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
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