This Week in Instagram 12/24 - 12/30

The stockings were hung and filled to the brim with candies and goodies for her and for him. A rather dull looking photo, but a moment in time captured nonetheless.

My favorite little ornament of the year - a reindeer made in our pre-k classroom. It's a very simple little ornament made from three popsicle sticks, googly eyes and a red pony bead. Sometimes simple = adorable! Lailah gave one to T Ty, too.

My first latte made with my new espresso machine! The espresso machine doesn't make espresso like work, though. I'll miss my Mocha Joe's.

We were waiting for our pizza delivery and realized it had started snowing again! I let Izak bundle up and step outside to enjoy the falling snow. Miss Lailah was still napping upstairs, so it was just the little guy and me.

These shoes are definitely not snow shoes! I went outside to sweep the 8 inches of snow off my car while the kids played. My feet got really, really cold in the process. I also had the great experience of sweeping snow directly into my face, thanks to the wind.

Here's one of the kids building their snowman. Like most things, this involved Izak doing all the work while Lailah watched and took half the credit.

Top 10 Photos of 2012

These are NOT in order of awesomeness, just in chronological order. Maybe I should do 12?

Miss Lailah at her third birthday party. I love her big, cheesy smile. You can see how happy and excited she is! January 2012

Izak at his sixth birthday party. He had just went outside and discovered his big present - a new swingset at T Ty's house! May 2012

This shows Miss Lailah and her long hair after it had been straightened. This is when I first noticed how much she's growing up. May 2012

Me, Nick and Mom. We don't take many pictures together because I always protest, but I had just highlighted my hair and was willing to give in. This was totally unplanned, yet we coordinated well. June 2012

My favorite picture of myself this year. Does all the happiness show? June 2012

My two sweet babies giving each other a big hug! I let Izak grow his hair out all summer, and this was just before he got it buzzed for school. July 2012

This guy is the reason I'm so happy all the time. August 2012

My sweeties are all ready for school. Izak was into his third week of first grade, and Lailah was about to have her first day in Pre-K! August 2012

Pumpkin guts! The kids loved helping carve pumpkins, but they especially liked the messy insides. October 2012

I couldn't forget to add a picture of Halloween! Darth Vader and Spidergirl were pretty cool this year, don't you think? October 2012

All ready to attend Izak's Christmas program. December 2012

Lailah and Izak posing in front of the tree at T Ty's house on Christmas. December 2012

Top 10 Moments in 2012

I thought about writing a full, month-by-month recap of 2012 complete with pictures, links and posts from Facebook. In fact, I did write this post through May, then realized it was a little too much. Instead, I've decided that top 10 lists are the way to go.
Top 10 Moments in 2012 in no particular order
10.) Changing majors, changing schools
My second semester in 2011 was horrible. I didn't pass any of my classes, despite spending SO much time studying, SO much time trying. I traveled to Champaign, IL twice to take a test that I failed miserably both times. After having always been an "A" student, it was embarrassing. I hoped 2012 would be better. I did manage to pass medical terminology in January, but it was the same old story with my other classes. I knew I was going to fail another semester and lose my financial aid. My only option was to find a different school to switch to. After researching a few online schools, I chose DeVry because they offered a computer forensics specialty that I was really interested in. This changed turned out to be exactly what I needed. The way DeVry structures their classes works so much better for me. I'm backing to getting "A's" and have maintained a 4.0 GPA through 4 classes so far.
9.) My first concert
2012 was destined to be the year of my first concert. I had tickets to go to a concert with someone early in the year, but that didn't work out. The next time I made plans, though, it happened. It was a Crossfade concert at Pop's on Father's day, and it was a pretty fun night. We were in the front, right against the stage the entire time. I've been to three more concerts since then.
8.) Getting a new job
I guess I should say another job since I didn't leave the first one. When I got the call to schedule an interview at Southtown Youth Center to be a Pre-K aide, I was ridiculously excited! My mom and Mark were out of town on a vacation I was supposed to be a part of (glad that didn't work out), so I had to find a ride and a babysitter. Grandma Sandra was able to take off work and help me out. The interview went well, and I got the job! It has been a great experience so far. If there was more demand and more money in teaching, I would definitely want to be a teacher.
7.) Getting my first tattoo
And my second. And my third They're just as addictive as everyone says.
6.) Getting some time to myself
When I had Izak, that was the end to me having time to myself. It didn't help that I had major trust issues and wouldn't leave him (or Lailah) with anyone other than my mom. She never liked to babysit much, which left me having very little time to myself This year, though, Chad found a girlfriend. Chad moved in with his girlfriend, which meant Chad finally had a place to call home. This led to Chad being able to babysit the kids when I needed him to, which eventually led to the kids spending every weekend at Dad's house. Lailah doesn't enjoy it much, my I feel so much more refreshed and energized through the week after having my weekends "off."
5.) Collecting comics
This year I made to switch from digital to physical comics. The change hasn't been great for my bank account (I pirated the digitals), but there's nothing like getting a fat box of comic books in the mail and flipping through the pages. Another amazing experience that goes with this one is visiting my first comic book store. We go to Fantasy Books in Fairview Heights, IL and it's so much fun every time. I feel like an excited 10-year-old boy in there.
4.) My first trip to a bar
There were a lot of firsts this year, and going to a bar was one of them. It was a great night for more than just that reason, though, because it was the night Josh and I started officially dating.
3.) Batman Live!
It was sooooo cool!!! Batman Live was like a mix of circus, magic show and BATMAN! Does it get any better? I was really impressed, and didn't actually expect it to be so good.
2.) Meeting Josh
Awww, I had to put some mushy mush fluff in here somewhere. Technically, I probably met him in 2011 when he came to the coffee shop for water, but I'm going to consider it 2012 because it's the first time we really talked. Talking a little bit at the coffee shop let to texting, which led to a date, which led to more dates, which led to that night at the bar, which led to the best relationship I've ever had. I'm hoping it will just keep getting better in 2013.
1.) Getting my license
The number one moment of the year was getting my license! It was a tough choice between this and meeting Josh, but I've waited for my license for SO much longer. I didn't even expect to get my license this year, but when I got the new job I really needed to be able to drive, so I did it.
On tomorrow's agenda? Top 10 photos of 2012!