This year was a year of major change for the Nielsen household.
January stared the countdown to our exit from the Army. We still were not sure where we would be living and that was a huge decision weighing on us. My brother Chad and his wife Emily welcomed a son, Ryan the first week of January as well. He is now a happy little man who we have had the joy of babysitting along with his big sister on a few occasions.
February Jake's younger brother Adam and wife Sarah welcomed a second child as well. Their daughter Alida is a chubby little red head whom everyone says is one of the happiest babies around. We had the pleasure of meeting her at the big Nielsen Family get together later in the year.
March was crunch time as far as getting things in order for me to exit the Army. There are tons of mandatory classes to attend when getting out. It was also the time that Jake's brother Adam and their dad came down for a 5 day tour of Texas. They rented bikes (Jake took ours) and went down to the coast and came back up through central Texas. I took a couple days off to be with the kids while they were away and we had a great time together. The end of March my best friend Katie's fiance flew me up to see her for a weekend. I had the most amazing time and it was so what I needed.
April brought the Texas Blue Bonnets and the early summer heat that Texas is known for. We managed to get down to Sea World one last time to use our military passes there. We got to sit in the splash zone at the orca show and got all wet. Its a memory I hope the kids hold with them for a long time.
This was also the month we finalized our purchase of a home. We became proud owners of 814 Peggy Sue Dr on April 11, 2012. It was a long drawn out process but well worth it in the end.
The beginning of May brought the mobilization of my unit to Yakama, WA. I remained at FT. Hood to maintain operations there with the rear detachment. I worked up until the day that I was released from my unit. It was a super stressful time but in the end we had a smooth moving day. Jake and I packed the truck in a few hours and spent the rest of the day making sure the house was cleaned out and the motorcycle was tied down for our journey up north. We stayed in a hotel the night before we left because I still had to get cleared from housing before I could leave post. Once I had that final green stamp we hit the road.
Jake as usual, drove the moving truck and Thor was only too happy to ride along way up high. Baleigh, Porkchop and I had a girls only ride in the Prius. 2 days on the road and we made it to our destination. We stayed the night at my parent's house and then hit the ground running in the morning. My parents and my siblings Hannah and Caleb came over and helped us unload the truck. It took less than 2 hours and we were DONE! Then came the hard part.
June, July and August were spent re-doing the entire house. Painting every possible surface and removing what seemed like a million nails (and then repairing the holes left behind). New flooring, new window treatments, and lots of love went into Peggy Sue. We still have a handful of odds and ends to finish but we are almost there. The first two weeks brought two more babies to the Zimmerman family. My oldest brother Chris and his wife Tracie added a fourth child and second daughter, Kenzie Faith to their brood. My younger sister Holly and her husband Justin had their first child, Olivia just a few days after Kenzie was born. It was the year of babies in our family. In July Jake started a new job at a local factory where he is the Parts Procurement Department Head. I officially came off active Duty on August 1st and am a free woman now!
September brought the start of school for Thor. He is in Kindergarten and loves his teacher Mr. Blakely. He has made a few friends and enjoys coming home and teaching his little sister whatever new he learned that day.
October 1st was Jake and my 7th wedding anniversary and the 12th was Thor's 6th birthday. We had a HUGE party here at the house to celebrate Thor's birthday. What a fun day- even if it did rain. My parents took the kids for the weekend so Jake and I could have a little time to ourselves. It was the best anniversary to date. We haven't had an overnight without the kids since they were born. It was pretty low key for the average couple but we walked the mall and actually went out to dinner. Amazing. Halloween was a blast! Thor saw a little friend from school and we walked around with him and his mom. Thor went as "Thor" and Baleigh was Cinderella.
November was crazy busy with Thanksgiving prep and thoughts already looking forward to Christmas. We celebrated Baleigh's birthday the weekend prior, because just like the year she was born her birthday fell on Thanksgiving. We had a small party with just my family on Sunday afternoon. We went to Chicago earlier in the month to spend a day with Grandma Diane and take Baleigh to the American girl place to get Dolly Bean's hair done. Then we headed down to the southside so I could run in a 5K with my friend Katie on Sunday morning. We stopped in to see Grandpa Peepaw and Grandma Cori that afternoon. Busy weekend! Thanksgiving with my parents and then Black Friday with my sisters and sister in laws.
December came and went like a whirlwind! I hosted a Cookie Exchange that was a huge success.We spent Christmas in Lake Geneva with Jake's family. The weekend after Christmas we went to Chicago to spend a day with Grandma Diane. We went downtown and walked past Macy's windows and then checked out the 8 story tall Christmas tree in the Walnut Room. The kids were pretty awestruck. We headed over to Maggianos for dinner -which was AMAZING! After that we caught a cab up to Lincoln Park and walked through the Zoo Lights. I think that was the best time we have ever had in the city. We drove home that night and the next day we spent hanging out with my cousins at my parents house. They were up from southern Illinois for the weekend and it is always a joy to get together with them. New Years Eve we went to some friend's house and spent the night playing games, and having fun.
2013 was a BIG year for us. I start a new job next week and we are looking forward to me being able to contribute to the family income again and to be able to do it from home is amazing. This year I have found two quotes I am going to strive to live by -
"There comes a time in life when you have to
let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and
surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard you forget the
bad and focus only on the good. After all life is too short to be
anything but happy. "
"Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't feel the need to escape from"
