2013: A Year in Review

Of course 2013 is one of my favorite years because it contained one of the 4 best days of my life.  Is there any day that could ever be better than the day you get to meet a beautiful, healthy new baby?

I don't see how it's possible, especially since meeting the new person means you are no longer pregnant which is the cherry on top of a terrific sundae because you guys?  Those last few weeks of pregnancy?  THEY ARE AWFUL, and I say this as someone who has been blessed with normal, healthy, active pregnancies.

Sweet little Dorothy Tallulah is my favorite thing about this year OF COURSE and her wonderful birth-- I will remember how calm it was and how she felt in my arms in those long minutes before her cord was cut forever.

Harry, though, was horribly sick mid-year, and his PICU stay will always color the way I remember 2013.

As you can see from the pictures, we didn't do anything special all year-- no travel first because of  the baby and second because of the illness.  Lots of pool time and lounging around our house gtting used to ourselves as a family of 6.

January:
Here we are ringing in 2013 with a bang in our cozy basement. Can you believe how much the boys have grown?

Here I am incredibly pregnant with Dorothy

February:
I have no photographic evidence of us doing anything exciting in February, most likely because we are boring.  But also because our HMO prohibits travel 30 days before a due date.

Chubby Cooper

 Dapper Harry

 A pile of kids

March:

I continued to get bigger

 We celebrated Ben's 34th birthday, ad I went into labor that night

 32 hours later, we had our dream come true at 2:18 am on 3-15.  There she is, all brand new 6 pounds, 10 ounces of her:

 We also hosted our families for Easter/Passover

And spent time together at home because what the hell else do you do with a newborn?

April:
Jack turned 5

 We juggled 2 babues

 Cooper sucked his toes.

 We took the monkeys to see the monkeys

 Jack turned 5 again

 Harry spent a terrifying week in the PICU with a pericardial effusion.

 May:
I turned 35, and we had a fantastic Mother's Day

We took a hike,

 played water guns,

 and welcomed the pool season with a chilly start.

 June:
We celebrated the last day of 4K and first grade

Dorothy continued to get more adorable everyday

Harry turned 7 a few times (no pictures of his bowling alley party, but it was epic).

 July:
Raspberry picking

 Gardening

 Staying classy

 Staying squishy and adorable

 Relaxing in a sunbeam, you know.

 August:

Family reunion

Harry's drama class ended with a performance

 We went to Legoland

 We had an impromptu cousin meet up

 We enjoyed ice cream at the terrace

 We had the pool to ourselves

 Dorothy learned to sit up like a big girl in a shopping cart

 Jack practiced sun saftey

September:

Family dinners

 First day of kindergarten and second grade

 Cooper turned 2!

 We broke out the pumpkin hats

 Harry got to be star of the week

 Ben enjoyed season Badger tickets

 Jon made his second of 3 visits

 October:

Hanging out

 Braving a corn maze with Cooper as our leader

 Picking pumpkins

 Halloween!

 First time on a swing

 Twin Day at school

 And of course sticking the baby in a pumpkin

 November:

Thanksgiving

 Hanukkah

Thanksgiving

 Hanukkah

 December:

Is there a better picture to sum up the month?  I couldn't find one.

We're ringing in the new year at home with the babies tucked in bed and the big boys determined to stay awake until midnight.  All diets are off, and we are eating an drinking the fattiest stuff we can find.  It's a perfect night in the context of a low-key year.

We can't wait for 2014.