2012 Pieper Year In Review

2012 Pieper Year in Review

2012 Has been a year to never forget. This little Pieper family has seen so many amazing things come to fruition and have felt the guiding hand of the Lord as we have opened a new chapter and started to close another.

On March 5th, our little family added little Reese Caroline. Ben and I have always left the surprise of our babies’ gender to the birth, and oh, how we were surprised this time around! Both of us had sort of resorted to having a house full of boys. Don’t mistake us, our boys are the most wonderful little boys. BUT, this sweet little girl has added a measure of sweetness and frill, giggles and love, shoes and accessories, we never quite imagined. The boys are perfectly smitten by “Reesie Gril” (as Zach calls her). She never has to want for much and she always has two little playmates to chase her and tickle her and give her anything she wants (yikes!). “Reeses Pieces” also has two little boys that are very sure of what she should be wearing at all times (only things befitting of a princess- no regular duds for this one!). Ike and Zach often pick out her clothes and dote on her continuously. My, how it has made them into two amazing big brothers! Each night they wish her a goodnight, kiss her, tell her how much they love her and then tell her, “dream about princesses and milk!!” I can just imagine the years we have to come and the goodness this bunch will be to each other. Look out world! Reese’s favorite things right now are crawling/cruising (walking is just around the corner, I’m afraid!), laughing and giggling, ANIMALS of all kinds, and chatting (her favorite phrase right now is “Ohhh WOW!”) This little girl is a ray of sunshine all day long. I just can’t imagine life without her.

Ike had his own set of “firsts” this year too. Isaac graduated from Preschool in May after a couple of years of school at home with Mommy. It has been so bittersweet. I have so enjoyed my time with Isaac. He is such a little helper and friend and so willing and smart and trusting and just a little sponge. We have learned so much together, it was hard to let him start that first day of Kindergarten. Luckily, we live in a district that has half day Kindergarten, so I have been able to ease into the process. Ike goes to school in the morning after a nice, warm “smart power breakfast.” We live exactly one block from school, so I walk him to school everyday with the other two kiddos in the stroller. After bidding him farewell on the playground, he lines up with his class and does his “kindergarten thing” for 2 hours and 45 minutes. We pick him up at 10:45. This is just enough time to go for a jog, put Reese down for a nap, take a shower, help Zachary with his journal and then pick up! Whew! In this seemingly short time, Ike has made some great little friends, 3 he knew before school, and is now reading at a second grade level. Ike is always the first to pitch in and a great little helper to me. He keeps a close eye on his little sister and, though not in love with the idea, is very good at completing his chores and keeping a clean room. He remains super inquisitive and we can never seem to fill his mind with enough. Right now his favorite things to learn about are dinosaurs and states and traveling (he LOVES hotels). And, as of today, he still wants to be a Paleontologist when he grows up AND a dentist, he says! He comes home just in time to drum up a new game with Zachary where they are paleontologists, chefs, mountain climbers, firefighters, doctors etc. He and Z are still the best of friends and that warms my heart.  Isaac’s other firsts this year included his first year of playing competitive soccer (he was an excellent defensive player AND scored his FIRST GOAL in a game!!) He also lost his FIRST TOOTH, well daddy pulled it with pliers after 4 secondsJ (and is still beaming about it!). Yes, this little six year old has lots of firsts and we’re so glad to share them with him!

Zachary had his own set of firsts this yearJ This little boy went from being the baby to being a big brother and he did it so well. I was a little worried, I must admit, as he made a pretty good baby! He has taken it like a champ and not for one second has he ever shown jealousy or displeasure with sweet little Reese. He also keeps a close eye on little sister and keeps her out of trouble. He has his own special ways of enticing her to spit out the little toy/lint/any number of little things she shouldn’t have in her mouth. We are so glad for this talentJ Zachary has also played his first year of soccer, though not competitive, he loved it! He is pretty coordinated and it is fun to see him out there succeeding on his own. His little beaming smile is hard to beat. Zachary also started his first year of Joy School this year and goes to someone’s house every Tuesday and Thursday for school. He loves it most at our house, which I am glad for, but don’t tell him! He also loves learning and is a little sponge for information. He too is very interested in dinosaurs and knows almost all the states too! He is very quick and understands much more than I give him creditJ He is quick to be nervous for situations he hasn’t liked in the past (mostly dealing with dogs), but is becoming more reasonable everyday. Zach is very strong willed and is certain that he knows everything. Which, I have a question about… If you know everything when you are three, where do you go from there?! He is hilarious and loves telling jokes and making us laugh. He has a smile that is hard to beat and just like his brother, he can melt your heart with his sweet words and easy kisses (hopefully they stick to their mommy with those)! This year Zachary also graduated from a crib to a big boy bed. He and his brother are the proud owners of a new bunk bed. We put off this purchase as long as we could, but in the end, it has probably been one of the best purchases we have made. The kids are thrilled, though they never really use the top bunk! Both boys sleep on the bottom bunk, which is a double. I’m sure they’ll grow out of that eventually, but for now, it is pretty darn cuteJ

Ben spent the year studying and juggling. Seriously. His ability to (figuratively) juggle has never ceased to amaze me and this year really took the cake. As you can imagine, having two small boys and a pregnant wife and then going to three little ones is a handful on its own. Add dental school, board exams, and church responsibilities, and planning for post graduation to the mix and you could have a real mess. Somehow, Ben has made it happen with relative ease, if but a few less hairsJ I chose to give birth in a hospital in close proximity to dental school and it’s a good thing. After being up all night having little Reese, Ben took off first thing in the morning to attend school. He eventually took a nap, but I think that pretty much sums up this year for him. We continue to be blessed beyond measure and beyond our own capabilities to be sure. Ben has finished MOST of his boards now and MOST of dental school. In a few short months, we will be adults with a real job and real financial obligations. BUT, for now, we are working really hard to be inspired in the decisions we are making. It is a tremendous matter of prayer and we know we will be guided as we have been all along. Ben and his dental school buddy spent last weekend on a “trip of a lifetime,” as they described it to their wivesJ They spent 4 days hiking the Grand Canyon from rim to rim to rim. 52 miles, gallons of water, pounds of granola bars, and 3 sleepless nights later, they made itJ It truly was an amazing time in nature, to be sure. Ben has never done something like this for himself before and I think it was an excellent time to be in nature, to push himself physically, and to feel some calm before the stormJ He was missed terribly and welcomed home more intensely than ever before!

And as for me, I am no longer pregnant! I loved expecting Reese, but am so happy to have her in my arms and in our lives. Every once in awhile someone asks me what I “do.” For any young mother, contemplating this question can seem ridiculous. There is not a lot I don’t “do,” and yet, to quantify it is so subpar. I keep the children alive and the family running. I am the first teacher, pediatrician, cheerleader, reading specialist, budget director, cleaning crew, nightmare chaser, security guard, park-taker, every-random-fact knower (or finder-outer), hairdresser, stylist, seamstress, art director, chef-extraordinaire, craft manager, sports coordinator, chauffer, to name a few. BUT, when I’m not doing that, which is *almost* never, I am in a presidency at church that works with the girls ages 12-18. I also love running, planning parties/get-togethers for no reason (or any old reason), and I especially love doing/tasting/seeing everything around me. If you know me at all, you know that I am almost always up for any old adventure. I drag my kids to some of the most random things and Ben and I have had some of the most random dates, but hey, we have really experienced our lives in PhoenixJ I have to say, though, that this year, as never before, I have thoroughly LOVED being a mother. It is the best kept secret! I love being on the front line with my kiddos. I love knowing their ins and outs, ups and downs. I love knowing everything that happened in kindergarten and nursery. I love cuddling with Reese and reading books about cute little bears and monsters. I love studying up on dinosaurs and 100 other thingsJ I really do love it and though I didn’t really see it coming when I was younger, I am so grateful to be a stay at home mom. This year, for myself, I ran another half marathon, which I loved, but I also ran almost every day, even right before I had Reese, not because I am tough or talented, but because I love it and it makes me a better person. I also talked Ben into running a Mud Run with me. It was an obstacle course of crazy things I NEVER thought I would be strong enough to do. Each time we would come to a 20 ft wall or a huge ropes course or a 100 ft slide, I would say, “I don’t think I can do that.” To which my fearless, amazing husband would reply, “just give it a try babe, I think you can.” AND guess what!? I DID IT! WE DID IT! As Ben put it, “This was the best time I’ve had in a long time. Let’s do it again!” And we will.

If you were brave or bored enough to read this, you can see 2012 truly was a year worth remembering for us. I cannot say that it was without turmoil or tears, but I do feel blessed that all along the way, we have felt the loving hand of the Savior. That is why I wanted to write this letter, though it is a little later than normal. I never want to forget all that we have felt and all that He has done for us. We know that He lives. We have felt Him lift us when we were down and couldn’t go anymore, and embrace us when we didn’t know what else to do. Life, especially ours, is not perfect. We are nowhere near perfection, but through Him, we feel peace and perfect love. We thank Him for the year 2012 and for each of you, our friends and family who have been there for us all along the way.

Love,

The Piepers