The year in review

2010 was an adventurous year for the Bartle family! At this time last year we couldn’t have imagined the roller coaster ahead, but it was a ride full of blessings. Here is a month-by-month recap:

January: Happy New Year! Garry and Heidi feel a nudge to relocate to Mesa, Arizona to be closer to family. Garry and Heidi prepare the house to sell. Garry explores job transfers within Wells Fargo. At eight months old, Lexi learns to crawl. Zach (8) earns the Bobcat rank in Cub Scouts, and Tyler (5) becomes obsessed with reading chapter books. Heidi resolves to find joy in daily life.

February: We all enjoy watching the Winter Olympic Games. Lexi’s hair is long enough for pigtails and she hates taking a bottle. Tyler turns six, has a Lego-themed party, and explores a career in volcanology. Gavin (2) gets his first shiner, drinks a bottle of ibuprofen and a Dr. Pepper on the same day, and enters the tantrum phase. Zach gets stitches in his lip on Valentine’s Day. Lexi has three ear infections and bronchitis. We have a surprise house showing before the house is on the market. These people don’t buy our house, but later move into our ward.

March: We travel to Arizona for Heidi’s brother’s wedding. We hope to be permanent residents soon. Spring Break brings Easter, a ward split, and tons of snow to Colorado Springs. We still don’t feel the timing is right to put our house on the market. Zach enjoys his first Pinewood Derby. Garry takes Zach and Tyler skiing for the first time. Heidi gets stuck in the attic while they are gone.

April: Garry and Heidi celebrate birthdays. The tulips bloom. Zach and Tyler join an after-school running club. Lexi cuts three new teeth, learns to stand, and finally realizes bath time is not meant to torture her. Gavin discovers his ability to scale kitchen cabinets and the fridge. He drinks a bottle of Lexi’s antibiotics. Tyler learns to tie his shoes. After a near-miss at a private sale of our home, we finally put it on the market (for sale by owner).

May: Lexi turns one and begins walking (running is not far behind). School ends for the summer, just in time for a heat wave. We break out shorts and swim suits. We bid farewell to dear family friends when they move to Arizona. We hope to follow soon! The family drives to the top of Pikes Peak on Memorial Day. Zach and Tyler begin baseball season. The boys practice four days a week.

June: Keeping the house clean with four kids at home all day is impossible. House showings are happening 6-8 times a week. We receive a purchase offer for $75K below our asking price. Heidi loses her mind. She and the kids move in with her parents in Mesa. Everyone hopes the house will sell quickly. Zach and Tyler spend two weeks with Grandma and Grandpa Bartle in Nevada and Utah. Garry returns to an empty house in Colorado on Father’s Day. We hire a real estate agent.

July: Swimming, swimming, and more swimming helps us survive the Arizona heat. Lexi weans herself from nursing. Gavin visits the ER twice – once for possible meningitis and once for drinking a bottle of Benadryl. He escapes without medical consequences both times. Zach and Tyler play lots of video games. We enjoy frequent associations with cousins, grandparents, and friends. Family life is the best! There is no movement on the house front. We have two showings in six weeks.

August: We return to Colorado, take our house off the market, and abandon all moving plans. We bask in the blessing of living as a complete family. Zach begins third grade and Tyler begins first grade (yay!). Zach joins a tackle football team. Tyler begins a Musikgarten class that provides fun for the whole family. Heidi is called to teach Relief Society at church.

September: Zach plays center and nose guard for the Rampart Rams. Garry and the big boys attend the BYU v. Air Force football game. Garry and Heidi take turns with two-week bouts of bronchitis. Tyler and Zachary endure croup. We have new carpet installed in our house and paint two bedrooms. Zach earns the Cub Scout Wolf badge. Gavin’s mischief is put into perspective when he almost dies. We thank his guardian angels daily.

October: Zachary turns nine and enjoys hamburger cupcakes. Lexi is imitating every word we say. Tyler loves school; Zach just tolerates it. Football season ends. We revel in the glorious Fall colors in our city, then bag all of the leaves in our yard. Gavin gives up diapers. Our oven dies and we replace it. Garry works 83 hours one week. Garry is called to the Sunday School presidency. We attend a Halloween carnival and acquire two goldfish. Gavin kills them the next day.

November: Two dear family friends are baptized into our church. Garry performs the baptisms and Heidi speaks at the service. We have never known such joy! Lexi joins the nursery at church, but Gavin continues his nursery boycott, which began with the ward split in April. Gavin spends lots of time twenty feet up the backyard tree, on top of the fridge, and on top of the van. He turns “free” and celebrates with a Diego birthday cake. Zach earns the Leadership ribbon in Cub Scouts, Garry earns an award at work, and Heidi earns more gray hair. We celebrate Thanksgiving with family in Arizona and count our blessings.

December: Lexi has four ear infections in five weeks and is scheduled to receive ear tubes in January. Garry completes a grueling 32-hour shift at work. We enjoy the first real snowfall of the season, find the perfect Christmas tree, and celebrate the season with a daily devotional. We become secret elves for the 12 Days of Christmas. Garry's parents and Grandma visit for a few days after Christmas. We count our blessings from 2010 and welcome a fresh start in 2011.