A letter to my 2011 self.

In January: You sold your house. Congratulations. You will stress for months, maybe years to come about how much *&^% money you lost, but it's ok, you don't know it yet, but you get to build a home you are going to love! You move in with your in-laws. It's not too exciting, but you will love living stress/burden free. You don't realize how much weight home ownership has until you are homeless. It's sort of awesome. You are potty training Boston. It sucks. Big time. But don't worry - he does figure it out. Eventually. Oh, and you get pregnant this month - but you won't know this for a while.

In February: You are miserably sick. You have a cold that has lasted 6+ weeks. You get pink eye. Then you get pink eye again. You spend time house hunting with John and find your home builder and choose a lot in Pleasant Grove. You are excited about this house, and you think that the stress of it all is what's making you sick... turns out there is a far better explanation, but you have no idea that you are in for the surprise of your freakin' life.

In March: It was a rough month. You blogged once. You are sick and lame. You find out you are pregnant. It's the craziest night of your life - no lie. For days - maybe weeks, when nobody knows but you and John, every time you see each other you share a knowing smile. You are terrified and thrilled. Oh, and sick.

In April: You share the good news. You emerge from the first trimester coma. Your house is officially under construction and making good progress, so you start making weekly trips to visit it. You will start getting antsy to move out. Calm down... remember how much moving sucks.

In May: It's a busy month. You have your birthday and Mother's Day. You go to Vegas with John, Nick and Ang. Then you come home and go to Florida to go to Disney world. You never blogged about it. You will regret that. You are feeling pretty good these days, but not as good as your second trimester last time. It's sort of a bummer. Your house is seriously almost done and it's crazy. You can.not.wait. You find out you are having a healthy baby girl.

In June: You close on your new house. John is commuting now from PG to Centerville, so you are unpacking, while still potty training (seriously Boss, wtf), while pregnant - ALONE. It'sreally not fun and pure chaos, but you are so happy to be in your new house. John has no time to help on the inside, but somehow he manages to oversee the landscaping that seems to happen overnight. Hmmm, still wondering how that worked?? You also celebrate your 6th wedding anniversary this month, your best yet.

In July: You are officially in your new home, dealing with all the stupid issues that come with new construction. You would rather forget this long, hot, husband-less month. Your kids will eat a lot of "pos-ca-pels". But, your parents and Landon do come for a fun visit, and you settle in Utah County life pretty comfortably. The neighbors are fantastic, the Alpine Loop becomes a weekly drive, and spending the 4th of July at Sundance becomes a new tradition. You buy and LOVE a new Honda Odyssey.

In August: You guys take a fun trip to California, and discover the best place on earth, Lahontan in Tahoe. It's a really fun trip, a last hoorah as a family of 5. You get put on bed rest when you get home. You spend a lot of time in bed or in your glider watching your kids play out front with their babysitter. You try to enjoy the chance to rest, seeing as how it's been a tough pregnancy, but it's hard. No one wants to lay flat for weeks on end.

In September: You get freedom from bed rest! It sends you into full blown crazy nesting mode, and you take on WAY too many projects to get done before the baby arrives. You hang wainscoting in the entry, dining room, and down the hall. You refinish a huge bunk bed. You paint stripes in Boston and Naomi's new combined room, you move the guest room office. You almost croak. Your ankles and calves swell to thrice their usual size. You get family/maternity photos taken by Jen Herem, and you love them. You also potty trained Naomi. Cake compared to Boston.

In October: You get in a car accident in the new van. It sucks, especially because it is 3 days before your scheduled C-Section. You give birth to the beautiful Rowen Faye. She is a heaven sent dream. It's all so wonderful you forget you swore this was your last pregnancy, and think you want to do it one more time. Your mom stays with you for 10 glorious days, while you recover (wonderfully, bytheway) you cry when the shuttle comes to take her to the airport. The first week on your own is pretty smooth sailing, but it's short lived. Shi* will hit the fan next month. But it's ok, you all survive.

In November: That sweet "baby high" isgreat while it lasts, but when it ends, you (and John) really hit a wall. You are both tired. The older kids are getting stir crazy now that it's cold, and Rowen is keeping you up at night. You get mastitis. By the end of the month, things will improve. You discover Rowen is a tummy sleeper, has acid reflux, and settle a little into a routine.

In December: Some things continue to get better - like Rowen's night time sleeping habits, while others get harder, like how to go anywhere or get anything done with all 3 kids. You do all your Christmas shopping online. You bless Rowen this month, and get a few date nights (with Rowen), but are happy to get out of the house and find some sitters in the neighborhood! Christmas is great, but John hates you for buying Naomi a kitchen that takes him hours to assemble Christmas eve night. You strike up controversy on facebook by posting anti-santa sentiments. The Grease Monkey and Gorilla Wash opened in Lehi. John is busier than ever, but at least he is close by. You look back on the year and can't believe how much life has changed in the last 12 months.

So Michele, it was quite a year. You did a lot, it flew by, you built a house and had a baby. It was a fantastic time in your life, it's even more obvious now that you are looking back at all of it. If you don't remember, one of your goals for the year was to slow down and enjoy your kids more. I don't think I would say you entirely succeeded, but given the circumstances, you didn't fail either. So let's shoot for that goal again in 2012. Your Christmas card from not one, but BOTH of your grandma's said that you would look back at this time and remember them as the "best days of your life". You know it's true, so slow down. Relish Rowen's infancy, laugh at Naomi's sass, appreciate Boston's stubborn independence. Do it in 2012. Make it the best year of your life.

P.S. You were kind of the worst blogger ever this year. Work on that too. And the worst at taking photos. Cell photo photo's won't cut it in 2012. Get on it.