2011 has been another adventurous year in the Gray household. My Aunt Rose (my dad’s oldest sister) passed away—I was sad that I never got to meet her in person but we talked on the phone and wrote over the years. We also got a minivan in March as the new car seats left Michael quite squished in the back of our SUV.
The twins turned one in April and had a Teddy Bear birthday party with grandparents and cousins to celebrate. Michael turned 5 and graduated from preschool in May. He was chosen to talk about the seasons at graduation and did a great job memorizing his lines and speaking loud and clear. He had a superheroes birthday party and invited over most of the neighborhood plus his girlfriends from preschool.
In May Jeremy and I went on a cruise to Alaska—he was able to work on his requiring continuing education credits for his massage license (he took massage cupping classes) while I got to have some R &R time and use my e-reader. We went dog sledding and whale watching among our many adventures. Jeremy also got to have his picture taken with “Sarah Palin” in Skagway. Our ports also included Juneau and Victoria, British Columbia. At the end of our cruise we got to take a tour of Seattle and see the Space Needle and Pikes Market.
Two weeks after our cruise we received word that my mom’s oldest sister, my Aunt Shirley, had passed away. She was like a second mom to my brother and I so we had to go (my brother and husband were also asked to be pallbearers). Carl and our family loaded into our minivan and drove to Iowa and back for the funeral. It was a long, hard road trip but it was definitely a blessing having a one to one ratio. It was bittersweet to see family under those circumstances. We were also able to go camping with my husband’s parents and siblings for a couple of days in July at the Palisades down by Manti which was a change from Current Creek where we usually go.
Shortly after coming back from Iowa I changed job assignments at the school district—I moved from being a public information specialist in the public relations department to being a route coordinator in the transportation department. Jeremy also experienced change this year—in May he put in a leave of absence from Wal-Mart to focus on building up his clientele enough to quit Wal-Mart. He finally quit in August after we made sure his massage clients were steady and working out. It is such a blessing to have him home during the day with the kids and then I am home with them in the evenings and on Saturdays (his busiest day). A girl in our neighborhood watches them for an hour or two in the afternoon with occasional assistance from one of our neighbors. It is a great arrangement and the twins and Michael have become quite attached to “big Kimberly” (so as not to confuse her with “Baby Kimberlee”).
Michael started kindergarten this fall. He loves his teacher and is in the morning class. He is making a lot of new friends but needs to work on not talking so much in class! I was crazy this fall as I let Michael do both soccer and football (his team was the Steelers but they changed their cheer to, “Go Steelers! And a Raven just for him)—this led to me taking the twins out by myself three times a week. His best friend from the neighborhood is also moving at the end of this month which has been hard for him.
In September Jeremy had surgery to remove a thyroglossal duct cyst in his throat. Recovery was minimal other than the fact he couldn’t shave which led to him growing out a full beard that made him the envy of several of the guys in our neighborhood. Michael started having problems with swelling, hives and joint pain. After taking him to the emergency room and our family doctor, we were referred to a pediatric rheumatologist. They think he has reactive arthritis and will be subject to more extensive testing in the new year.
Merry Christmas and have a wonderful 2012!
The Gray’s~Jeremy, Michelle, Michael, Kimberlee and Kaden
