1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Had her fourth birthday.  Stick her face in the water.  Move up to a new ballet class.  Went to the beach.  Took a road trip.  

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?


No.  and No.  

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?



I guess not.  

4. Did anyone close to you die?



No, thank God.  

5. What countries did you visit?



We stayed in the country but Maria did go to NJ with me in September. 

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?

Status as a Kindergartner.  Ha!  

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

She started her last day of preschool on August 27.   

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?



I don't know.  Moving up to the next class in ballet.  

9. What was your biggest failure?

Maria is very impatient.  She loses her temper and falls down every other minute.  

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

She had two ear infections this year, more than anyone has, except Felicity.  Otherwise I think she's okay.  

11. What was the best thing you bought?

She loved her bike this year.  

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Maria's - she is an excellent student, she loves school and her teachers and friends.  She was a good ballet student and swimming student.  

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?



Maria's.  She can be a real hammer, pecking away at your head until you'd rather remove it than go on.    

14. Where did most of your money go?

Preschool, ice cream.  

15. What did you get really excited about?

She was very excited to start school.  She loves this boy Samuel at school.  

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?

Call me Maybe, we all sang it a billion times with Maria.  

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:


– happier or sadder? Happier.
– thinner or fatter? Fatter, heavier, but really just growing.


– richer or poorer? Richer, I guess.  

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?



Sleeping in.  

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

  

Waking before 7:00!

20. How did you spend Christmas?


We were here, for the first time with all my siblings and my mom.  

21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
She really likes that Samuel.  

22. What was your favorite TV program?


I'd have to say The Winx.  

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?


No.

24. What was the best book you read?
They just started reading Ramona.  

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

She loves Call Me Maybe.  

26. What did you want and get?
She wanted a doll for Christmas and got one.  She wanted a haircut and got one.  

27. What did you want and not get?
She wanted a real live cat for Christmas and didn't get one.  It's practically ruining her whole Christmas!  

28. What was your favorite film of this year?
Madagascar III is the only movie she saw in the theater this year.  

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Maria turned four last January and we had a small ballet party, just Carlotta and Emma were here.  We had pink cupcakes.   

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
More sleep.  Maria is a good sleeper but she has an inability to roll over and go back to sleep if she wakes even a tiny bit and she gets very grumpy during the day if she's tired.  

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Maria likes dresses and no jeans.  NO JEANS.  

32. What kept you sane?


Preschool.   

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
They like this girl who sings Once Upon a Dream after one of their DVD's.  I assume she's a Disney girl.  

34. What political issue stirred you the most?


NONE.  

35. Who did you miss?


She misses Samuel on Wednesdays.  She misses everything about her school when she's not there.  She misses Carlotta now that she's in Kindergarten.  

36. Who was the best new person you met?


Samuel.  Sigh.  :)

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.


I don't know.  If you harp at things long enough, your parents will do what you want, just so you will stop talking?  

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.


I just met you and this is crazy, but here's my number, so call me, maybe.  

Cocoa and Carols

So they do this adorable thing at Maria's school for the four and five year olds called Cocoa and Carols, and the 4's class and the Explorers class sing Christmas Carols and you drink Cocoa and watch.  Also, they were holiday festive clothing and little santa hats that they made out of construction paper.  Maria got super sick on Monday, she had an ear infection that made her howl and cry in pain, like this, OWWWWWWW!  OUCHHHHH!  OWWWWWWW-CHEEEEEEEEE OWWWWWW!  It was AWFUL.  Her temperature was 102 even after TWO doses of Advil.  But we went to the urgent care and saw our nice nun friend and she got ear drops and antibiotics and she felt better, she slept and slept.  I was so worried that she wasn't going to make it to her show and when I tell you she had been preparing and practicing, I am not kidding.  So I told her, let's pray that you feel good enough to go, Maria and we'll just see.  She woke up Tuesday morning and felt pretty good, although she didn't seem 100 percent, we got dressed anyway and by the time we got there and she performed, she was feeling good, I'd say.

She was really good.  I of course think that, but I think she really was!  You could really hear her and she wasn't shy, she was just great.  My mom and brother came, too, so that was exciting.  The only one who didn't come was Veronica, but she was in her own classroom.  Here's some pictures of Maria (and me and Felicity):