Wednesday, January 9, 2013

A Year in Review: 2012

It’s time for the annual “Year in Review” post! 2012 was an incredible year for our family. God brought about more change than we could ever imagine. This time last year we would have been astonished to know where God would take us over the year. We are so grateful for His faithfulness to our family and that no matter where we go, no matter what we do, He is right by our side through it all.

Without further ado, here’s a glimpse into some of the highlights of our year:

In January we celebrated Betsy’s birthday by bringing her breakfast in bed.
Photo Credit: Roma.
In February we celebrated the Superbowl with friends and LOTS of good food!
Photo Credit: Roma.
In 2012, Bianca became the first fully licensed driver of the children in our family. Watch out world! J Now that we’re in a new state (with different requirements), she gets to jump through all kinds of new hoops to get re-licensed. L
Photo Credit: Betsy.
In the early part of 2012, we spent a good deal of time fundraising for our trip to Haiti.
Photo Credit: Josiah.
In March we celebrated Josiah’s birthday with a trip to The Midland Center for the Arts and ice cream with friends.
Photo Credit: Mark.
In April, we enjoyed a week of cruising in the Caribbean with my Mom’s side of the family to celebrate my Grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. It was an experience that we will never forget!
Photo Credit: Betsy.
When we returned to Florida following our cruise, we spent the day with our cousins who live there. It was so great to see them, as we don’t get together often.
Photo Credit: Mark.
Easter was celebrated at home as a family.
Photo Credit: Mark.
We celebrated Roma and Rubia’s birthday in May. These two are quickly becoming young ladies!
Ben had a birthday in June. He is definitely becoming a man; everyone except Dad has to look up to him! J
One of the highlights of Josiah’s year was going to horse camp for the first time. He watched us older kids go for many years, and he was thrilled when his turn finally came.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
The same week that Josiah was at horse camp, Ben was attending the National Youth Leadership training camp for Boy Scouts. His week completed with a graduation ceremony that we all attended.
In July we attended a picnic and a car show at Dad’s company. Even though it was incredibly hot out, we enjoyed our time together as a family.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
Also in early July, we took our annual summer vacation. We went to Pennsylvania for most of the week, and then spent a few days in Ohio as well. It was a different sort of vacation, but it was still fun!
Photo Credit: Betsy.
We celebrated Mark’s birthday in July with dinner at his favorite Mexican restaurant.
Bianca’s birthday was also celebrated in July. We had a nice dinner at home as a family and then opened gifts together.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
We had an awesome time helping out at our church’s Vacation Bible School themed after “The Avengers.” It was a week filled with fun!
At the end of July, 6 members of our family and 16 total members from our church went on a week-long missions trip to Haiti. It was truly a life-changing experience for us all.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
Josiah became the first child in our family to break a bone. Thankfully, it occurred towards the end of the summer, but he still had to wear a cast for a couple of months.
At the end of August we all participated in a race festival after many months of hard training. We love running!
Photo Credit: Betsy.
Mark and Ben enjoyed a Father-Son trip to Colorado to do some sight-seeing, as well as to attend the Hazardous Journeys Mountain Rendezvous Retreat hosted by Vision Forum Ministries.
In September, we started school again. It has been another great year of homeschooling for us, although we have to do a bit of catching up now after taking nearly a month off in December.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
At the end of September, some dear friends hosted a going-away party for us in light of our upcoming move to Texas. It was great to fellowship with friends!
Photo Credit: Roma.
In early October, Dad moved to Texas ahead of us to begin his new job. Our 7 week separation was longer than we had expected, but it made our reunion that much sweeter.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
Over the course of the summer and fall, we enjoyed having several reunions with our Haiti team. These people have truly become family to us and we miss them dearly!
Photo Credit: Roma.
We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, and my Mom’s side of the family came up for the weekend. We had a great time celebrating all the blessings God has showered upon us!
Photo Credit: Mark.
The day after Thanksgiving, Mark and we kids went to a friend’s house and did some target shooting. Most of the kids had never shot a gun before, so they had a blast (pun intended.) They’re now begging to get a pistol. J
The 3 boys and Bianca experienced their first NFL football game when they attended the Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game in Dallas. They had a great time together enjoying an incredibly well-matched game!
Photo Credit: Mark.
We celebrated Christmas early as a family at home before traveling north to spend Christmas with family.
Photo Credit: Betsy.
In Pennsylvania, we had a great time catching up with all our cousins from Florida as well as visiting with Grandma and Grandpa! You’re looking at a fun bunch of people. J
In Ohio, we were also able to visit with lots of cousins and our other Grandparents. We are so blessed by our relatives!
And that was 2012! We cannot wait to see where God leads our family in 2013 and the plans He has for us! Happy New Year from our family to yours!

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