A Year in Review

We did this last year, and I loved it. So nice to recap the year in one short post. (Bella does not get an entry this year, considering her tastes run very much to: milk, attention, more milk, and a nap. Not very interesting.)

(Editor's note: John still needs to fill in some of the categories for this post, but I'm posting it anyway, in hopes that public embarrassment is still good motivation.)

Favorite Book:
John: Undaunted Courage (Much more interesting than Cope's Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen)
Em: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Olivia: Rumpelstiltskin (as told by her Grammy)
Naomi: That's Good, That's Bad by Margery Cuyler

Favorite Movie or TV Show:
John:
Em: Pushing Daisies (I heard a rumor it will be cancelled---sob, sob!)
Olivia: Signing Time or Presto! (The short film before Wall-E)
Naomi: Sleeping Beauty (The girl hasn't changed a whit in an entire year.)

Most Exciting Event:
John: Graduating from Medical School
Em: Delivering my third healthy child
Olivia:First day of kindergarten
Naomi: Not being the baby sister anymore--followed closely by a 4th birthday ("I'm 'fo' now!")

Biggest Disappointment:
John: Going from the high life of a 4th year medical student to the crazy life of an intern. Rediscovering my lack of knowledge.
Em: Missing my brother Mike's wedding, due to the lateness of my delightful and healthy third child
Olivia: Leaving all her best friends from Toledo
Naomi: Watching her big sister go away to kindergarten. On a bus. Every single day. All the excitement of life is simply passing that child by.

Best gift received:
John:
Em: A house! Of my own! With a laundry room! And a bathroom I only share with one other person!
Olivia: Some zip-up footed pajamas. (And to think, her mom had told her for over a year that they no longer made them in her size. Score: Olivia: 1, Mom's omnipotence: 0)
Naomi: Make-up. Loads and loads of make-up.

Most valuable lesson learned:
John:
Em: Signing up to be the room mother for the kindergarten class doesn't mean you are volunteering to help with a party. It means you are signing up to be in charge of every single party for the entire year. This, plus new baby, equals stress.
Olivia: Swimming isn't scary. In fact, it might be the most fun thing EVER.


Naomi: Even when your entire life falls apart in a very short time (new town, new house, new baby, dad gone all the time, sister leaves you), there is no trial so large that some lip gloss and a dress-up can't make better.

Greatest Success:
John:
Em: Sobbed, whimpered, and made enough of a pathetic mess of myself to ensure an induction of labor 5 days earlier than usually done. (And to think my favorite phrase to the girls is "Crying doesn't make it any better.")
Olivia: Reading books all by herself. (Is there anything more fun? All of a sudden those little black marks on the page have something to say. It's absolutely amazing.)
Naomi: Saving herself from drowning after accidentally falling into a pool. (It happened 5 months ago, she was never in any danger, and she is still occasionally giving herself pats on the back over this act of heroism.)