We had a long week. My computer is dead, so this will be the last of my new photos until it is working again. Except for maybe camera phone photos.

These photos were actually taken on Reed’s birthday, but I thought I’d keep his birthday posts all about him.

Lots of my Facebook friends have been asking to see more of Lena’s hair.

This sweet girl told me yesterday that she was “sad at” me and didn’t like me. We’ve moved on, but I was at least proud of her for expressing her feelings in words.

Gus is my man, as always. Have I ever mentioned that he and Aaron fight over me? He will scream if Aaron kisses me and if I’m holding him, he’ll push Aaron away. They’re buddies any other time, but Gus is certain that I’m only HIS.

One of his new behaviors is cupping my face in his hands and saying “mmmm” or gently stroking my face. Very, very sweet. But alas, he’s 23 months old, so he also unexpectedly slaps me or headbutts me. Which to him is totally hilarious.

Now that he’s 6, Reed has decided to take up day trading and here he is, on the phone with his broker. Just kidding, but he is on the phone with his Deepa, my dad, so it’s very possible Deepa is planting the seeds.

And, that’s all for now.

2012 was a big year for our family! There were a lot of tears, but also a lot of joy as we welcomed Gus into our family. The  first few pictures are very Gus-centric, but it was a very Gus-centric year!

This picture wasn’t taken in 2012, but the first time I saw it was in January 2012. It is an absolute favorite of mine.

The first time we met our sweet boy, in February 2012:

In March, we sent Gus a package with some friends of ours. And it included some pictures from Reed and Lena. I actually re-took this picture with shoes on, but this is my favorite.

In April, I got one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten… pictures of our boy taken just hours before! It gave me some much-needed hope!

May 2012, we truly hadn’t seen Gus’s real personality before the day we passed court!

June 2012, Reed and Lena’s first beach trip! “That’s a really big lake!” -R.

July 2012, this boy had my heart the moment I picked him up.

August 2012, Reed’s first day of school. He was so excited!

In September, Lola came to visit!

October 2012. This was probably my favorite month of the year, although July was really wonderful, too. We got to spend a lot of time as a family, including our short trip to Colorado, which was a lot of fun. We have lots of fun pictures from home, Colorado and Halloween from October and it’s hard for me to pick! But, a family portrait wins!

November 2012. In sharp contrast to October, November was definitely not a favorite of mine. However, this picture, and the ones that went with it were fun!

December 2012, this is easy!

“I think the beauty of twinkle lights is a perfect metaphor for joy.

Joy is not a constant.  It comes to us in moments – often ordinary moments.  Sometimes we miss out on the bursts of joy because we’re too busy chasing down the extraordinary moments.  Other times we’re so afraid of the dark that we don’t dare let ourselves enjoy the light.

A joyful life is not a floodlight of joy.  That would eventually become unbearable.

I believe a joyful life is made up of joyful moments gracefully strung together by trust, gratitude, and inspiration.”

-Brene Brown