2011 In Pictures (The Karianna Spectrum)

Plenty of navel-gazing, but I wanted to document our year:

As my oldest celebrated his 10th birthday, I realized just how old I am: a mom for a decade. Of course, now he's nearly 11.

We finally got to see my husband's new office, the cleanest that it will probably ever be:
1) Yes, that is a polar bear
2) ... because he went to Bowdoin (note the Bowdoin hat and scarf, too)
3) He has proclamations
4) This Galaxy tablet became mine when he got a Xoom

My youngest son was very excited to compete for the first time in gymnastics, the majority of meets which were in the first half of 2011. His favorite meet was at Stanford, where he got 2nd in pommel horse. (For his first meet of this new season he got 2nd in pommel, too!)

Cal Gymnastics nearly lost its funding, and although Cal-Stanford is a hefty rivalry, the Cardinal put on a great effort to help Cal maintain its funding. During a special event at Stanford to celebrate men's gymnastics, my son got to meet 2004 Olympian Brett McClure (who happens to coach at Stanford.) Of course this reminds me of when I met 1984 Olympian (2-time gold medalist!) Bart Conner back in 1988.

You better believe we're excited that the Olympics are in 2012. My son and I are attending the Olympic Trials in gymnastics, sure to be a highlight for this upcoming year!

My younger son also played other sports, such as soccer (of course!), baseball, and then recently started basketball.

Not to be outdone, my older son honed his interests in 2011, too. He resumed playing golf (after about two years hiatus)...

... and continued playing the violin. He both performed and watched performances. He attended a Joshua Bell concert which he pretended to do under duress, but ended up thinking was pretty cool. He grew out of his first violin, but although he has a shiny new one, I couldn't help buying the well-used one "just for memory."

I had a few different "me-time" opportunities in 2011, such as the Mom 2.0 conference. I'm pictured here with Amie Adams, who taught me a lot as she took me around New Orleans. I got so much out of that trip that had nothing to do with the conference itself, even though it was of course wonderful to attend sessions and see friends.

Of course I attended BlogHer again in 2011 (I'm one of those rare folks who have been do every one since it began in 2005.) It was terrifically fun for many reasons, such as meeting Bob Harper and being introduced to my sons' current favorite game.

We took a trip to Chicago to celebrate my husband's 40th. From an acquired game-ball to a special bear, we had plenty of fun. (Yeah, that's a dog pictured. He's chilling on my younger son's high bar.)

My brother got married. This was of course significant in many ways. I was definitely thankful that my parents are in good health after my dad's heart surgery in 2010. Plus, we gained a wonderful woman as a member of our family. I was thrilled to be a bridesmaid for her, and my youngest was excited to serve as ring-bearer. (My oldest, ever the shy one, preferred to be an audience member.)

Our summer was surprisingly quick, especially because we were drowning in fun. We finally got off the wait list for our local swim club...

... and the kids adored going to camp. My older son's experience at Galileo Tech was especially meaningful. His personality really blossomed. Both kids had tons of fun, and they look forward to going to Camp G next year!

We redid our backyard in 2011. Or - more accurately - my dad redid it. Yup, his heart is now healthy enough to do an entire backyard! I'm a very lucky daughter. The boys now have an actual area to play rather than an endless weed garden. The back looks beautiful now.