And a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011 was a rollercoaster for us, to say the very least. At the lowest point, I lost my job. At the highest, we welcomed our precious son Connor. And many other peaks and valleys surrounding those events. In spite of the curveballs we have been thrown, we made it through stronger than ever. Our biggest goal for 2012 is to be prepared. We will focus on our savings to ensure that we have a strong buffer, just in case we are ever put in a rough patch again. We will focus on debt (or rather, eliminating it) so that our expenses are minimal. I'm going to spend the year shopping clearance sales at various points to get Jordan's next clothing size(s) so that we're not hit with that cost all at once. Thankfully, my boys are not too rough on their clothes yet, so they can all be passed down to the younger 2, and still be in good enough shape to pass on to someone else.

Before the year is done, we will have made a final decision on baby #4. If we're going to do it, we don't want a huge gap, so we would start trying before 2012 is over. If we decide we are done, we'll take permanent action for that.

The events of the next several months will dictate a lot of our future. If Jeremy is able to get his packet submitted to the Intelligence Officer program, then we will know in March if the Navy is in our immediate future. If not, we will start looking at our alternatives so we can hit the ground running when he graduates in May.

I am looking into all options of going back to work, which is difficult with 3 small children. Hoping to find something that will work with our schedules and hopefully be in a field that I find stimulating. My dream job is to be a bank teller...which I know isn't a particularly high paying job, but I know I would love it.