see who wins next year.

As the year ends, we feel truly blessed.  Looking back on the events of the last year, which has brought a lot of change in our lives, we see the hand of the Lord.  He has helped us make decisions and brought opportunities for us that have blessed us.  We truly feel that we are where He wants us to be and are grateful for His help.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all our friends and family!