2012--A Year in Review

2012 was an eventful year for the Dietz family.

January–Went to Lubbock to celebrate Zach’s birthday with him.  I also went to Dallas to babysit the Wright kids while their parents went to a pastor’s conference.

February–I went to Dallas while Jay & Amy went to Ethiopia to bring Hadassah home!  While I was there, the kids & I watched Dax’s dedication in real time at their Lubbock church.  What a blessing to be there when they brought Hadassah home–it was a beautiful experience.  I hated leaving with Jay & Amy so jet lagged!!  I wasn’t sure they were going to make it.  (But they did.)  After coming home, I took Caitlin & Alexis with me to Lubbock for Dax’s first birthday party.  The only problem was Dax’s parents got a stomach bug….but we stayed at a nearby motel and totally had a great time swimming and eating!  We handed Sprite, crackers & Pepto through the door to the sickies.

March–Jay & Amy were moving from a townhouse in Dallas to a house (thank goodness–no more neighbors knocking on the wall!).  I had no idea how Amy was going to manage packing and moving with a new baby who wouldn’t let her out of her sight!  So I asked my mom if she’d be game for going and helping.  Then Lindsey (the queen of organization!) was also able to go and we had a great time packing and moving.

April–Andy left for China on a medical trip.  I babysat Ryan & Addie while Isaac, Hadassah & Josiah all had birthdays.  Hadassah was also baptized that same week.  On the 28th, we left on a CRUISE with David’s family.  What a blast!!  We ate, swam, partied and ate some more.  It was so much fun watching things through Ryan & Addie’s eyes.

May– I went and kept Dax while his parents went to Ruidoso.  Gary & Amy met me there and we spent the weekend together while they attended Amy’s niece’s graduation.  The kids and grandkids came before Mother’s Day and we were all together.  So much fun!!  It was great seeing Hadassah and how she was adjusting to her new family.  Caitlin & Alexis came to meet Hadassah for the first time.  (They also gave beauty makeovers to Addie & Olivia!)

June–Andy & I went to China.  I was excited to meet Abby–our Chinese daughter’s baby whom we had the privilege of naming (mom & daughter).  It was a precious time.  I was so emotional when I left.  I didn’t expect that.  Abby was adorable.  David began his new job as worship leader at Celebration Family Church in Fritch.

July–We had the BEST 4th of July!  Gary hosted our annual Sanders Family Reunion at Wonderland Park.  It was the first time most of our grandkids had been there.  THEY HAD A BLAST!!!  We declared it a huge success and want to do it again!  I came home with a bug from China–I really think I had a parasite.  We made the birthday circuit for Shanna, Matt & Amy’s birthday.  We went to Lubbock to take Shanna out to eat and then I came home and headed to Dallas for Amy’s birthday.  We met Matt for lunch for his birthday when I got home.  Addie is a “steak girl” so we went to Outback for her birthday.

August–We got a call on the evening of the 6th that Zach & Shanna were headed to the hospital.  They were going to call us back if they kept her.  This meant that August Cohen Dietz was coming about a month early!  We began to get ready to head to Lubbock.  We got there and Shanna was still in slow labor, so we went out to the pickup to get a little sleep.  The next morning, Gus came!  He was taken to NICU early on because of his breathing.  He was adorable!

September–We celebrated Andy’s 62nd birthday.  Shanna’s sister, Amanda, was home from Alaska, so they were in Borger–which meant we got to see Dax & Gus.  Such cute boys!

October–Andy & I celebrated 25 years of ministry at First Baptist Church, Borger, TX.  What a milestone!  I also submitted my resignation to the board at Living Water Ministries.  My plan was to work til the end of December.  I was also keeping it quiet until the first of December.

November–We kept Ryan & Addie while David & Lindsey went to Dallas to celebrate their 10th anniversary and had lots of fun.  Andy & I then went to Dallas with some friends to a dinner where Glenn Beck spoke.  It  was hosted by Messianic Jewish Bible Institute.  We had a blast with our friends!  Afterwards, we spent the weekend with Jay & Amy.  We babysat the grandkids one night while they went to a wedding and then went to church with them before we went home.  It was Andy’s first time at their church in Dallas.  We had a very special Thanksgiving with most of our kids and grandkids and our moms and my siblings at our house.  Matt deep-fried 2 turkeys for us.  Shanna took family photos.  At the Living Water Thanksgiving, I told the volunteers that I was resigning.  A bittersweet time.

December–I was on the countdown for finishing my job.  It was a very busy time at Living Water.  Then all of our kids and grandkids came to our house for Christmas.  It was a wonderful time–and it snowed!  It was a perfect Christmas with so many fun gifts, watching cousins play and enjoy one another, late night laughter with adults, and good food.

If I had to sum 2012 up in one word it would be FAMILY.  Our family changed in 2012.  There were adoptions, additions, and transformations.  We were together more times than I actually remembered.  It was a good year for our family.  We helped one another, worked for one another and blessed one another.  I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2013!  I expect…change.