What A Year!

It's days like this that I'm thankful for facebook - I just traveled back through a virtual scrapbook of 2011's finest moments, and I have to say, it was one heck of a year.  January brought more snow than I 'd ever seen, along with an all time favorite picture of Sarah Claire:

See why it's a favorite? 

 February was a great month.  The weather finally warmed up, and all of my side of the family came to Chattanooga to see Austin play. We certainly added some numbers and noise to the TU side of the bleachers!

here is most of the crew!

March- well, March was a big month. All within 48 hours, I turned 24, we took Sarah Claire to Chicago to celebrate my sisters' birthdays (her very first plane ride!), and I found out I was pregnant again!  March was an adventure for sure.

here we are in our hotel room!

 In April, we got to hear our new baby's heartbeat for the very first time!  Here is the very first picture ever taken of baby #2 and a picture that we used to announce my pregnancy:

May rolled around, and we enjoyed some early summer weather in Mobile. Sarah Claire had fun with her aunts - can't you tell by this picture?

June brought the happy news that we were having a BOY! We anxiously awaited his arrival, but we managed to stay pretty busy with our sweet girl in the meantime.  We also got to go on a fun-filled vacation with Christopher's family - first to Tybee Island, then to Cabin Bluff!

Sarah Claire walking on the beach with her Papa Zing!

family picture at cabin bluff!

July was a very bittersweet month.  We decided to move to Mobile, and while we were exited for the new beginning, we knew we were leaving some of the dearest family and friends in Chattanooga.  We sold our house within days of it being on the market, and both Christopher and I learned to put our trust in God in a whole new way.  We didn't take many pictures this month; so instead, I'll let July be marked with a post from John Piper that I posted on the 15th:

"God is not displeased with the strength of a horse and the legs of a man as good things that He has made. He is displeased with those who hope in their horses and in their legs. He is displeased with the people who put their hope, for example, in missiles or in make-up, in tanks or tanning parlors, in bombs or body-building. God takes no pleasure in corporate efficiency or balanced budgets or welfare systems or new vaccines or education or eloquence or artistic excellence or legal processes, when these things are the treasure in which we hope, or the achievement in which we boast. Why? Because when we put our hope in horses and legs, then the horses and legs get the glory, not God"

August gave March a run for it's money when it comes to life changes.  We celebrated Sarah Claire's first birthday with all the lemonade and sunshine that we could pack into one day! The next week, we packed up all of our things and made the move to Mobile. What a month!

One of my favorite parts of her birthday!

Oh, she loved her cake!

 September was a month of adjustments - We settled into a new house, a  new city and a new routine. Christopher turned 26 (he's getting old!), and we continued to prepare for our baby on the way!  Sarah Claire kept on growing and getting prettier by the minute.  See for yourself!

In October, we celebrated our second wedding anniversary! It was warmer in Mobile than it probably ever had been in Chattanooga, but we tried to make it feel like Fall time anyway with a visit to the Pumpkin Patch on Dauphin Street!

November started out with a photo shoot to capture the sweetness of pregnancy and the last few moments as a family of three, and November ended with the sweetest blessing of a perfectly healthy son, Luke Austin Persinger.  He weighed 7 pounds even and was 21 inches long.  

December included bringing our son home from the hospital, hours of nursing, dozens of diapers (size newborn and size 3s!), a Christmas celebration and tons and tons of joy.

It's hard to believe that this year is ending.  It has been an incredible journey that will spill over into another year.  The blessings that we received in 2011 will continue to bring us joy well into 2012- and the year after that and the year after that and... well, you know where I'm going with this.  Our cup is full, and so are our hearts (and hands!) - Happy, Happy New Year!