2012 Already!

I can't believe I let so much time go by since my last post.  I keep telling myself I am not going to let this happen--and then it does.  Let me see if I can recap everything that has happened since then.

June and July--swimming lessons, summer camp, the end of baseball, and a couple visits to Matthew pretty much sum these months up.  We spent a lot of time at the water park, and this summer had record high temperatures.  The water wasn't even cool any more.  It was 109 on the day pictured.

August--We continued to suffer through the heat and prepared to return to school.  Ladd and I were also pleased to learn that we were expecting baby number 3 in April of 2012.  Evan started 3rd grade (he is getting SO big, and Claire started her last year of preschool.  I tried to take a picture of them, but Claire didn't want to pose with her brother. 

September consisted mostly of getting back in the swing of things.  Evan played flag football and baseball this fall. Claire started a ballet and tap class.  This month continued to be incredibly hot.  The Dallas area suffered from a record number of days over 100 and a record drought.    My brother Matthew also had surgery to remove a liver tumor along with 75% of his liver.  This was not an easy surgery or recovery, but did yield good results.

October brought the Texas State Fair, and of course Halloween (Claire is pictured with friends).  We also were able to announce our pregnancy.

November was a busy month We were able to find out that our sweet baby was healthy and another girl.  Football and Baseball came to an end.  We got a short visit from Jeffrey and Stephen.  Ladd's brother, Tim, got married, and we gained a wonderful sister-in-law. Jennifer spent Thanksgiving with us, which the kids loved.  We also had to say goodbye to my Grandmother Grace. 

December went by in a whirlwind.  Claire had her first recital.  She loved it, but wants to try soccer in the spring.  I have gotten good reports from the doctor, so the the pregnancy is going well.  Evan entered a math contest--all those with the correct answers went into a drawing--and he won!  He also started basketball.  Ladd was very busy at work, and didn't have much spare time.  Christmas came quickly.  All of the Haluskas came to our house for Christmas.  For a couple of days we had 12 people here.  It was crazy, but wonderful!  We took family pictures the day after Christmas.  The kids had a blast with so many people here, and were very sorry to see them go! We spent the next week just catching up on things: cleaning, laundry, and other errands.  On the 30th, Ladd and I celebrated our 11th anniversary with a wonderful steak dinner on the patio (cooked by Ladd).  The four of us had an exclusive "party" to usher in the New Year.  I enjoyed taking it easy for a couple of days (after making stuffed cabbage and black-eyed peas.)

Now, it is 2012, and time for work again.  One of my resolutions is to make my blog posts more frequent so they won't be so long!  Also, I am sure that I missed some stuff that I would want to remember.  Happy New Year to all!  I hope that 2012 is wonderful for you!