2021: A Year in Review

Were I to get my act together and send out a Christmas card, this would be it. 

What We’ve Learned:

Supergirl: How to independently (ish) use a pacifier

Flash: How to use the potty [Sort of] 

Wonder Woman: Activating switches with the turn of a head is far easier, and therefore more enjoyable than using hands/arms.

Batman: Sounding out words is hard, but reading can be fun.  

Superman: Multiplication tables 1 through 8

Mom: Parenting odd numbers of children is harder than even numbers

Dad: We have an odd number of children? 

What We’ve Loved:

Supergirl: Being constantly entertained by every member of the family. 

Flash: Everything. Life is good, especially when you always get your way. 

Wonder Woman: Being the popular girl in preschool. “I’m sorry that people are so jealous of me. But I can’t help it that I’m popular.”**

Batman: Trading pop-its with friends at school, which mom says needs to stop.  

Superman: Getting ridiculously good at Fortnite.

Mom: Newborn baby snuggles— the velvet soft skin, the sweet smell, all packaged in a teeny tiny body— there’s nothing like it in the world. And, the big kids being old enough to get ready for school independently. Hallelujah! 

Dad:  Having odd children.

What We’ve Accepted:

Supergirl: Every outfit has an accompanying headband that will be worn even though it ends up as a blindfold. 

Flash: Boogers will be wiped and potties will be used. Shenanigans.  

Wonder Woman: That maybe mom made the right call about earrings, they hurt briefly but are really cute. 

Batman: For some ridiculous reason Mom refuses to buy McDonald’s for every meal and insists on cooking mediocre food. 

Superman: You can’t skip school just because you don’t feel like going. But what about this cough? * ahem *  

Mom: My kids love video games, possibly more than they love me. 

Dad: Five is an odd number.

What We’ve Missed:

Supergirl: Being carried constantly and comforted by the soothing noise of mommy’s womb, it was much cozier there, though less entertaining.

Flash: Being the baby… Nah, that role isn’t just a position, it’s an identity, and it’s mine. 

Wonder Woman: Being the only girl, I’m not sure how I feel about sharing the pretty girl/cute outfit spotlight. 

Batman: Being younger when mom didn’t make me do so many miserable chores. Chores are the worst.

Superman: E-learning, because there was more time for video games.

Mom: A pre-pandemic world. But at least there’s toilet paper this time. 

Dad: Working from home, because there was more time for video games. 

What We’ve Accomplished:

Supergirl: Being born with far less drama than the older brothers. 

Flash: Amassing an impressive vocabulary for a three-year-old and using it to boss around pretty much everyone. 

Wonder Woman:  Another year without a hospital stay, surgery, or even an ER visit! Plus a first lost tooth.

Batman: Losing 2 teeth, finally. It’s about time the tooth fairy visited someone other than the oldest brother. 

Superman: More level-ups on Fortnite than mom can count.  

Mom: Managing a difficult and exhausting 4th pregnancy, birthing said baby at home (on purpose), and then ten days later transitioning into a part-time position with our church. My accomplishment was the cartoonish rolling of a snowball downhill, careening wildly and gathering more snow, but successful in that I managed not to fall apart.

Dad: Passing along that X chromosome and making a girl. 

Mysteries that Remain Unsolved:

Supergirl: What cool things are happening when I sleep? Must I miss out on all the fun? 

Flash: Same as every year… Why do people keep telling me ‘no’? It doesn’t apply to me. And why can’t I  give my newborn sister gummy fruit snacks?

Wonder Woman:  Why baths?

Batman: Is the plight of the middle child never-ending?

Superman: Why don’t my little brothers do everything I say? Don’t they realize I’m basically a parent?

Mom: What in the world happened to 2021? 

Dad: How did I let my wife talk me into getting another dog, and a puppy at that?

What We’re Hoping for the New Year:

Supergirl: Constant entertainment and someone to respond to my particular yet ever-changing desires. 

Flash: For people to just let me be and do my thing. 

Wonder Woman: To start kindergarten in the fall, and hopefully take my Make-A-Wish trip that has been postponed since 2020. 

Batman: That my big brother would stop bossing me or that my little brother would start listening when I boss him.

Superman: Unlimited video games 

Mom: For continued health, for the successful continuation of my children’s education, that life wouldn’t feel quite so hectic all the time, and that all my children would take naps. 

Dad: Constant entertainment and someone to respond to my particular yet ever-changing desires. People to just let me be and do my thing. Take our daughter on her Make-A-Wish trip. That my children would listen to me. Unlimited video games. Continued health and naps. 

Happy New Year! <3 Us

**Quote by Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls