The Skabelund Family: 2012

Obviously I am not good about keeping our blog up to date, but I do want to remember the craziness of our lives at this stage! Our kids are growing up. Darrin graduates from high school in 6 days! I am happy and excited for him and feeling ever so proud of myself for what I accomplished too. It wasn't easy being a young single mom, I had my mom and dad who I am forever grateful for their love and support. I could not have done it without them. And of course my wonderful husband who became a part of our lives when Darrin was just 20 months old. We faced a lot of challenges those first few years and now we are watching our oldest graduate and begin the next chapter of his life, it is amazing. When you are younger it is hard to imagine 20 years later and now here we almost are. It is pretty hard to wrap your brain around. When the kids were all little it was hard. Everything was hard, grocery shopping, cleaning, walking the endless halls at church, you wonder if it ever gets better. It most definitely does but we are just busy in different ways. I spend more time in the car than I do at home. There is baseball practice, football practice, band practice, birthday parties, trips to the ER, and it goes on and on! The best part is watching my kids grow up and the people they are becoming. In 18 months we will have 4 teenagers, that is scary! Well technically Darrin will be 20 by then which is even scarier. I love that we still have our little ones at home too. As we prepare for our older ones to begin lives of their own we still have the joy and excitement that comes with starting school, losing your first tooth, learning to ride a bike and all the other joys of childhood. It is great. We have had 2 foster placements in the last 2 months, it has been a crazy emotional journey but one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my life. My kids have been wonderful, they are accepting and loving and helpful in all ways when it comes to the babies. It has been heart warming to watch them develop a tenderness for these sweet kids. I am asking alot of them too when it comes to loving them and then having to let go. I will never say that it is easy because it's absolutely gut wrenching but to see my kids develop and show compassion and unconditional love is worth it. Summer is fast approaching and we have no plans. The plans we started to make got thwarted by a trip to the ER and a cast so the beach will have to wait! Kyle will be in summer school until mid July so it looks like we will be close to home this year. Hopefully we will be able to make a quick trip to CA before the crazy football season starts. I have a plan to keep my kids busy, I just have to implement it and stick to it but I am looking forward to it. I want to be more involved with them and I think I have found a fun way to do that I just have to work on it. Hopefully it leads to a lot more being done around the house and a lot more fun together. We shall see.

With so much happening at the end of last year there just wasn't enough time to put together a family newsletter. So what better place than to look back on 2011 than our family blog! Where to even begin? It seems like this year has been another whirlwind year for us, we are constantly busy will all of the kids activities but somehow manage to squeeze in some fun time too. I think 2011 was the year for surgery in our house, in January I had a hysterectomy, very happy about that decision now but recovery was so not fun. I am so very thankful for wonderful family members and the awesomest visiting teachers ever that took such good care of me! On the first day of school this year Kyle came home with a stomach ache. Me being the ever concerned mother told him to take some Tums and go lie down. Well 30 minutes later he was at the ER being diagnosed with appendicitis and headed to surgery that night! He had to give up football this year but was happy to be able to take a video editing class instead that he really enjoys. And finally Darrin had surgery once again, big surprise! This time his left thumb was repaired after he tore a ligament in it playing football. His cast will come off next week and he will be able to enjoy being cast free for a few weeks until his next surgery on his right wrist! Thankfully his football career is over and hopefully that means no more surgeries!
Amidst the surgeries this year we also had time for a little fun! We celebrated Randy's parents 50th wedding anniversary in February with a huge party with all of their close friends and family. We made a couple of trips to Show Low this year to visit with Randy's sister and her family. We had tons of fun riding quads all over the hills even though Randy almost killed us both when we ran into a ditch! We also got to go up for Kari & Jake's wedding in June. Kaela and Lyndi were flower girls and looked so pretty all dressed up! In July we made an impromptu trip over to CA to spend the 4th of July at the beach. We surprised the kids with a fun day at Knotts Berry Farm and spent the rest of our time at the beach and watching fireworks off the pier at Capistrano Beach. Our big, unexpected trip of the year happened at the beginning of December when we travelled with Ryan's football team to Orlando, FL to participate in the AYF National tournament where they took 3rd place. While there we were able to go to all of the Disney parks, the Kennedy Space Center and the beach where the kids got to get wet in the Atlantic Ocean. 10 days was a long time for all of us to be together but I hope this is a trip that the kids will remember forever. It really was an amazing experience for all of us.We of course kept busy with all the day to day demands of kids, work, church callings, and all the unexpected things life throws at us. We have also started on our journey to become foster parents. From the time I was about 12 years old I knew that I wanted to foster. Thankfully Randy is supportive and we are currently taking the required classes and hope to be licensed in early May. Crazy I know but we have the room and the love to open up our hearts and our home for another child so we will see where the world of foster care takes us. There is never a dull moment in this house. Here is a little snippet of what each of the kids has been up to:

When did our baby boy grow up? Darrin turned 18 this year and it is just too hard to believe that he will be graduating high school in May and headed off to bigger and better things. He is planning on serving a 2 year church mission when he turns 19 and then returning and heading off to start his next 12 years of school to become a surgeon. He has had the opportunity recently to be able to observe some surgeries in the OR and has discovered that he really does enjoy it. He enjoyed his last year playing football for Skyline and was also able to complete his Eagle Scout requirements this year too. We are so proud of him, and even though it a bitter sweet year for us we are excited to see him fulfilling his goals and pursuing even bigger dreams.

Kyle aka "Gibby" turned 14 this year and started his Freshman year of high school. He is the social bug of the family and keeps us busy with all of his plans. He is already looking forward to driving so he doesn't have to rely on us for rides everywhere. He spent all spring and summer conditioning for football, waking up at 5am all summer for practice then had to quit when he had his surgery before ever playing in a single game! We felt so bad for him but he has had a great attitude and was able to take the video class which he really likes. He spends a lot of time making movies, and hanging out with his friends. Kyle did his Eagle project this summer, building 4 moveable tether ball courts for a homeless shelter. As soon as he finishes his write-up and has his board of review we will be able to have a double court of honor for him and Darrin.

We owe Ryan all the credit for taking us to Florida this year! He likes to remind us that it was because of him that we got to go! This is the 3rd year Ryan has played football with the Mesa Soldiers, it was such an exciting season winning the State Championship then competing in Florida and taking 3rd in the nation. Ryan has worked really hard and improved a lot this year. He loves being able to rub it in to his older brothers about how good his team is! Ryan turned 12 this year and is enjoying his last year in elementary school. He was able to go to scout camp this year and came home with a bunch of merit badges. He is hoping to be a Life Scout by the end of this year. He is a great student, and a big help at home. When hes not playing football he spends most of his free time on the computer.

Kaela is looking forward to turning 11 in February, she is in the 5th grade and just got her first pair of glasses. Kaela was a cheerleader for Ryan's football team this year and worked really hard all season cheering on the boys. The girls participated in a cheer exhibition at the State Championships and did really good! She loves cheering, doing crafts, singing, and playing with her little sister.

This has been an exciting year for Logan too. In June he turned 8 and was baptized. After watching all his older brothers and sister have their big day he was so excited to finally have his! He enjoys going to cub scouts and is looking forward to his first pinewood derby later this month. Logan played flag football this year until falling off the monkey bars one night after practice and breaking his wrist! It was a short season for him but he didn't seem to mind! He loves being home playing on the computer, reading, or watching TV. Logan definitely keeps us on our toes but we love his silly sense of humor and his never ending energy!

Someone has figured out how fun it is to be a pest! Trev loves to bug his little sister! I guess when you are the youngest boy you have to find someone to pick on! Trevor keeps us laughing at all the funny things he says. He started Kindergarten this year and is already reading and doing math. He is super smart and gets in a little too much trouble at school making silly noises when he is supposed to be paying attention. Trevor turned 6 in November and is working really hard on trying to learn how to ride his new bike without training wheels.

Our baby girl turned 3 this year and started preschool. She loves, loves, loves going to school and is so sad on the days she is home with Mom! Her teachers love having her in the classroom as she has become a role model for her friends after "graduating" from the speech program. She loves to sing and dance and is definitely not shy anymore. In Florida she had the whole crowd cheering along with her when she did her cheer "let's get fired up!" It is so fun watching her grow up and become a little girl, she truly is such a joy to our family.

So there you have it, our year in review! I am sure what seems routine to us by now would seem crazy and overwhelming to most. We are so grateful for all of our blessings. Besides the often injuries, our kids are healthy, Randy loves his job, and although there is more screaming than hugging, our house is filled with love. We hope that this new year brings much peace, happiness and joy to your families!