As I was reading through the year's worth of archives last week, it was pretty evident to me that this site is going through some growing pains. It was an expected find as I knew it would happen right around this time, but still. Knowing that I would be blogging less about Alexis as she got older (out of respect for her privacy she already approves what I write about her, albeit at a very high level) didn't make it any less evident that I didn't really catch my groove in 2011.
So, you know, thanks for sticking with me through all of that. When I checked stats for the whole year, I was blown away by the number (1,000,000+ page views . . . WHAT THE WHAT?!?!?). Y'all are some patient people and I appreciate it. 2012 is going to be a year of Monumental Changes, I just know it, so hopefully I'll have a word or two worth writing as it all unfolds.
Anyway, the second half of 2011 brought . . .
In July I unveiled evidence that I live with a hoarder, Alexis learned the word "testicles," and our fridge tried to destroy me.
August brought the end of Dora (WOOOOO!), the revelation that the hoarder thing is genetic, and I turned a dresser into the most sparkliest girly-girl piece of furniture the world has ever seen.
Then came September and Alexis started kindergarten. Which, the hell? How did that happen so fast?
We spent part of the month building a loft, and I'm still wondering what the answer to this question will be.
October is one of the best months of the year, as evidenced by Crazy Scary.
October was also when the husband's hoarding paid off, and when a bunch of people got all judgy about a post that I wrote about my mom. Oh, and there was that thing where I had to perform Earring Back Surgery on my kid without throwing up.
November brought the start of Christmas Crazy and I threw some kryptonite at my husband.
And then there was December. I think the big game-changer there was this post, a post about the day that has changed everything. We're still waiting to see how that story will end.
There was also this post about the beginning of the eventual, the day we met Benjamin, and y'all blew me away with Christmas Crazy.
Not mentioned in the recaps are any of the dozens of recipes I posted in 2011. You can access all of them here. The most read post was the one about Campfire Bananas (AKA Banana Boats), but the Nutella Nut Roll didn't do too shabby either. My personal favorite is still either the Risotto or Vegetable Paella, which I think just goes to prove I do know how to eat healthy foods.
Thanks for sticking with me in 2011, and here's to a 2012 that ends a little better than 2011 did.