The Year in Review

I've compiled a list of the highlights of 2011. It's not chronological. The first on the list is the most important, but after that it's jumbled order.

* Lincoln Henry Altman joined the family!
* Bentley started kindergarten--at home.
* Legos took over the upstairs family room.
* Jake & Viva mastered 100 piece puzzles.
* Matt traveled to Barrow 12+ times and D.C. 4 times.
* Jake played a lot of checkers.
* Bentley was introduced to chess.
* Kara started cutting the boys' hair.
* We built a spectacular play house from appliance boxes.
* Paper airplanes were a big hit.
* Bentley learned to read.
* Soccer, badminton, and basketball were the boys' summer fun.
* Viva biked, swung, and explored the yard.
* Lincoln, although a lousy eater, stayed near the top of the growth charts.
* Bentley traveled to Las Vegas with Matt.
* Viva visited the family in Idaho with Matt.
* Kara, Jake, and Lincoln happily stayed home all year.
* It was the year of dragons, knights, swords, and princesses.
* Bentley, Jake, and Viva watched Dr. Who with opa.
* The children cut, taped and drew a lot.
* Grandma Vicki came to visit twice!
* Daddy took the children on fun camping trips.
* We had a memorable Halloween party.
* Lincoln mastered sitting at a precocious age.
* The trio were introduced to books on tape.
* The boys joined opa on mushroom hunting expeditions.
* Kara spent days researching homeschool options.
* The children acquired lots of mittens and hats that great-grandma knit.
* The children had their first overnights at Grandma Karen and Grandpa Tim's.
* Viva started ballet.
* Bentley and Jake started gymnastics.
* The boys got a bunk bed; Viva got the trundle.
* The children had many adventures with Matt.
* Bentley joined a Lego club.
* Thousands of books were read aloud to the children.
* Bentley read hundreds of books to us or his siblings.
* Viva was the ringleader of hours of imaginative play.
* Mommy & grandma spent many, many enjoyable hours with the foursome.
* 2011 was awesome.