Our yearly update!

Alright, I'm really BAD at keeping up to date with this whole blog thing!  I was at the park this morning with a couple of my friends and they were talking about their blogs...for whatever crazy reason it inspired me to update my blog.  I clicked online and started reading all the old posts and realized how fun it is to remember all the little moments in the past 3 1/2 years.  I also realized that 90% of my blog was about Gavin.  I have a TON on my mind these days and wish I could type it all out, but that isn't realistic so I will do my best to highlight some of our Rich family milestones :)

This is a current picture of our little family!  I have it on my desktop at work and every time I log in, it brings tears to my eyes.  I think there are several reasons it makes me so emotional.  The first is probably because when I'm at work I miss my family.  Second,  this is just a casual picture of us hanging out all together as a family, but we are ALL together and they are my family!.  I am so proud of my family and LOVE my boys (all 4 of them) more than words could ever describe.  They truly make me happy!

Mike - He is still pretty amazing!  Of course we have our moments or days...but the thing I love most about him is that he won't let me stay mad at him for long.  He is ALWAYS the first to apologize!  He puts up with grumpy me all the time and helps me with whatever I need.  He is by far the worlds BEST dad.  When he is home, he changes all the diapers, always gets the kids in the bath, cooks, but most of all he gets up in the middle of the night if the kids need something and gets up early with Evan and lets me sleep.  I really don't sleep much so when I am  home and do sleep he makes sure the kids don't bother me.  Mike is still working full time at Gilbert Hospital and (most days) loves his job.  His hobbies are sill RC airplanes and helicopters.

Hayden is 7 years old and is still the sweetest little boy!  He loves school and is very smart.  We had a great time with him over Christmas and can't wait to move to Utah so we can have him around all the time!  He is such a good example to Gavin and is very patient with Evan.  His favorite thing right now is building Legos!

Mr Gavin is 3 1/2 and is still wild and crazy and full of life!  He is so much fun!  His smile still melts my heart and he is for sure my little buddy!  He won't let me go anywhere (besides work) without him!  He gives me the biggest headaches and always tries to test my limits but I'm ok with that because it forces me to be consistent with him and it gives him boundaries and in return he feels safe and close to me and our relationship gets stronger and stronger every day.  He is not good at sharing, but I know he tries.  Some of the best moments of my day are spent reading him books and laughing with him.  He teaches me how to love life and enjoy the little things.  He really is the best thing that has ever happened to me!

Baby Evan is growing up too fast and is not my little baby anymore :(  He is turning 2 next week!  He is so different from Gavin in every way and that's why I LOVE him!  He is just so sweet.  He is the first to welcome me home every morning by yelling "MAMMA'S HOME!"  He runs to me and hugs me and kisses me all the time!  He listens well and is talking so much now.  I have NEVER had to remind Evan to say "thank you" or "please".  He just says it and he means it.  He has a close bond to Mike just because Gavin demands so much of my attention but when he is sick, sad or tired he just wants him mommy to hold him and his big brother to leave us alone :)  I hope and pray that he always stays this sweet and loving!  His personality is by far the glue that keeps my sanity intact!

As for myself, I am doing the best I can to juggle all the events life has in store for us.  We have had a lot of good and bad times, but last year was by far the best!  I really hate working night shift and have thought about switching back to days for over a year.  Every time I think about missing out on all the play dates and time I have with my kids by being home during the days I end up staying on nights.  My schedule really is hard.  At least one or two times a week I am up for over 24 hours and more often than not I'm forcing myself to stay awake for closer to 30 plus hours at a time.  I will be the first to admit that I'm GRUMPY!  But, I TRY my best to put a smile on my face and enjoy the little things in life because I know one day I'll look back and realize they were the BIG things!  I would rather be tired than miss out on that time with my kids.  It is kind of embarrassing to admit that I'm 29 years old and finally feel like I have a good understanding about budget and finances.  That really was a struggle for me for years.  I always knew how to work hard, but trust me, I knew how to spend money just as fast as I worked for it!  This past year I made a commitment to pay attention to our bills and income and budget accordingly.  It is amazing the difference it had made on me and our family.  I'm not stressed over money anymore.  We still have a LONG way to go before we reach the goals we have set for our family, but we are on the right track. 

Last year was such a success Mike and I have taken that motivation and have set out to embark on an even crazier 2012!  We are scared to death but are willing to make that commitment and go with it.  We are finally in the position to move to Utah and start another chapter of our lives there.  Every time I sit and think about how hard things seem right now I am quickly reminded of the future and how much harder things are going to get for us.  Things will be hard, but they will also be better.  I've just been feeling like an emotional tired mess lately, but every time I see this picture of my family it puts our goals in focus and sums up the whole purpose of life for me and I know the Lord is aware of my thoughts and concerns and blesses me so much because the things I do daily are not physically possible without his blessings and guidance over me and my family.