2012 really was one of those years

I remember saying much earlier in the year that I felt that 2012 would be one of those years we would look back on and say, "Holy guacamole! A lot happened that year!" It was a life changing year. It was filled with blessings as well as struggles. It was anything other than boring.

• We added a new child in early 2012. This child was such a bonus. We had tried for a few years without any success to get a forth. We finally accepted the fact that our family was complete and we were prepared to make that permanent when we found out that he was on the way! So, in January we welcomed this sweet little man into our arms and our family. Now, finally, our family feels complete (I would love one more, but I am not going to win that argument). Fritz has just brought so much love and fun into our home. The kids adore him and he adores them. We enjoy each "baby trick" he learns and they remind us of how awesome our other kids are and how cute they were when they were doing the same things. We just appreciate him so much.
• We bought a house. We moved for the 15th time into a crazy fixer-upper and began to work on it. We found this home when Fritz was 5 days old. My first time leaving the house after his birth was to look at this house and then get bagels :) This process included a crazy 203(k) loan which had a built in budget for home renovations and then the house had to meet HUD standards as well. It was a headache and lots of paperwork for everyone involved from the inspector, us, finances, and the contractor. I am thankful everyone stuck it out with us through the entire process. We have done so much work! There is so much more to do! There have been a few moments where I have wondered what we were thinking and thought about how nice it would have been to purchase new construction, but then we send off our mortgage payment and I am reminded how awesome it is to have a fixer-upper :) 
• Joe started a new job. This was such a good move for him. His last job was a good job, but I wasn't a fan of him being on the road so much. When the road conditions were bad, I was so afraid that he would get into an accident. He drove A LOT. He also was on-call every third week and was very difficult for 2 of us to be on-call at the same time. He got a job that he had been hoping to get since the time we moved to the area, which is doing IT in an education setting. Our benefits are better, the pay is better, no on-call time, and he only drives 12 miles from home each day for work. If the roads are bad, school is canceled and he gets to stay at home. 
• I have reaffirmed my love for my work. There was a period of time this year where I felt done with my job. It can be really demanding and stressful at times. I declared a few times to my husband that I was quitting and I was serious this time! I don't know what the shift was, but it happened and I am still here and in it for the long haul. I won't be walking away anytime real soon. 

I feel like this year has been so full of ups and downs and general craziness. I am ready for 2013 to begin and am hopeful for a more boring year just filled with just "being" rather than "changing."