A Happy New Year After a Long Hiatus

Hello all my friends and web mates.  After a year-long absence on my blog, I am finally posting again.  Mostly because I didn't manage to send out Christmas cards this year, which bummed me out, but there is always next December, right?  But, this has been a great year for our family and we have some exciting news as well!  So browse our quick update and I hope that 2013 is a good year for all!

Richard, the Chemist. Chemist really is a title well-deserved by Richard.  With lay-offs at work and big projects to complete he has been a very busy bee.  Not to mention that he walks to work every morning in 5 degree weather.  What a man!  He was called as 1st counselor in the Elders Quorum in our ward, a position that presides over the men in our congregation.  It keeps him busy as well.  He has had the chance to attend some Utah Jazz games this season, watch all his sports teams fail miserably and grew a kick-ass garden this summer.  As usual, he kept our lawn immaculate this last year, and has taken to grilling on our new grill.  Richard is a great dad who spends more time with his kids than most men I know.  They adore him and hate to see him go to work everyday to "make the monies" as Theron puts it.

Renee, the Chef.  Well this year I cooked up an unexpected surprise: baby #3 is on the way and due in the Spring!  My official due date is April 8th, my c-section is scheduled for April 2nd, but I'm pretty sure the little one will be coming in March.  We are keeping the gender a surprise, which has been fun, and I surprise myself with my lack of curiosity of what the little one is.  I personally think it's a girl, but really, could just as well be a boy.  I was called to serve as 1st Counselor in our church's Young Women organization which works with the youth of our church.  That keep me very busy!  I was also in charge of our ward's Christmas Party this year, which I nailed.  It was pretty awesome.  Having two toddlers at home keeps me very busy, along with all the swimming, hiking, gardening, coloring, cooking, laundry, canning, sewing, movie-watching, exploring and nightly couch-sitting I do.  I did bike and run this last summer, only to find out I was pregnant and immediately stopped and ate a lot of Halloween candy.  

Eve, the Princess Pirate Preschooler Doctor.  Eve has really blossomed this last year.  She started the year off with a bug-themed birthday party, which was loads of fun and cuteness, and also potty trained shortly after without much muss and fuss.  It was great.  Even after more than a year and a half of having two in diapers, I would still rather wait until they are actually ready than go through months and months of agony and messy accidents.  Once she got it she never looked back.  Eve took swim lessons this summer which she loved.  Her teacher was surprised by how comfortable she was in the water.  We went down the water slide a lot.  Eve also loved hiking and gardening this summer, which was so much fun.  She also developed a fine art sensibility and decided to color inside the lines.  Eve loves to cook and play dress-up and imagination games.  She loves to tell stories and sing.  She started preschool in the fall and is excelling socially and academically.  She really is a perfect child, always sharing and being a peacemaker.  She is a great sister, a great helper and lots of fun.  She can't wait for our new baby, which she has named Google Monster!  But a word of warning: never tell her she is silly or funny.  She is Eve, and only Eve.

Theron, the Two-Year Old.  Theron can throw a tantrum with the best of them, but he is also very sweet, happy and just about the most enthusiastic person I know.  Ask him if he wants to do something, he shouts at the top of his lung "I do I do I do I do I do!"  or if not, "Oh no oh no oh no oh no!  Please no!"  This is a kid who knows what he wants.  Most of the time it is blue "yuckers" (suckers).  Needless to say, he took his trick-or-treating very seriously this year.  He was a man on a mission.  Theron learned to crawl, walk, jump, and run this year, and turned two in November.  He likes to use the potty and uses it about once a day, but still likes to wear his diapers.  He is very independent and insists on doing everything himself.  He loves the alphabet, trains, cars, wagons and swimming.  He is also very artistic and loves to watch movies and TV.  He also loves to sing, read Curious George and be licked by dogs.  He does not like the snow or sharing.

  

This summer our family went to Yellowstone for a week which was exhausting and fun.  The kids loved the geysers and sitting in the hiking backpacks, and aside from the one day that will never be mentioned again, it was a great trip, and a chance to meet some family I have never met before. We also spent a few days at Bear Lake in a beautiful home with Richard's family.  Eve and Theron both caught their first fish and watched the eclipse.

On a sad note, this past year we also lost our beloved cat, Lucy.  Sadly, she was hit by a car on Mother's Day.  It still brings tears to my eyes when I see pictures of her.  But I think Eve might get a cat for her birthday this month.

 So there you have it, a review of the Petersons' 2012.   2013  is going to be crazy.  Really crazy.  But I can't wait!  So God Bless, and come to Logan and visit us!