A Look Back at 2011

I have a confession to make.  I have a bad memory.  Sometimes that's a GOOD thing, but sometimes it's a not so good thing.  So as I started writing this post, I definitely had to go back to my pictures to see what we were up to in 2011.   I can remember some of the BIG stuff, but here is some of the other things we were doing...

January 2011:
Well we had one of the biggest snow storms that I can remember.  Kevin and I were literally stuck in our house for 3 days.  It was actually kind of nice.  No place to go, nothing to do.

We also STARTED the adoption process in January when we submitted our initial application to Bethany Christian Services.  Wow.  Was that really just one year ago?

February-April 15, 2011:
Honestly, I don't have time for picture taking during this time of year.  Due to this being my busy season at work, this period of time during 2011 was spent in an office.  It's sad that I looked through my pictures and had a grand total of ZERO pictures for these few months, but it's true.

In other news, somehow Kevin and I had the time to complete tons and tons of paperwork for our formal application for the adoption, and we were also able to start and complete our home study.  We were officially approved and waiting as of April 4th, 2011!!

April 2011:
At the end of April, my mom and I went to visit my grandmother in Charleston.  Kevin and I also spent a lot of time catching up on some R&R and spending some time with family at my parent's lake house.  To say that the dogs enjoy the water is a bit of an understatement.

May 2011:
In May we went to hike the Rainbow Falls trail at Jones Gap State Park.  We had great weather, but when we got to the waterfall at the top, it was pretty cold.  Lots of fun though.

June 2011:
At the beginning of June, we got an email about a baby boy that had been born just a few days earlier. We were asked if we would like for the birth mother to consider us as potential adoptive parents.  We said yes, and were excited to think that this COULD be our child.  The birth mother chose a different couple, but it really sank in that we could get "THE CALL" at any time.  So, we really got motivated to get a nursery ready.

After getting lots and lots of questions from people asking how they could help us with our adoption, we started our Adoption Puzzle fundraiser.  We still can't believe the number of people who wanted to help with our adoption, and are so grateful for each and every one of them.  THANK YOU again.

We took the youth to a Braves game in June, and got stuck in a HUGE rain storm on the way home.

I started this blog in June.  You can read my very first post HERE.

And last, but certainly not least, we found out about Kate on June 29th when our adoption worker called me at work and asked if there was any way to also get Kevin on the line!! She told us about Kate's birth parents and asked if we'd be willing to drive to Raleigh, NC to meet them.  :)

July 2011:
In July, we made the trip to Raleigh, NC to meet with Kate's birth parents. Click here to read about getting matched.  While we were in Raleigh, we stopped by the UNC campus so Kevin could take pictures in front of Dean E. Smith Center (where the Tar Heels play basketball).  We also went by the football stadium.  It was unlocked so we were able to walk right on inside.

The night before we went to Raleigh, Kristi, Kevin and I went to Clemson to eat at Cook Out and go back through campus.  While we were out, our house got struck by lightening and TONS of stuff inside our house was destroyed (TV's, AC Unit, well pump, etc).

August 2011:
One of the best months of my life!

We had a couple of baby showers to get ready for Kate.

We went to a Hillsong United concert, and then...

Kate was born on August 10th.  We got to meet her on August 11th, which was mine and Kevin's 4 year anniversary.  Best anniversary present ever.  We brought Kate "home" on August 12th and then spent almost 2 weeks in a hotel room in Raleigh, NC before we were able come back home to SC.  I know I say this a lot, but Kate has been such a blessing.

September 2011:
This month was all about Kate.  I was able to spend the entire month at home with Kate.  It was so great, and I love being a Mommy.  Kate got to meet lots of family, experience her first football Saturdays supporting Clemson and Georgia, and she turned one month old!

With the help of some of our great friends, we also held a HUGE community yard sale.

October 2011:
I went back to work at the beginning of October, and that was a big adjustment.  During the rest of the month, Kate got to go to her FIRST football game (although we didn't take her into the stadium), she started smiling, she got to experience her first Halloween as a watermellon, and she turned 2 months old!!

In keeping with our fall tradition, Kevin, Kristi and I also went to two away football games.  We went to Tennessee to watch Georgia play Vanderbilt and then went to Atlanta to watch Clemson play Georgia Tech.

I also wrote this blog about my top 10 baby items.

Oh October, you were a very busy but very fun month.

November 2011:

We went to our annual staff & leadership retreat at Bonclarken in November.  We also celebrated our first Thanksgiving as a family of three... first with Kevin's family and then with mine.  At my parent's house, Kate met her cousin Christopher and then we all went to pick out a Christmas tree.  Lastly, Kate turned 3 months old!

Oh, and I wrote this blog about the ways life has changed with a baby. 

December 2011:
It's hard to believe that another year has past.  December literally FLEW by.  It seems like last weekend was Thanksgiving, not Christmas.  This month, Kate turned 4 months old, she was in her first Christmas parade, and we celebrated Christmas with TONS of family and friends. Two days after Christmas, I turned 27.  And now, I'm writing this post to close out the year.

2011 was such a great year, filled with lots of surprises and great news.  I sincerely hope that 2012 is just as good as 2011.  It has a lot to live up to!