2024 was quite a year. It will easily be marked as one of the hardest, though I wouldn't have expected it, with how it started and all that seem to lay ahead. But each year is a gift, and as I look back over the years and sift through family photos, I am thankful for all the memories and the ways the Lord has provided for us. I will be going into 2025 with a heavy heart and new outlook, but I know that the Lord is kind and good. He will walk with me the same way He has so faithfully done year over year.
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January started with some fun snow days! The kids got to enjoy sledding and snowmen and snowball fights, and it was the perfect way to kick off the year. It was even more fun that Granny came to visit in the middle of the snow, so she got to enjoy it with us. I continued with our Acts Bible study, we had Mr. Jesse over for dinner, the kids and I made a trip to the National Gallery of Art, and Eli changed from navy to brown glasses. We got to enjoy some trains at a church members' house, the kids started helping more in the kitchen, and we finished up our swim lessons at Goldfish Swim School.
For Valentine's Day in February, we made some fun homemade valentines. Grandma and Papa came to visit, and we spent the time playing at the playground, visiting the Natural History Museum, playing games, watching the Super Bowl {Aiden's personal favorite}, and catching snowflakes on our tongues. We were also plugging away at school, working on bug projects, reading, spelling, and visiting the library. Eli was losing teeth right and left! Mike and I got to go on a double date with the Parkers for a marriage comedy night, which was fun.
In March, I was busy prepping for our When You Pray Bible study, and we were definitely looking forward to Spring weather. The kids were happy helpers in the yard, and we were enjoying as much warm, outside time as we could, though we still had some days in the 20s. Eli did get a new big boy bike, and he just could not have been beaming any bigger :) Maddie and I got to go to the consignment sale and enjoy lunch together, and Aiden was my little laundry helper. Also in March, Uncle Michael and Miss Vi asked the kids to play a special role in their wedding: flower girl, ring bearer, and ring security!
We celebrated Easter in April. We made resurrection rolls, Eli drew his own Easter story book, and of course we rejoiced with our church family. We made another trip to Udvar-Hazy to see the new planes on display, and we got to see several planes land at Dulles airport from the observation deck. We also got to witness the partial solar eclipse, since we had 88% coverage. Mr. David was in town visiting, so he got to enjoy the event with us, special eclipse glasses and all. I reached a milestone in my migraine journey, marking 1 year since I first saw my neurologist. Eli got to spend time with Daddy building rockets at Boys Brigade, the kids started their soccer season again, and we got to pray over Mr. Jesse and Ms. Linda for their engagement. April is when they made the public announcement that Mike would be taking the role of Lead Pastor in the Fall.
In May, we celebrated Mother's Day with sweet homemade cards from the kiddos. We also finished up our second year of homeschooling! We got to spend some sweet time with Mr. Jesse before his big move to Hawaii, I wrapped up our women's ministry year with our spring brunch, and led a hike through the Bull Run Occoquan Trail. We had our annual church picnic, complete with the Fairfax County Fire Department spraying water for the kids, and Eli created his own board game. We also squeezed in a trip to Wegmeyer Farms to pick strawberries! I didn't blog about it, but May was also when we learned about the merger at work, and the possibility of my job changing became the forefront of our prayers.
June meant Texas, wedding, and anniversary festivities! We traveled to Texas to be with family for Michael and Vi's wedding, which was just a fun week, packed with all the wedding things. Maddie was a beautiful flower girl, and the boys were on top of their ring duties. My parents beamed with pride watching my brother marry his love, and Aiden had the best night of his life on the dance floor. After the newlyweds headed off to their honeymoon, we headed over to be with Mike's family to celebrate Tom and Susan's 50th wedding anniversary. It was a fast and furious week, but it was full of family and fun, and we are so thankful for the time we had. When we arrived back in Texas, Mike ended up with Covid, but thankfully he was better fairly quickly. The kids had their soccer field day, and then the Lilleys were in town to visit D.C., and it was so fun to spend time with their family. We celebrated Father's Day with kid-designed socks for Daddy, discovered raspberries growing in our backyard, and Aiden lost his first tooth. We started spending time at the pool, our deer came back, and our women's summer book club kicked off!
For the 4th of July, we celebrated with our neighbors with a fun cul-de-sac party, complete with sparklers. Mike and I got to enjoy a sweet anniversary dinner out at Capital Grille, thanks to kind and gracious babysitters. We discovered bird eggs in our birdhouse, and got to wait for them to hatch. We also got to enjoy VBS at church! We hosted our Catalyst young adults group, which was really fun to connect with them, and the boys really started to enjoy playing chess. Maddie took a tumble while running through the house, and poor girl chipped her front {permanent} tooth. Thankfully, we were able to get it repaired and not too much of the root was exposed. There was a lot of blood and it was pretty scary, but she was SO brave!
We wrapped up our summer reading in August {nothing like a little ice cream to motivate haha}. I also was able to make a solo trip to Texas to visit my grandparents in San Antonio. Because I flew into Dallas and drove to SA, I was able to have dinner with Michael and Vi and the girls, and now looking back, I am so, so thankful I was able to give Michael a hug then. We celebrated Aiden's 6th birthday with a knight-themed birthday. And then we kicked off our 2nd grade and 1st grade year of homeschool! Mike got to spend a week in Colorado for his annual pastor's retreat, and the kids and I got to do fun things at home like visit Udvar-Hazy. Eli finally graduated from eye-patching, and he got a trip to the LEGO store to celebrate! We spent more time at the pool, and the kids got to hike Great Falls Park with some friends.
By September I had been approved for a new rescue medication for my migraines, but was still trying to work through the right plan for what I was going to use and when. In anticipation of Mike's new role as Lead Pastor, the elders graciously granted him 3 weeks off. We were able to spend some time away as a family at a pastoral retreat center in the Shenandoah Valley for a few days. We got to play games, go on hikes, and visit caverns. We didn't make it to the National Park because we ended up having car trouble, but the Lord kept us safe and provided what we needed to get the car repaired in time to get us home. We had our fall church picnic {complete with dunk-a-pastor}, started reading the Narnia series, had a friend over for pizza and a movie, and visited Great Falls. September is when I received the confirmation that I would not have a position going forward in the merger, that I would finish out my time through the end of the year, and then be done with my role at Independent Financial.
The Great Pooh Exchange happened in October. Aiden was able to let go of his well-loved Pooh bear and exchange it for a brand new one. We did some pumpkin carving, and even baked the seeds {though no one was a fan of them, except me, but I can't eat them}. We did some of our school outside and at the library, and we welcomed Miss Lilly home on her fall break. We hosted our first outdoor movie night, which was so fun! Maddie started Pioneer Girls, and her little extrovert heart is loving it. I got to join our women on our annual women's retreat, and we celebrated the faithful service of Pastor Milt and Val at church. We got to trick or treat with ALL the grandparents, which was extra special and fun!
In November we celebrated Eli and Maddie's 8th birthday with trains and bunnies. Their birthday was extra special this year, because all 4 grandparents were in town to celebrate. In November, Mike officially became the Lead Pastor of Chantilly Bible Church, and our parents were in town for his installation service. Aside from trick-or-treating, birthday, and installation Sunday, we got to do a bonfire, Great Falls, Museum of the Bible, and Cox Farms with the grandparents. The kids were on cloud nine! For Thanksgiving, it was just the 5 of us, but the kids asked for a traditional meal, so we did the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and rolls. Mike and I got to attend the DTS Centennial celebration dinner with some CBC couples, we watched a squirrel eat through the pumpkins on our porch, and we celebrated Mike's birthday with homemade enchiladas and chocolate cake.
We started December like we usually do, with our Advent countdown. I built robots with my boys, I was wrapping up my last board meeting for work, and we were getting ready for Christmas. And then I got a text message that changed the course of our December. Overnight I found myself in Texas, saying goodbye to my brother, helping my parents plan a funeral, trying to offer words of comfort to my new sister-in-law and nieces. It was by far the longest 9 days of my life. But before I knew it, I was back in Virginia. We were surrounded by our beloved church family at Christmas Eve services, we were opening up gifts on Christmas morning and managing sick kids through the end of the year.
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I looked back at my words from last year: "whatever comes in the new year, we know that the Lord is good, and we are thankful for His constant faithfulness to us."
While my thoughts were on my personal health when I wrote those words, I still believe the words are true for the present circumstances. I want to be a woman of faith that can say, no matter what comes, Lord, You are good.
Losing my brother was not on my 2024 {or anytime soon} plan. I would not have chosen this. I also would not have chosen my seasons of unemployment, infertility/loss, or health struggles. But every time, God has been faithful. He never left me, He faithfully walked with me. And I know He will do so now. Since I have been in valleys before, I know that I cannot simply rush to the mountaintop. It just doesn't work that way {unfortunately}. He has too much work to do while He's walking alongside me here. And it will be messy and sometimes ugly, and it won't be wrapped up in a nice little bow. But that's the beautiful part of the gospel and His love for us: it doesn't have to be. Because He is what is beautiful and good. And it is in the valley that we get to be led gently by our kind and loving Shepherd.
And so I will still praise Him for all He has done. For His goodness and faithfulness to us in 2024. For how He will walk with us into the new year, no matter what comes.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads my in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever."
- Psalm 23
