Saturday, December 31, 2011

Farewell 2011

It is fair to say that 2011 turned out to be quite a year for the Odermans. It's still hard to believe that we are about to welcome a new year. Looking back at 2011 we started the year celebrating DelRae & my birthdays before our first family vacation (& Makenna's first flight) to beautiful Kauai. I added another child to the gang ( Gracie Myers- 6 months younger than Makenna). Our days have been busy and over the course of the year the kids relationships have changed so much. They sure do love one another. Friends have married, gotten engaged and had babies!! The Bushwacker family added Grant & Mia to the second generation. :) We are looking forward to meeting them in 2012. We made a trip up to the islands to visit our dear friends. Makenna took her first ferry ride. During the spring we went whale watching with Island Adventures and Makenna saw her first Gray Whales. Makenna took swim classes where she channeled her inner fish. Makenna continued to grow. She upgraded her bottle to a cup with a straw. She began crawling and soon after walked. Her mobility changed our lives. Her vocabulary has exploded. She is now saying up to 4 word sentences. She is a talker, dancer, runner & the sweetest cuddler. As of today she has 6 teeth fully in with 5 that have either just started breaking through the gums or just under the gums. Makenna celebrated her first birthday with friends & family at our local park. Eric & Shandel got engaged and have been busy planning their July 2012 wedding. In the spring we sold my Escape and purchased a 2010 Kia Forte. We spent a week in Chelan in August with the family & the Hansens. We enjoyed the company of Aunt Margaret during her 3 month stay!! Makenna really took to her and quickly learned her name, which we hear often. In the spring Mom relocated to Lacey, just minutes away from her beloved Makenna. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Makenna had her first zoo adventure. We were spoiled by 2 visits from Jen Carpanini. We went on countless walks, took numerous day trips, changed thousands of diapers, bought Makenna's first potty, took millions of photos ( not an exaggeration!), and daily marveled at our beautiful little girl and this fortunate life we live. So thankful for memories made and those we shared moments of 2011 with. We are blessed with amazing families, good health, a smart & healthy little girl, a rambunctious dog, jobs, a roof over our head and love. We are blessed. Looking forward to the promise of 2012 and the adventures that await.


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