...Reflecting on 2011...

It has me somber, thinking this year of milestones is nearly over. I would be remiss if I didn't take pause to thank God Himself for allowing me the opportunity to draw nearer Him, learning more of His character, and serving Him.

In January I completed my 2nd 21-day full fast. It is always an enriching time, when I seek His will on a deeper level. I pray for a specific area of my life, with urgency and fervor.

In February Kevin turned 31 and the Green Bay Packers won the Superbowl. Needless to say, it was a time of excitement at the Kent home.

In March Kevin celebrated his 10-year anniversary with Lodi PD. It has been a blessing to watch the majority of his career thus far from the front row. Also in March, I had my last laparoscopy.
Kayden turned Three and a new world unfolded before my very eyes as he became (in his own mind) "a big boy".

April started out exciting as Kevin and I celebrated our 5-year wedding anniversary, but quickly turned to melancholy as Justice turned Five and we realized we can't keep our kids as babies forever. We also got to visit with my very special Aunt who lives in Virginia. (I miss you AA).

In May, Justice graduated preschool and again I was reminded that time is flyin and kids grow up quickly.

In June I faced my own mortality in turning 27 years old, and realized that the inevitable THIRTY is right around the corner! I also had my full hysterectomy, and spent my first night completely away from husband and children. It was brutal being away from my family.

July came and went with post-op appointments and recovery. I taught my first VBS class, with my most favorite friend, Joan..

August brought forth new adventures as Justice started Kindergarten, lost her first tooth, and Kevin started his new (TEMPORARY) assignment as SRO.

In September, my dad turned the big Five-Oh. I suffered the first of many "inabilities" to say NO and was voted Secretary of St. Peter PTL.. Lodi PD got a new Chief (from Stockton!).

October was another busy month. We went camping for a week in the snow (in October!) at Bear River. Kayden started Preschool. We successfully navigated our first double-booked weekend of harvest faires at two different locations (one church and one school- more inabilities to say "NO"). Justice also lost tooth #2, and got Awards in school for 1st QT Academic Excellence, Citizenship, and Perfect Attendance.

November seemed to pass by in a blur. PORAC confrence in Reno, Thanksgiving, family pictures... Being busy coordinating schedules and shuttling kids here-and-there kept me going. Well, that and my usual morning coffee at my favorite spot! Our church's evening service Churchnasium has a new Administrator (me), and a blog is up-and-running.

www.churchnasium.blogspot.com

December. Sheesh. The year is over already. It's been our first December in a few years that Kevin hasn't been on vacation. We are coping to the adjustment and looking toward 2012 with hope, expectation of good things and reliance on God to sustain us completely. In the meantime, I have learned how to step-up, and have pulled off the single-parent thing successfully, holding down the fort and managing the busy end-of-semester/ Christmas parties of two active students at St. Peter Lutheran School.


Here are a few more fun statistics from this year:
Price of unleaded gasoline per gallon, in Lodi: $3.49
Price of a gallon of 1% milk (which is what we drink): $3.19
Price of a gallon of chocolate milk (the kids' favorite): $3.99
Song most played at our home: The Light In Me by Brandon Heath.
Favorite family-night movies: the Pirates of the Carribbean series.
Favorite meal: my spaghetti
Favorite pastime: getting a coffee at our special spot, House Of Coffees, and watching the Green Bay Packers win! And us Kents love to be together. It's what we do.
Julie's Most Memorable Moment of 2011: both kids being in school, and becoming a Packers Owner!
Kevin's: Justice starting Kindergarten, Kayden starting PreSchool

Justice: "Losing my two teeth"

Kayden: "I got a Dargon Castle for Christmas!"

...Over the river and through the woods... (to Grandpa's Cabin we go!)

On Dec 26th, after surviving the rush of people at Target, trying to score a good deal on some kids' items, we headed out to Foresthill, where Tim and his wife bought a cabin/new home. This was only our 2nd visit up there, and I can tell that we will not be making the 210-mile round trip drive on a more regular basis: once we pulled into the driveway, I jumped out and lost my lunch. That twisty-turney, up-and-down thing is NOT what I call a funand easy drive...

The kids had fun giving and receiving gifts, and riding Tim's horse Candy.

Tim and Ann have cats, which Kayden is allergic to. When I noticed that, after being inside the cabin that they had supposedly cleaned, anticipating our arrival, for 30 minutes, Kayden was covered in cat hair. So I went out to the truck to get the lint roller. And discovered that Kevin's (and mine) keys were locked in the truck. After several failed attempts to "get in", we called AAA and let me tell you, that membership IS WORTH EVERY PENNY! Tim said that he admired that Kevin and I never argued and even laughed about the situation, and that he was impressed that we worked together so well. I wanted to say, "Duh!" but I didn't..

So, long story short: kids had a great time, Kayden came home with watery eyes and sniffles and Justice with a rash on her face. I had a great time, throwing up and dealing with the locked-out scenario. ..sigh.. (insert eye-roll here).

...Christmas 2011 Happy Birthday, Jesus!!...

Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Ran's house and spent a little time with the Lauchland clan.We even got to se Grandma Great!

 Then we headed over to the Vice home to decorate cookies for Santa.

The kids took baths, just like any other regular night, and while getting out of the tub, Justice slipped and slammed her left cheek into the edge of the tub. It was deeply bruised but PRAISE GOD nothing was broken! It cheered her up to check the NORAD website and keep tabs on Santa as he made his way closer to Lodi. The kids left out the cookies that were decorated, for Santa, and some toffee, almost, chocolate candy (which I LOVE) for the reindeer. And milk, of course!

When the children were nestled, all snug in their beds, we "read" (the recordable book, which features Poppy's voice) Night Before Christmas. I layed with them, for a little bit, to make sure Jus was going to be ok, and to continue icing her poor face. Then Kevin and I got started on putting together the "Santa" gifts, and stuffing the stockings, and tucking Charlie safely out of sight until next Christmas. But Charlie did leave a little note for the kids, complete with pictures, and a gift for them to open Christmas morning. He got them a kids' Devotional Bible for Mommy (and Daddy) to read at bed time for 2012!

*I think I forgot to post this picture of Charlie, after we (I mean HE) made the Gingerbread House for the kids on Christmas Eve Eve.

Christmas Morning, Grammy and Bubbo came over (Poppy had to work) to watch the kids open their gifts.

 Then we all went to church.

After church we came home and made a nice lunch for some friends, only one of which stopped by. So Ryan and Stephane came over for a little bit. Then we had 'Family Nap Time' and woke up late for Grammy's Christmas dinner! We took our balloons over there, and our tradition continued, this year Rudy wrote on one!

After Poppy came home, we all tore into our gifts. Justice got her new doll which she named StellaLuna (from the book, StellaLuna). So we call her Stella.

Kayden got the Rocking Mickey, which is one of those toys you know the grandma is going to buy because it is noisy and annoying.

I got a new desk and a pair of new TOMS shoes. Kevin got a new truck battery and Madden 12 for XBOX360.

Dad got Mom an iPad! Over all, we all suffered from buying too much and gettign too much. But we all had fun, and kept Christ our focal point.

...Unplugged...

Before my husband can emotionally connect to me when he comes home, he has to "unplug". He has to make an effort to disconnect from work, and take a few minutes to switch to home-mode. I've seen, and my kids have experienced first hand the adverse effects of cop-mode in the home.
It always ends badly; kids crying, raised voices, arguments, and the kids don't LIKE or WANT him home when he is in cop-mode. Everything is suspect to more scrutiny, and everything is questioned.
For some, like Kev, this is a fairly quick and painless switch, and he is able to engage the kids and assimilate to home life rather seamlessly. It is rare that he take extra time for himself, or refuse my urgency in sharing the parental responsibilities.
Others may have more of a problem, or need more time. Each person is different.
To a newbie LEO wife, I would offer this advice: get to know - I mean the nitty gritty- what makes your man tick. I am talking about the very essence of him. Dig deep, and study him, until you are sure that you have the exact number of minutes counted that it takes him to unplug.
Then add ten.

...Relationships...

The older I get the more I realize that the most meaningful things I do each day are connected to building stronger relationships. So, I've decided to start off the new year with a commitment to improving the key relationships in my life. Why not join me?

I want to forge lasting friendships, build my marriage into an even more special and intimate celebration of one-ness with man and God, grow my motherhood to encapsulate every aspect of the character of the Heavenly Father that I can possibly glean from the Holy Scriptures. I want to be a student, child, and server of Him who Saves. I want to be a partner, lover and giver to the man I married. I want to be a promise-keeper, legacy-leaver and example to the children God has blessed me with. I want to be a confidant, a prayer partner and Light to those who I am proud to call my friends. I want to be the Salt. The Light. And to whatever else He calls me to be, may I embrace it openly, with honesty and humility.

My prayer is that we can all be so bold as to strive to be better. To live up to the hype of Heaven. To make our Father proud.
Amen.

...Definition...

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...Merry Christmas!...

Packers Fans Meet Santa

...at House Of Coffees on Saturday 12/17/2011 we got to meet Santa!

...A Great Miracle Occurred There...

...Dreidel, the fast-paced, action-packed game of spinning tops from ancient Israel. At least that's how I sold my kids on the game.
And now it's become their favorite family pastime. Bonus: they are learning Yiddish! Ok, only 4 words.. But it's still cool.
They raided my vases for some pretty and smooth glass stones to use as the wagers. Yes, apparently I'm also teaching my kids to bet.
But they are having fun, learning to add and subtract, and we are spending time as a family doing more than sitting in front of the TV.

...More Elf Madness...

...More Elf...

On top of the fridge, in the letter box, getting a piggy-back ride from the Angel on the tv, and chillin' next to his favorite ornament on the tree. Charlie is one busy elf!!

...Incase You Were Wondering...

Yes, yes I did.

Chop my hair off, that is.

About 5.5inches!

It is now the shortest it has EVER been.

And I like it!

...CIM RELAY...

Sunday December 4th, 2011

Kevin and I ran the CIM as part of a relay team, with Carlos Fuentes (a co-worker of Kev's).. We were team "Juanito's Groupies"... It's kind of an inside joke, as Carlos' real first name is Juan.

I ran leg 1, Kevin ran leg 2, and Carlos ran legs 3 and 4, making it a Half Marathon for him.

Here are some pictures from our running extravaganza:

my girlfriend Jenn and I at the starting line. She ran the relay on another team.

The race started at 7am and was a balmy 29*F!! 

Kevin and I at the finish line

team Juanito's Groupies!

Julie: leg 1

Kev and I with the Capitol in the background.

Relay Finisher's Medal

Kev and I with our (ugly) Relay Finisher's tee's on.