Caleb turned 3 and is as full of energy as ever. He loves treats, playing, Harleys, and playing with his "guys" - his action figures. He's always running and jumping, prentending to be Spider-man or some other hero. He also loves wrestling with Dad. It has been fun to watch him learn as his abilities, vocabulary, and imagination have exploded. He loves being the "special guest" when joy school is at our house. He also loves to tell stories, which usually include tigers, monsters, or some form of bad guys going to jail. We love Caleb's adventurous energy and loving spirit, He's always willing to give you a smile and we're grateful he's part of our family!
Our little Kacie turned 1 this year, which is hard to believe! We sure love her and the spirit she brings to our family. She has a very infectious laugh and loves to sing and dance. She loves her older brothers and gets a kick out of watching them, and then trying to copy what they do. They love her, almost a little too much sometimes, but she is learning to hold her own pretty well. She is a very happy girl who knows what she wants when she wants it and knows how to let us know. She just started walking full time about a month ago and loves the newfound freedom. She loves exploring the house, opening the cabinets and drawers, and pulling everything out. But, if you ask her to close the door or put something away she does so without hesitation. Abby often comments that she pretty much has wings and a halo, and we sure are blessed and grateful that she's here with us!
Abby does a great job holding down the fort and managing life with three little ones. As someone put it, she has the hard job! But she's so good at it! When the weather's warm she likes taking the kids out for a walk in the stroller and even braved a walk all the way to Justin's work for a family lunch. Besides keeping busy with the three kiddos, she also teaches in the rotation for the joy school group and just keeps busy as the master organizer in our home. She thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Europe and loved the food, culture, and experiences of all the countries we were able to visit. She even met a long lost sister in Ukraine that she didn't even know she had!
Justin keeps busy performing all the duties of a "fickle ferpist" (Asher's way of saying physical therapist). We were unexpectedly yet greatly blessed with a new opportunity midway through the year which lead to Justin changing jobs from the hospital which brought us here to a private practice outpatient orthopedic clinic. Without getting into too much detail, it is a company with clinics throughout the Pacific Northwest and offers an orthopedic residency program to which Justin was accepted, allowing him to further develop his skills in a concentrated way. The great part is that we didn't have to move, and the clinic he's at now is just a mile up the street, even closer than the hospital. He enjoys his coworkers and the patients that he works with.
The big adventure of the year was our trip to Europe. We were able to leave the kids with Honey and Papa (THANK YOU!) and have a Carrier Family Reunion as all of Justin's family traveled overseas to pick up his youngest brother from his mission. Abby and Justin were able to make a quick stop in Ukraine where they were able to meet with a few dear friends from his mission, attend 2 sessions in the Kyiv Temple, and Justin was able to give Abby a taste of a place that is very dear to him. As was already mentioned, Abby was able to meet one of the sisters Justin knew as a missionary and they formed an instant bond. From Ukraine we traveled to Prague, Czech Republic; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; and finished off the trip in Paris, France. It was a whirlwind and such a memorable time. We look forward to making the trip again!
We're grateful for the restored gospel and for our Savior, Jesus Christ. We're grateful that we're happy, healthy, and in this together. We're also grateful for all of our wonderful friends and family and the love and support we feel from each. We don't know what 2012 holds for us, but we do know that come what may it will be another great year. We are so blessed, so grateful for all that we have, and have so much to look forward to!
