January moments

Overheard lately:

Will: "Mom, you teacher."

Me: "That's right! What are you?"

Will: "I'm a goonybird."

(Papa G, we have you to thank for that gem. He says it ALL THE TIME.)

Will's new favorite line (and mine): "This is SO fun."

Me: "Will, what would you like for dinner?"

Will: "Ice cream!"

Me: "No, you can't have that for dinner."

Will: "Cookies!"

Me: "No..."

Will: "Pancakes!"

It takes awhile before we get to anything remotely healthy...

At 2.5, Will's favorite things are a 1st birthday singing Elmo card (seriously, you don't need to buy the kid presents. All he wants is a singing card), pancakes, his friends Thomas and PJ, choo-choos, puzzles, Lion King (thanks B and Pablo!), his new Raffi CD (Thanks, Maresa!), the Louisville Cardinals, the Happy Birthday song, and books books books. He might be the sweetest little boy alive. Ah, I love him so!

 Nonna's Birthday

 Yeah, I made the cake. And yeah, it turned out like a pancake. 

And in this picture, it looks like it was on fire. 

Worst cake ever.

 Will and Clay got new Baltimore Orioles gear thanks to Sally and Bill!

 He always feels like a king at Mimi's house.

 Go O's!

 Poppy and Will at a UofL Cardinals Basketball Game

 Still kind of blurry, and Will couldn't take his eyes off the escalator, but hey, we're all in it.

 Will's sweet date PJ at a high school basketball game

 Will likes to put on makeup next to me in the mornings. Such a helper.

 (this one's out of order--sorry.) Will and PJ walking out of the gym.

We bought a new mattress! 

 Fun lunch with Mimi and Poppy!

 Went to the grocery and what did we find? A real firetruck with REAL firemen!

 Uncle Tony from Chattanooga came to visit!

Watching the second inauguration of President Barack Obama.

I look at this picture and I see hope and our future, my friends.

The Best of Jingle Bells 2012

Man, we've had an awesome Christmas holiday with our families.

I. LOVE. OUR. FAMILY.

Clay, Will, and I are so lucky to have families who love us unconditionally, embrace and cherish Will, and show us constantly what it means to celebrate tradition, holiday, and family.

2012 was ALL adventure.

* January and February were consumed with our joint job search: phone interviews, educational philosophy statements, tons and tons and tons of emails, and constant checking of job postings.

* Flew out of Laguardia to Atlanta, Huntsville, Louisville, usually with Will in tow, to job interviews.

* Accepted jobs at LCS in Louisville.

* Both continued to tutor families in NYC, alternating evenings when we would head downtown on the subway and come back late at night.

* Made awesome friends in the city, loved our church, and enjoyed several sweet dates in the Big Apple.

* Had a super fun, inspiring long weekend with my sister in Berkeley, CA before her MBA graduation (so proud of her!)

* Clay was a rockstar cohort member and graduated with his Master's in Educational Leadership from Columbia's Teachers College Klingenstein Center in May (so proud of him!)

* Moved out of our sweet (sweet because of the memories. the space left me craving an HGTV invasion) little 400 sq. foot apartment on the UWS by packing everything we had from the whole year in a minivan. Got robbed that night. Cared only a little bit. We were fine and we had lived a year in NYC!

* Lived with my parents for 6 weeks this summer. God bless them.

* Clay worked a hard core summer construction job at a local school. God bless him.

* Nannied two girls all summer with Will in tow. God bless him.

* Taught 60+ students online. Still teaching online. It's too great a gig.

* Rented and moved into a home we love in a great neighborhood in Louisville.

* Went to Maine with Clay's parents and brother for a week of pure bliss.

* Will started preschool.

* We started new jobs at LCS.

* Ran the Louisville half-marathon.

* Clay coached a boys' basketball team.

And we ended the year in glorious Texas with family we hold dear and a sense of WE DID IT. 2012 was a doozy. Lots of life-changing, mind-blowing, character-building, awe-inspiring, we-can-do-this-and-are-so-glad-we-did moments. Will's 2 and a half years old and thriving. We are working together for the first time. We love our town, we love our families, we love each other, we love life. It's been a full year. I'll be honest: I'm glad we did it all, but I am also glad to close the door on 2012. I've got a good feeling about this 2013. Lots of good things are going to happen this year. I can just feel it. 

Here's to you and yours enjoying a year full of joy, laughter, and wonderful surprises.