January
- We rang in the New Year with a Nacho Average NYE party at the Clawsons.
- I celebrated my one year work anniversary.
- We went through the horrible process of trying to short sale our house. While we had a cash offer that was over the asking price, the bank declined.
- Zander upgraded to a big boy bed.
- Devin climbed to the Flat Iron in the Superstition Mountains with the scouts.
- We chopped off Zander's curly hair and it still makes me sad to this day.
- We took a trip up to ShowLow with our besties, the Kietas and Clawsons. The boys went snowboarding and the girls stayed warm inside with movies.
- We celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary with dinner and saw the musical Wicked.
- We started a new adventure in a new house in Gilbert. It's been nice living close to "town" as we'd call it in the STV. We are closer to our jobs and our commutes have been cut in half. I love that I can run errands in the morning, go home, and still go out in the evening without having to be in the car for hours and hours.
- We bought a new 3D tv.
- I enjoyed watching a Spring Training game with my fellow coworkers.
- A yearly must - the Aloha Festival. We ate good food, shopped, and connected with my Polynesian culture.
- I dropped a tv on my leg and it hurt, a lot!
- Devin's sister, Ashlee, married Scott in the Mesa Temple.
- We took Zander on his first trip to Disneyland with his Grandma Judi and Mimi. It rained all day, but we still had a blast.
- We finally fixed our jet ski so celebrated with a camping trip to the lake with our besties, the Kietas and Clawsons. This was the beginning of our summer at the lake.
- Devin's company had an award banquet at the Pointe South Hilton in Scottsdale.
- Eric Hutchinson concert. Devin's faith in my music choices was restored.
- The whole Merrill family took a trip to Branson, Missouri and Aleene, Arkansas with Grandpa Reed. We knew it would be his last trip to his beloved hometown and I'm glad we didn't miss it. Little did we know that he'd pass away four months later. Definitely a trip that we will never forget.
- Zander turned 2 and we celebrated with a small party at the house.
- Devin and I took a trip to Utah to see the Merinos and attend a benefit fundraiser for Mario. Sadly Mario lost his battle with cancer and passed away a week after our visit.
- We hung out with the Clawsons in Park City, UT. We rode the Alpine Slides and grabbed dinner in SLC's #1 voted pizza place.
- Zander started swimming lessons with my friend Melanie.
- We finally decided that it was time to start trying for baby #2 and my IUD was removed.
- We found out that Zander can sit through a whole movie at the theater. Hallelujah!
- Fourth of July celebrations with the Merrills.
- We practically lived at the lake.
- The Summer Olympics mesmerized us and we were glued to the tv.
- We had a fun double date night with the Clawsons where we enjoyed LoLos Chicken and Waffles and Octane Raceway.
- Zander had an appointment at Phoenix Children's Hospital so they could look at his legs. Prognosis was that his legs are crooked and there is nothing they can do about it now. He'll either grow out of his pigeon toed walking or we'll need to deal with it in a few years before the bone hardens.
- Devin turned 28! He wanted to celebrate with dinner at....Taco Bell. It made me so mad.
- Devin celebrated his one year anniversary at a job that he absolutely loves.
- Devin, Zander, and I took our first family trip with just the three us of. We spent a jam packed week in Orlando, Florida. We tanned, surfed, saw some gators, spent time with good friends, conquered Disney World, explored Universal Studios, learned about space at Kennedy Space Center, and went tubing down Rock Springs.
- Our beloved Popsie passed away while we were in Florida. We were able to see him before we left as we thought this could be a possibility with his heart surgery scheduled for that week. I'm thankful that we were able to attend his funeral and be in Thatcher for his burial.
- We waited for 6 years for them to go on tour again and loved every second of the Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.
- Grandpa Reed had a terrible accident at his new nursing home. We spent a week by his bedside at the hospital and at hospice care before he passed away. Devin and I were able to fly back to Arkansas for his funeral and burial.
- We hiked up Wind Cave Trail in Usery Mountain Regional Park and learned that Zander is a horrible hiker.
- We saw the Broadway show Les Miserables and sat 11 rows from the stage. It was amazing!
- Triple date night with the Kietas and Clawsons. We had a mini golf rematch and ended up losing again.
- We found out that we were pregnant with baby Merrill #2.
- We went to a pumpkin patch with our besties, the Kietas and Clawsons. The kids rode horses, bounced in the bounce house, found their way through the maze of hay, and picked out the perfect pumpkin.
- Devin had a handlebar mustache.
- Zander and Devin were DJ Lance Rock for Halloween.
- At my first ultrasound appointment, I found out that our baby's heart stopped beating a few weeks earlier. I had a D&C done and it was recommended that we wait a few months before trying for another baby.
- I turned 29! We celebrated with breakfast at Joe's Farm Grill, mini shopping spree, Christmas movies, and an Osmond Brother show.
- Thanksgiving x2 with the Merrills, Wasilewskis, & Powells.
- We got a new mattress for our bed.
- We visited the Mesa Temple lights several times this month.
- We fed the homeless in Phoenix on Christmas morning.
It's crazy to look back and see all the events that unfolded over the past 12 months. I have definitely learned a lot and we are a closer family because of it.
Here's to hoping for a wonderful 2013 full of happiness, family, a new baby, traveling adventures, friends, and whatever else is in store for us.
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