A year in Review- 2011

I am embarrassed that it has been so long since I updated this blog. A whole year has gone by without a thought to the blog. In light of this extended absence I thought I would recap our year for you (and then we can pretend that I was on top of this all year long!)

In January we had the blessing of having our adoption of Anthony finalized. We were able to go to court and take care of the legal proceedings followed by a wonderful day at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple where we were sealed together as an eternal family. What a blessing to have the temple so close and so many family members attending with us.


Steve, Anthony and Emily with the Judge.  A newly formed legal family!









Tired Anthony at dinner our first night in Atlanta



In February I did a lot of travelling for work including a trip to Atlanta. Steve and Anthony got to come with me. While I was in meetings, Steve and Anthony got to go to the Coke museum and the big Aquarium. They had a lot of fun playing around without me!

March was Steve's big 31st birthday! He went Hog Hunting his birthday weekend (his Christmas gift from my parents last year.) He had a great time and was so proud of his monster pig!

Back: Steve, Dennis, Leon and Dave
Front: Bacon and Ham

Also in March, Steve lost his job and in April he began searching for a replacement job. While Steve was frantically searching for something good the Lord blessed us with a job that I could apply for. In April I had my first interview for the position.

In April we also took Anthony shooting for the first time. He had fun playing in the car with me while Steve shot his gun.



Anthony on Vernon Lake, not quite sure about the paddle boat



May was busy with work and I had a second interview for the job I had applied for. The last day of May I accepted the new position working at the University of Utah Community Clinics. I work in Stansbury and Centerville helping patients with chronic conditions. I provide education, coordinate care and lend a listening ear as often as needed. What a great blessing this has been considering the very little travel, regular working hours, a wonderful boss that is very supportive and best of all Steve gets to stay home and be a daddy for Anthony. We couldn't feel more blessed about this opportunity right now.

In May we also purchased a paddle boat. It is a lot of fun and really good exercise. It was fun to take Anthony and let him play in the boat on Vernon Lake.



In June we went to California with my family, Anthony decided to start walking the day before we left and loved walking all over California. We had a great time going to Sea World, playing on the beach (Anthony's favorite part) and enjoying some time away. It was great!! I started my new job the day we got back from California- June 27.

July was a busy month as my older sister Ellen got married to Nick Gordon. We had a lot of bridal showers and wedding celebrations. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple on July 29.

Anthony also got to celebrate his 1st Birthday on July 8th! We had a great party with lots of family with us. Anthony loved his cake!



This picture was taken in June while Grandma was still doing okay. 
\She was living at Silverado at the time and Anthony thought her walker was a great toy.



On August 5 my grandma Doris Armstrong passed away. She had been sick since falling in January and had been moved to a care center. It was hard to let her go but harder to watch her suffer. The funeral was beautiful and we were blessed with many friends and family with us at the time of her passing.



In August we also had the Carlson family reunion which was held at Rockport. We were able to camp, play on the water with the trampoline and a pontoon boat. It was nice to relax and just have a good time with family.

Anthony fancied himself a bit of a stripper at the campout!

In September we were able to go to Yellowstone with my family including Ellen and Nick and Nick's two kids and Grandma Curtis. It was great to play around in Yellowstone and spend time with grandma.

Anthony even found another blonde girlfriend in Yellowstone

However, grandma got pretty weak during the trip and after a few weeks of still not recovering we found out that grandma has a very serious, fast spreading form of cancer. She is in a lot of pain and we are all worried about her given the cancer and her existing heart problems.

September also marked the end of an era- a long, and tedious era!  I finally graduated with my Master's Degree. I finished classes on September 5 and received my diploma later in the month.  I now officially have an MHA- Master's of Healthcare Administration.  Thanks to Steve and Anthony for their support and patience with me while I was working on this goal.

In October Steve went hunting for both Elk and Deer. Unfortunately, my freezer is still empty as they were not successful this year. Steve loves hunting and it was sad to see them come home empty handed but he enjoyed the time with our dads and Anthony liked going for drives and hanging out with us.

October also brought a visitor to our house. Anthony was transformed from Anthony Benjamin Carlson to…

Mr. T!
"I pitty the fool!"

November was a busy month as we started the month by participating with my younger sister Debbie as she received her endowment. It was wonderful for all three sisters to be in the temple together.

November continued to be busy as we spent Thanksgiving with family - dinner with my family, dessert with Steve's. The day after Thanksgiving we piled in our car and drove to California. On Saturday we spent most of the day at Disneyland (Anthony does NOT like Pirates of the Caribbean, in case anyone wanted to know). On Sunday we got on a big boat and cruised to Cabo San Lucas. It was fun to have a family trip and to have my parents join us. We spent two days in Cabo- 5 day cruise total- and then drove back home arriving home on December 3.



Steve and Anthony on the balcony on the boat





Anthony taking a snoozer on the boat



Emily and Steve by the Cabo San Lucas Arch at Lover's Beach



Emily and Deanne holding- a LION cub!



The day after we got home from California I left for Arkansas for a brief work trip- the first with this job! It was nice to be gone but nicer to be home after all that travel.

Also, thus far in December I have been released from the Primary Presidency and I am looking forward to teaching the 12-13 year old Sunday School Class. It should be fun to do something different and I am really looking forward to going to Relief Society for the first time in 7 years!

This week we will celebrate Debbie's birthday on Thursday, have my dad's family Christmas Party on Friday, have Christmas Eve celebrations at Steve's parents on Saturday, go to church with my family on Sunday and then spend time with my family until we get tired and want to go home to play with all the cool toys Santa is bringing Anthony.

We are so blessed for the many things that have transpired in this year. We have learned that the Lord truly does give us challenges to make us stronger and then will help us out in the end. We are grateful for our families who have been a part of this year. We are grateful for friends both near and far! Most of all we are grateful for Anthony and the joy he is in our home. I love coming home from work and listening to Anthony laugh while Steve plays with him. There have been many times I have taken a few minutes longer than needed to set down my bag and walk into the living room just so I could hear my guys having fun!

We are so excited for the adventures that will come in the New Year. We are hoping to adopt another baby and may be looking into building a home in the New Year. It will be exciting to see where the New Year takes us!

Thank you all for your love and support! We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!