2013 By the Numbers and Instagram

So the Christmas decorations are down and I am still (very slowly) recooping after our week in Iowa. I always get a little depressed when I come back from Iowa and I always get a little depressed when I take down Christmas decorations...add me going back to work at WF and that puts me in a major funk. :-/

So, to help me get out of this funk, I thought it best to look back on our year and see all the beauty and goodness that occurred. It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. Looking back, it amazes me all the happened in 2013. We had many blessings, but also some heartaches. My heart grew a million times over. Our lives have been changed for the better with the arrival of our sweet son, Ted. He has grown and changed so much in the past 8 months and I cannot wait to see all that he will accomplish this next year.

ONE: Jason and I celebrated our first anniversary in February. Our first year of marriage went by in a flash for sure! It was a fun year celebrating our first Christmas as a married couple and our first Christmas in Arizona, traveling to Iowa, and preparing our house for baby Soper.

Christmas 2012

TWO: The number of days (yes DAYS) I was in labor preparing to meet our sweet baby. It was an experience I will not soon forget. While it was the longest two days of anxiousness, pain, exhaustion and worry, it was also the most amazing experience of anticipation, eagerness and pure joy waiting to meet our baby.

THREE: My three favorite days of the Church year are the Easter Triduum and this year was no exception. In fact, it was the best Easter I could ever hope for! My husband joined the Church this year, one month before our sweet boy joined us!

FOUR: April, the month our son was born and our lives were changed forever. I had no idea how much I could love another little person. There are days where I think my heart might just burst because of how much I love him. He has brought so much wonder and joy to our lives.

Don't think I will ever get over the sweetness

of a sleeping babe...heart melt

FIVE: The number of years my friends I have traveled to Anamosa, IA for a camping weekend. I love these girls so much and I look forward to this weekend every summer. I know it will be more difficult to make the trip as the years go by and our family (hopefully) grows, so for now I will just cherish every opportunity I have to spend with these beautiful ladies and their families.

SIX: Ted started crawling like a maniac when he was six months old and he's been on the go ever since!

Did I say crawling?! I meant climbing!

SEVEN: The number of years I taught fourth grade. After having Ted, Jason and I decided I would quit teaching and stay home with our little man. I miss teaching every day, but I love getting to stay home with Ted. It's been quite an adjustment and we've had to make some changes to make it work but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world! I admire all of you mamas who teach and take care of your families!

EIGHT: Ted is now eight months old! It seems more like eight months going on eight years by how much he's accomplished and grown! In just the week we were in Iowa, he started eating like crazy and pulling himself up on anything that would stand still. He loves to climb and explore. His cheeks are still the squishiest and his smile and laugh will melt my heart over a million times a day.

NINE: Ted turned nine weeks (two months) when he went to Iowa for the first time to meet his Grandma and Papa, his great-grandma Millie and all of his cousins. I loved taking Ted home to meet my extended family, but it also broke my heart a little. I have never missed home so much now that I am a mother. My heart is truly torn between two places. I was raised with all my cousins as my best friends. I want that for Ted too. I love my Church community in Arizona. It is truly one of a kind, but so is my family and all of Ted's "cousins by the dozens". For now, we will be content with where God has us in Arizona and hopefully we will be able to see all of those Iowa cousins a few times a year so Ted will know them well.

ELEVEN: (I know I am skipping TEN, but I can't think of anything!) My sissy was married in November! We traveled to Mexico with some family and friends to celebrate with them! It was a quick trip - definitely wish we could have stayed longer! It was a beautiful ceremony and we gained a new brother-in-law and a sweet niece and nephew! Truly blessed!