2019 was filled with ALL the toddler craziness :)
I feel like I am always saying that our life is crazy. And in so many ways it is. We wrapped up the year with 3 {count them, THREE} toddlers...and that's pretty much the definition of crazy. Haha. But while that is certainly the stage we are in right now, there are so many sweet blessings along the way. And I promise they're not lost on me. In the midst of the chaos, I try really hard to focus and remember. Remember how just a short time ago we were longing for this craziness. Remember how much the Lord has provided in and for our family. And it makes me incredibly grateful for this sweet life He has give to us.
I kicked off January with a few resolutions...let's just say I had some pretty high hopes for the amount of time and energy I would have to complete those haha. We spent a lot of time indoors, reading books, playing LEGOs, and we even enjoyed some indoor snow activities in our hopes of real snow. Despite the frigid temperatures, we did brave the cold to visit the Dallas Area Train Show. I also got to sneak away for a fun Mama-Getaway and it was just as glorious as I had imagined :)
In February, my nieces threw me an adorable birthday party, and it was the perfect way to celebrate 34! Aiden started solids, with avocado being his first and favorite food. And Eli and Maddie started fulfilling the old adage of "double trouble." So things were a bit crazy in our house!
We were rocked by sickness in March, but once we were well again, we were thankful to start having playdates with some neighbor friends! We were still busy with the 3 under 3 crew, but we found time to blow bubbles, play with clay, have a picnic, play at Crayola, and have lunch with my co-workers. Of course, the toddler antics were at an all-time high with the Unthinkable Poop Incident, so it's no wonder that I found my first gray/silver hair this month! Oh, and I also got a new computer :)
April was a full, fun month! We got to share our embryo adoption story through our agency, go to the zoo, and spend lots of time with Grandma and Papa. We got to celebrate our friend Cooper's birthday, spend lots of time playing outside, and eat homemade soft pretzels for National Pretzel Day. I took my last citrate-filled Humira shot, and we counted down to Easter with fun activities with The Shepherd's Treasure.
Grandma came to visit again in May, we visited the new Buc-ee's in our town, and I got to experience the joy and blessing of a citrate-FREE Humira shot! Since the weather was getting warmer, we spent a lot of time playing with our new water table and playing golf in the backyard.
In June, we wrapped up our Spring Bucket List with a trip to the McKinney Farmer's Market and blueberry picking at Blase Family Farms. We also kicked off the summer with lots of trips to our neighborhood pool and splash pad. We needed to practice our skills from last summer, because Eli and Maddie started swim lessons again! June also saw more toddler antics with Eli and Maddie eating Butt Paste {they were fine}, tracking carpet deodorizer all over the house, and climbing onto tables to spill full cups of water. We enjoyed an evening of bowling with Mike's family, and we attended our cities Fourth of July celebration {yes, they had it in June}. I also publicly shared about my struggle with postpartum anxiety and depression.
We were having all the summer fun in July! We played in the sprinklers, dressed like cows to get free Chick-Fil-A, spent more time at Crayola, celebrated National Ice Cream Day, and ate lots of popsicles. Eli and Maddie finished their first 100 books for the "1000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge." Aiden started standing up, and then he transitioned to a convertible car seat {at only 10 months!}. Mike and I celebrated 8 years of marriage with a fun date night full of sushi, cheesecake, and uninterrupted conversation :)
By August, I was learning that toddler antics was just OUR LIFE NOW. Toothpaste spread over a closet full of clothes, pen marks on their bodies, crayon on the furniture/walls, sidewalk chalk on the tile floor, and formula powder everywhere were just the highlights. Good thing for skype calls with Grandma and emergency lunch dates with and flowers from Daddy! Maddie was diagnosed with strabismus, so we started patching with her. Aiden got his first haircut in preparation for his first birthday; our baby turned 1 year old, and we celebrated with a fun One in a Melon birthday party. My parents also celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, and we got to celebrate my Dad's 60th birthday!
We started our own version of Toddler School in September, and we also started attending BSF on Wednesdays. I was able to read and review the new Risen Motherhood book {loved it!}, and Maddie finally got her first haircut! Aiden weaned off bottles completely, and I may or may not have shower cried for days because it meant we didn't have a baby anymore. We also traveled to San Antonio to celebrate my Grandpa's 90th birthday!
In October, we visited a small pumpkin patch with Granny and Grumpz, played at a fun new park, and attended Anna's Harvest Fest. It was finally cooling off, so we could spend more time taking walks, playing at the park, and running around outside. We also introduced Gus the Green Bug in an effort to help Eli, who was waking up multiple times a night.
November was jam-packed with fun events! I blogged about Halloween {where we dressed up to fit the theme "These are my monkeys; this is my circus"}, and we went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood for the first time! Eli and Maddie turned 3, and we celebrated with a fun THREE-esta party. And so we officially survived 3 under 3 :) We found colorful leaves pretty much everywhere we went and painted {canvas} pumpkins. We got to have dinner with some old Redeemer friends, share Crayola with our friend Cooper, and reorganized our play room. We added leaves to our gratitude tree, celebrated Mike's birthday with a colorful banner, and spent Thanksgiving with Mike's family.
In December, we walked through The Shepherd's Treasure and our Jesse Tree Advent readings. We went to see the Trains at North Park, watched our city's Christmas parade, decorated Christmas cookies, made a gingerbread house and Christmas cards, and had an overall fun-filled Christmas season with family!
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2019 was the year of surviving 3 kids under 3 years old. We had some challenging days, but we also had some really fun days. God was incredibly gracious to us, and we are thankful for all the ways He provides for and takes care of our family. We're looking forward to what He has in store for us in 2020!
