A year in review

I don’t send Christmas cards. Not because I’m a Scrooge, but because I’m cheap. I never could find the kind of cards to send that I thought matched our personalities. Those were the high-dollar cards that could only be special ordered at least six months in advance. I always ended up buying some dollar store mark down that was printed with a cheesy, grammatically incorrect holiday saying that was on sale because there was a word printed upside down. Or else they were just really boring. I decided to quit altogether, and it is a good thing because Christmas cards are just one more item that would have gone on the list of things I stopped doing when I became a mom.

I’m always impressed by those who faithfully send out Christmas cards, year after year. I’m even more impressed with those who have a picture made to put on those cards. But the folks who impress me the most are those who take the time to write a letter to include with their picture and their season’s greetings. Some people call it their year in review. Clearly, as a person who doesn’t make time to send Christmas cards I will most certainly not have time for writing a year in review…but if I did, it might go something like this:

Smith Family Year in Review 2007

Season’s greetings to all. We hope this finds everyone feeling well and enjoying the frigid weather. Since it turned cold, we’ve all been fighting the snotty-nose drainage and that pesky anal leakage that comes with the yearly diarrhea bug that’s been going around again. We’re all about to get over it now, except for the horrific diaper rash it caused on the baby and the chaffing it left on, well, someone who wishes to remain nameless.

The past year has been both a blessing and a curse in so many ways. On January 1, Randy and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. I can’t remember where we were or what we did, but I think surely we spent at least part of the day together. January 10th marked the day our littlest one spoke his first word, “cracker”. We were so moved by the child’s truly sentimental nature. We celebrated a first tooth, learning to play catch, and giving kisses.

February marked Cooper’s discovery of “pooth taste” and his daily ritual of seeing how much of that squishy stuff he could eat before throwing up. He also received a special singing potty from his great-grandmother and made his first, and only, deposit. It’s true; we have pictures to prove it.

March was a big month for us. Cooper learned to hit a ball in motion. He now prefers hitting a pitched ball to one that just sits on a T. He is getting stronger, and he has such a quick bat. We are thinking of signing him up for winter little league. Oh yeah, and Brisco had his first birthday and also learned to walk.

April was a big month for high school baseball games and tournaments, and Opening Day for the Yankees was April 1. I kinda lost track of anything else.

May marked the end of school ball and the beginning of summer ball. We had Randy all to ourselves for a whole 10 days. Brisco continued to cut new teeth, and somehow he learned to perfect a funny little fish face. I’ll never know how he was able to suck in those huge cheeks!

Summer time was upon us, bringing the excitement of the Fourth of July and lots of opportunities for family gatherings and ball games in the yard. We prepared for late nights at the ball park, and anticipated the coming of Vacation Bible School.

Somewhere in the next few months, we endured playing in the rain, peeing in the pool, and the death of one of our dogs. We watched and listened to our kids repeat and mimic both our words and our actions at the most inopportune times and in the most unforgettable places. We chased boys over and across every baseball diamond in seven counties. We endured Sunday mornings, naked Tuesdays, and black Friday. We were blessed with family and friends who shared their lives and their love with our two boys, and for that we are so very thankful.

Over the past year, we have learned so much about our family and about being parents. We’ve learned that in this family, we all have a position to play. We’ve learned that you can lose two little boys in your own house, and if you leave the gate open, you better hope you have a helpful “neighborhood watch association”. We’ve learned that Black Fridays aren’t as uncommon as one might believe. We’ve learned that a parent can’t be too proud or she just might end up raising that kid, ‘cause heaven knows she’s already got her hands full. We’ve learned that you can’t rush nature. Singing potty or no singing potty; they’ll go when they’re ready. We’ve learned that life is full of crust; but if we have the guts to go for it, the good stuff will be our reward.

And above all, we’ve learned that sometimes in life, there’s nothing better than a little prayer, a little pillow talk, and knowing mom will let you lick the spoon.

And that’s our year in review.