Perusing the Past Year

**I meant to post this on December 31st when I started it. Obviously that did not happen...** This year's end of 2011 is slightly eerie, mostly due to the lack of snow in the Midwest. I'm not complaining about the 40 and 50 degree temps, but my brain is having a hard time adjusting to the winter dates as it feels like early autumn or even spring outside. The year 2011: my first full year as a parent. Whew. Every single person I meet, stranger or friend or family, has told me "it goes so fast!","it" being the wonderful way God created human beings to develop and grow from the womb and beyond. Every single time I hear that phrase, I second it with a bittersweet, "Oh, I know!". Here are some of the images that highlight the year moving so swiftly that, again, my brain almost refuses to accept the changes. January: Fairly uneventful, other than Garry starting his fourth busy season at KPMG which ended up being the busiest of them all with hours upon hours of work...

February: Grandma Strikwerda's health rapidly declined so we took an emergency trip to California to say goodbye as she went to be with Jesus

March: Not too many concrete events that I can recall at this moment...just waiting for busy season to end! Oh, and it SNOWED!

April: The end of busy season!! Hooray! Also Anika learned how to crawl and sit up all by herself this month. Busy little girl! Also, I started repainting the dining room, bathroom, kitchen, and our bedroom

May: Melissa's graduation from Dordt so we got to see Beppa and Opa; trip to Pella, IA for Tulip Time

June: What a busy month! Anika started cutting her first teeth, we took a trip to Wisconsin for our first camping experience with a baby and for Garry to do his half-iron man triathlon, celebrated our first Father's Day, and experienced Anika's first trip to a swimming pool.

July: We journeyed to Florida for Anika to meet Great-Grandma Sparks and other "great" Sparks relatives! This included Anika's first trip to the ocean and being on a beach. Also Tante Rachelle came out to visit us.

August: Started off with a flurry of activity with my birthday, our anniversary, a cousin's wedding, a family trip to Omaha, and then friends the Van Maanen's coming to visit to go to the zoo. Anika also became more mobile and demonstrated it by climbing on everything.

September: Happy Birthday, Anika! Completed my first race! Also, I started substitute teaching this month. Woot woot.

October: First we were visited by Nathan and Nicole, and then we had a lovely visit from some of the Riezebos family. Anika experienced her first time dressing up for Reformation Day and is getting better at eating.

November: Thanksgiving in California with the Riezebos Family and a trip to visit friends in Atascadero!

December: Christmas spent up in Minnesota with NO SNOW! Fun times with the Sparks family and Anika learning how to open presents. Although when she got to the boxes, she promptly sat on them because she thought the box was her present. Silly girl. Also Anika's hair is finally growing long enough to put pretty clips in it, provided she leaves them in her hair! She also loves playing the piano, and sometimes it actually sounds like she's trying to play a song and not just bang on the keys. Prodigy? I think so! We also took a trip to the zoo while Garry had some vacation time. The Omaha zoo in December wearing only sweatshirts...crazy. Anika loves looking at all the animals and can make quite a few of the animal noises. She has always been good at the lion, but was a little freaked out when we heard the tiger growling.