Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot. . .

2011, what a year you have been!

We started off 2011 with a wintry snow storm. Simultaneously, the lamp on our t.v. died and we had to wait out the storm in the office. We also got some good playtime in the ice, I mean snow, but it wasn't the right consistency for a snowman :( We had some good indoor fun at Champion Kids with Harrison and M.K. Then the sun came out and we got to play outside some.

In February, Beckham rocked out the balance beam at his move-a-thon. We watched with tears in our eyes as the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. More snow graced us with its presence and melted before we got a chance to play. Beckham spread the love at his first Valentine's Day party (where he showed me the itty-bitty potty he uses at school).

In March, Brooksy turned one and showed us his mad walking skills. We showered Gretchen and Baby Maximus with fun baby gifts. Sofia turned 6 and we got to play with all the new puppies. Beckham had his first "no tears" barber shop cut. And we said good-bye to Beckham's diapers!

In April, Great Grandma Helen stayed with us for a week over spring break. Scott and his siblings sat on the glass at a Penguins/Thrashers game. Beckham had his first ever ice cream cone. Scott became another decade older. The boys did some modeling for our neighbor Chrissy (and took some beautiful pics that substituted for Brooks' one years). Scott began training on roller blades and ice skates for his ambitious goal of joining an amateur hockey league. Another Easter came and went with some nice goodies for the boys.

In May, Beckham spent an awesome day jumping on a variety of bounce houses at his "Spring Fling". The boys discovered the free cookies at the Publix bakery. I celebrated calling myself "mommy" for the fourth year in a row! Beckham said goodbye to his classmates and started a summer of fun. We showered Tara and Baby Abigail with some precious pink things! Scottie and I made a date of ice skating, dinner, and a movie. The sun got hot and the baby pool and sprinklers came out- yay! We made homemade popsicles. We went to the pool with Harrison and M.K. We celebrated Aunt Amanda's birthday. We went swimming with the cousins.

In June, we took in the Laser Spectacular with Grandma, Pap-pap, and Uncle Brando. Beckham said goodbye to his car seat and hello to a booster seat- big boy! Beckham and Daddy caught a fish "this big"! I won "Bad Mommy of the Year" award when Brooks fell out of the car while it was moving in a parking lot (on the way to Champion Kids where he proceeded to have a blast). The Parker clan came to Kennesaw for Father's Day/Pap-pap's birthday and went ice skating in celebration. We took Beckham to his first ever theater experience to see Cars 2 in 3-D. We discovered outdoor finger painting.

In July, we celebrated July 4th at Ben and Lisa's (where Beckham got "kissed" by Pony). Grandma and Pap-pap got a pool in their backyard. We went to Pittsburgh where the highlights were riding roller coasters at Kennywood and visiting the beach on Lake Erie. Scott followed through with his hockey-playing goal and started accruing gear. We finally met Baby Abigail. We got the inside and outside of our abode painted (LOVE)! Nana moved in with Aunt Kathie. Our t.v. finally died and was replaced with one hanging above the mantel.

In August, we celebrated Uncle Sean's birthday. We went swimming with the cousins. We had Ben and Lisa over for dinner. Brooksy got his first barber-shop cut (accompanied by a lot of tears). We filled the baby pool with bubbles. We discovered that the office chair is an exciting form of entertainment. Grammy babysat so we could see Harry Potter (and gave the boys a really cool bubble gun). We celebrated Great Grandma Helen's birthday. Beckham went back to school and Brooks didn't know what to do with me all to himself. The Cook kids got together at Grammy's for a nice family dinner. Scott "made the cuts"- he tried out for hockey and made The Icemen.

In September, we got to meet Anne's sweet baby boy, Riley. We celebrated my 31st birthday. The doctor told me Brooks was obese and cross-eyed (haha!). The boys and I got to see Daddy play hockey. . . and score a goal! My car battery died while I was at work- awesome! We celebrated Annelies and Ollie's birthdays.

In October, we showered Katie and Baby Wesley with gifts. Mom and I had a flop of a garage sale. Shanna, Mom, and I went to the Gold Rush Festival. We made a trip to the pumpkin patch. "Poop" became the most popular word in our house. We celebrated the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Brewer. We took an army guy and Hairy Dawg trick-or-treating.

In November, Daddy went hunting and got him a deer. Beckham turned 4! We had a pirate party for the birthday boy. . . bounce house and all. We celebrated Juan David's birthday, Uncle Brandon's 13th, and Uncle Ben's 36th. We spent a day with the cousins that come few and far between these days. We spent a rainy day at Champion Kids. Daddy took Beckham to get iceskates and hit the ice. Brooks learned how to climb out of his crib. Brooks switched from a crib to a jail cell (his mattress was set on the floor of the crib). Beckham had a checkup and got tons of shots :( My car stereo became possessed by a poltergeist (and got replaced).

In December, the boys told Santa what they wished for. I made lots of Christmas crafts. Our downstairs furnace went on the fritz. We finally took care of the invasion of the ants. Kate was an awesome friend and took family pics for us. Beckham sang a song in his Christmas performance. We celebrated the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And we couldn't go a whole year without someone getting sick- Brooks gave us the pleasure of nursing our first ever ear infection :(We don't know just what you have in store for us, 2012, but may it be BLESSED!