Walk With Me Through 2025...

2025 was undoubtedly marked by grief. I felt as though I walked through my days in a haze, and there is now a weight of grief knowing that an entire year has passed since we lost Michael. Grief is complicated, and it's a difficult thing to navigate as you balance life with kids and ministry, figure out the day-to day, and just try to find your new "normal." The Lord has been with me through it all, and I am beyond grateful that I do not walk this journey alone. As always, He has been faithful and good.

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

In January, I wrapped up my job at Independent Bank after 13 years; it was the end of an era! We also got to enjoy several fun snow days, the first of the year. Since Christmas was a little overshadowed, we did our drive to look at Christmas lights a little late. We were still in the midst of grieving, as we headed back to Texas for Michael's Celebration of Life service. It was good to be with family and honor his life, but it was definitely hard to walk through all the formal steps of grief. We did our best to kick off school, and I had an MR Enterography.

We celebrated Chinese New Year in February with our church family, had several snow and ice days, and Aiden got to watch the Super Bowl! I turned 40, and got to celebrate with my family, a mammogram and a shingles diagnosis haha. The kids got to participate in the Pinewood Derby Race at church, which was so fun :)

In March, I had a colonoscopy {fun}, Maddie and I got to attend a baby shower together, and we got to serve at Generosity Feeds again. We had to say goodbye to our Pilot, and bought a new-to-us Kia Telluride. Our community group had a Pi Day event, and we got to make homemade pizzas together. Mike and Maddie attended a Father-Daughter Dinner, and it was so fun to see them all dressed up. They had a blast! My parents came to visit, and we got to enjoy Build-A-Bear, Harper's Ferry, cuddling baby goats, and Mount Vernon.

April was filled with a lot of the normal day-to-day. Mail from Texas, flowers from my love, snuggles with my babes, Pioneer Girls, nightly dinners, Perler beads and Yoto cards, dress up, haircuts with Maddie, park days with Daddy, glimpses of Spring, and learning how to crochet. We celebrated Easter with fun baskets and services at church. 

We celebrated Mother's Day in May, and I coached soccer for Aiden's U8 team. Mr. Jesse came to visit, and the warmer weather meant s'mores! I got to attend a women's conference to hear Kelly Minter speak, and the boys wrapped up their father/son program with a Citizenship unit. We wrapped up school and went on our annual strawberry picking trip. We kicked off our summer with a visit from Mr. Drew, a water balloon fight with friends, and building living room forts. I also wrapped up our women's ministry year with an end-of-year brunch.

In June, we welcomed family to town over Father's Day and what would have been Michael's birthday. We went to the National Zoo, Old Town Alexandria, the National Mall, and the Natural History Museum. The weather ranged from the 40s to 100, which was absolutely wild! On the warmer days, we enjoyed some time at the pool. We got to have friends from Texas over for dinner, and our church picnic featured a fire truck again. 

We celebrated the 4th of July with a picnic and fireworks with our neighbors. Aiden was losing teeth left and right, and he also got to wrap up his eye-patching journey! We got to enjoy and serve at VBS: True North, and Mike and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. A sweet lady in our church allowed us to stay at her beach house, and we got to take the kids to the beach for the first time! Mike got to go on his pastor retreat, but not before seeing my parents and going to the TX Whiskey Ranch with my dad. 

In August, I ended up doing a sleep study and seeing a cardiologist {thankfully all is fine}. We kicked off a new school year and celebrated Aiden's 7th birthday with an Avengers-themed day. Grandma and Papa were able to be here for his birthday, which was extra fun. We also got to enjoy the LEGO Discovery Center, the Bear's Den Park Trail, and apple picking at Stribling Orchard. We started The Wingfeather Saga, which has been a nightly family read. Maddie wrote her first book, and we enjoyed a cookout with our community group.

We were soaking up the beautiful weather in September. We took a drive out to Bluemont for ice cream, we were in the thick of school, and we were enjoying all the wildlife in our neighborhood. I got to attend our annual women's retreat.

In October, I went on a girls trip to West Virginia with Laura to celebrate our 40th birthdays. Despite months of fighting, I lost a battle with insurance to cover my Stelara and was forced to switch to a biosimilar. I began taking Wezlana and struggled with the side effects. Fall was definitely here, with cooler weather and the changing of the leaves. We attended the Oakton band competition, I took the kids with me to vote, and we trick-or-treated with Optimus Prime, Bumble Bee, and a green M&M :)

Eli and Maddie turned 9 {!} in November, and we celebrated with LEGOs and chipmunks! We had a game night with some friends from church, and we were excited to celebrate Daddy's 44th birthday. It was all hands on deck to prepare a full Thanksgiving feast, as we enjoyed the company of a couple of friends from church this year. 

We started December with our Advent countdown, and I shared for Crohn's and Colitis Awareness Week what "IBD Looks Like..." I also shared about my struggle with the biosimilar and the side effects I have been experiencing, but also how the Lord unexpectedly moved mountains to put me back on my original medication. I shared a bit of my heart on the one year anniversary of losing my brother, how moments shape so much of our lives. While the holidays have been tough, I have tried to make the best of them for the kids: finishing out school, a Christmas band concert, homemade peppermint hot chocolate, Christmas crafts, and gingerbread cookies. We took the kids to see their first movie in the theatre, enjoyed Christmas Eve service with our church family, and got to spend the last week of the year with Grandma and Papa.

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I wish I felt "refreshed" and ready to take on a new year, but I feel like I am still wading through a lot of emotions, trying to find my way. I don't necessarily feel lost, but I also don't feel invigorated and ready to tackle a whole long list of new things. Maybe it's still a protection factor for my fragile heart, but I feel...steady and at peace. Almost like this past year has forced me to slow down, reevaluate, and refocus on my main tasks. In a lot of ways, I'm not sorry that I find myself in a simpler phase, even though there still seem to be so many question marks. 

So I'm stepping into 2026, trusting the hand of my Savior, knowing that His faithfulness will lead the way through what is ahead. I only need to remain faithful to what is right in front of me.

Walk With Me Through 2024...

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.

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023

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

 

Walk With Me Through 2023...

Every year that I sit down to write this review, I am always amazed at how FULL our years are. The years seem to fly by, but I am thankful for the chance to pause and think back over all that has happened, specifically over all that the Lord has done. We have so much to be grateful for!

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022

We kicked off January with a trip to the eye doctor for Aiden. He did great, but it started his eye patching journey, which has not been his favorite this year. Grandma and Papa came into town for a week, which was so fun and special! They came to help with unpacking and to help with the kids, because I had my wisdom teeth out {not fun}, and I was so grateful for the extra hands. The rest of the month was filled with neighborhood walks, dance parties, and trips to the air & space museum!

The remodel was officially finished in February! I was still recovering from my wisdom teeth removal, as I struggled through a dry socket, a tooth infection, and complications from the antibiotic. Since I wasn't feeling my best, our school start was pretty slow, but we did finally get our act together. Aiden started causing some mischief during rest time, making huge messes in his room and the bathroom, trying to flush things down the toilet, and testing this Mama's patience. We had a fun Valentine's Day breakfast and love-day themed school day, and Mrs. Siu brought over fun Valentine cookies to decorate!

In March, I got to go away for a weekend on the Rappahannock River. It was a peaceful and restful getaway, and I was so thankful for the quiet retreat. Even though it still felt like winter, our church hosted their Spring Festival, and our kids had a blast with bounce houses, a petting zoo, crafts, face painting, and food trucks. I got to help decorate the church for spring/Easter, and we wrapped up our Abide Bible study. I also had the fun opportunity to go see Jen Wilkin speak at the Museum of the Bible with a few ladies from our Bible study. The kids started playing soccer, and we hit our 100th day of school! 

We celebrated Easter in April. The kids sang in church on Palm Sunday, we counted down with our countdown wreath, and celebrated with Easter baskets. By God's grace, I was able to see a neurologist several months early to start figuring out what to do with my migraines. We were starting to enjoy the warmer weather and spending more time outside; Mike was working hard on the landscaping. With some staffing changes at work, I was putting in some extra hours. Mike was able to surprise his mom and sneak in a weekend trip to Texas to surprise her for her 70th birthday!

In May, I was finally able to claim symptomatic remission from Crohn's! It had taken 3.5 years, but I had finally made it. Grandma and Papa came into town and it was a week full of parks, the zoo, strawberry picking, foot races, and birthday celebrations. We wrapped up our school year, with Eli and Maddie finishing Kindergarten, and Aiden finishing Pre-K. I got my MRI results back, and learned that there was no indication of a tumor. My prolactin numbers were up again, so I have to monitor that. We took several hikes, celebrated Mother's Day, and practiced riding bikes in the cul-de-sac.

We wrapped up our first soccer season in June. Mike finished up the landscaping at the house, and it looked amazing! We also started our battle with our mama deer, who kept helping herself to the new plants in the yard and making herself at home in our yard :)  I got to spend an evening out in Old Town Alexandria with my friend Beatrice, which was fun to have a fun girls night out. We had a church work day and the kids were great helpers, working hard cleaning our church building. We made a trip to Gravelly Point Park with friends to watch the planes take off from Reagan National Airport, and the kids had a blast! We spent time at our neighborhood pool, celebrated Father's Day, and soaked up the non-scorching hot summer days!

In July, we hopped on the spaceship Galactic Praise for a week of VBS! I volunteered with the 2nd and 3rd graders, and the kids loved the time in their individual groups. Aiden had a small procedure to remove a mucocele from his mouth, and my sweet boy was so brave! Mike and I celebrated 12 years of marriage! The migraine medication that I had started was not showing much improvement, so I was still working through that. I made a trip out to the retreat site with the team for the women's retreat, and was thankful to be a part of our women's summer book club. We also introduced the kids to the game of Uno, and we played non-stop!

The end of July, and into August, we headed to Texas! The kids did great on the flights, and it was so great to be back in Texas to see family and friends. The time was jam-packed, and we didn't get to see everyone we would have liked to, but we are thankful for the time we had. We wrapped up our summer reading; I was so proud of how well the kids did! We had a fun water balloon fight with friends, spent a week at Goldfish Swim Camp, and enjoyed a few hikes. We celebrated Aiden's 5th birthday with a fun army man them, complete with camo and nerf guns. We also kicked off our 2nd year of homeschooling, with Eli and Maddie starting their 1st grade year, and Aiden starting Kindergarten. 

September was filled with school, work, and church activities. We celebrated Labor Day at the pool with our Community Group and enjoyed some a fun foosball lunch with daddy while Mommy worked on women's retreat things. The kids got to enjoy a fun play date with friends while Mike and I attended a wedding. We joined a co-op, so the kids were learning how to sew. We kicked off our women's Bible study in the book of Acts, and Mike was installed as an elder. Our church's fall festival had some fun hands-on science and a chemistry show, and we got to visit the pandas at the National Zoo before they headed back to China.

In October, I was struggling with my second Crohn's flare, which was discouraging, since I was only 5 months into remission. I also switched to a new migraine medication in hopes that I would see more improvement on that front. Grandma and Papa were back in town for a week of fun, and we got to take them to the Cox Farms Fall Festival! My mom also got to come with me to the Women's Retreat, which was really special, since most of my month was filled with preparations for that. We also spent lots of time raking the leaves in our yard! We ended up with colds, so we didn't get to go trick or treating, but we still got to dress up and enjoy some fun Halloween festivities with Grandma and Papa here.

Eli and Maddie turned seven in November, and we celebrated with Pandas and Race Cars. We were still hard at work raking all the leaves in our yard, and it made for some fun family days. We gave Mike his birthday present early, and enjoyed several evenings by the fire pit, some of them roasting marshmallows. I made my first turkey for Thanksgiving this year, and we had a sweet lady from our church over to celebrate. We decorated for Christmas, which we were so excited to do, since we were moving last year, and we celebrated Mike's birthday with some yummy Uncle Julio's.

In December, we used our Advent Blocks and countdown wreath as we looked forward to Christmas. I blogged about how I was struggling in remission; definitely thankful for it, but struggling because I wasn't quite feeling as healthy and like myself as I did when I was in remission last time. Still praying and working through my health, hopeful for 2024. We were busy finishing up co-op and school things, but otherwise, the month was filled with all the Christmas things! We painted nutcrackers, made cotton ball snowmen, saw lots of Christmas lights in our neighborhood, went to the Ross King concert and our Community Group Christmas party, and made gingerbread houses. We had our first snow day, though it only lasted for one day. The kids sang Christmas songs in church, and we attended the Christmas Eve service. We enjoyed a quiet Christmas at home, and ended up celebrating Christmas dinner with friends. We did a zoom Christmas with Mike's side of the family on the 30th, otherwise, the last week of 2023 was spent playing and organizing and getting ready for the new year!

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Praise God for a wonderful year! We are settled in our house, and we are still just so thankful for how He has provided for us in this home. We are constantly reminded of the gift it is, and we don't ever want to take it for granted. We cannot believe how fast the kids are growing, and we are loving this stage of school and personalities and growth. We have a new year of ministry ahead, and will continue to figure out a good rhythm for our family and the best ways to serve our church family. I am praying through ways to better manage my health, hoping for fewer struggles in the coming year. But whatever comes in the new year, we know that the Lord is good, and we are thankful for His constant faithfulness to us. Here's to 2024!

Walk With Me Through 2022...

2022 was our settling year.

We have continued to learn Virginia and settle in to life here. I feel like we have found a good rhythm on day-to-day life, but it was still a year of change and transition, as we have been able to dive more into ministry and church life {with Covid somewhat calming and my health improving}. 2022 brought the transition to Kindergarten and homeschooling, changes in my job responsibilities, as well as our new home. While I am feeling SO much better than I was this time last year, it has still been a hard year battling varying health issues. 

Since we JUST moved in, we still have to unpack and get settled here, but we will be starting 2023 fresh, ready to finally be settled in one place long{er?} term :)

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

January started off with a bang with our first snow of the year! My kids are officially snow-lovers and have asked ALL. YEAR. LONG. when we will get more snow haha. I was starting to see slow improvement in my Crohn's symptoms, but was still dealing with a lot of fatigue and headaches. We celebrated National Winnie the Pooh day, special for our Pooh-loving boy, and the rest of the cold days were filled with dress up, science projects, reading books, and building forts.

We tried to make the cold and dreary days in February a little more exciting by counting down to Valentine's Day and doing tons of love day activities. We were full steam ahead into potty training Aiden, so that meant he got to transition from his crib into his big boy bed! We still got to enjoy some remnants of snow, but we did get to enjoy some warmer days outside. We also started going back to church in person on a more regular basis, and we were SO thankful for that.

Grandma came to visit in March! We got to go to the National Zoo and Udvar-Hazy, and we even got to share some snow with Grandma while she was here :)  I celebrated 10 years at the bank, and Eli and Maddie had their first visit to the dentist. We also made the trip into D.C. to see the cherry blossoms in bloom, which was so fun! With the weather staring to warm up {a little}, we were able to ride bikes and go on walks. We were starting to see the first signs of spring {though winter wasn't quite done yet}, and we were definitely ready!

In April, we celebrated Easter with an ABC countdown, resurrection rolls, and easter baskets. I had another colonoscopy, which showed improvement from my last one! I wasn't in remission yet, and was starting to really struggle with headaches, but we finally figured out that I was iron deficient, so I started supplements to help with that. We got to have dinner with sweet friends, enjoy our church's spring festival, take Flat Stanley on a D.C. tour for our niece, and I was in full planning mode for homeschooling! But after 2 years, Covid finally hit our house. Mike got Covid and we quarantined him in one room, so I was running solo with the kiddos, taking care of him for 2 full weeks. It was crazy and hard, but I am thankful that the rest of us never got it!

Granny and Grumpz came to visit in May! We loved having them here, and showing them our life in Virginia. We visited Manassas National Battlefield, Cox Farms, and of course, read all the books and played all the games. Maddie was finally able to graduate from eye patching {yay!}, and Eli continued making good progress in strengthening his eye. We were loving all the new, warm weather, so we spent a lot of time playing outside.

In May/June, we headed to Tennessee for a fun family vacation in the Smoky Mountains. It was a week filled with all kinds of fun and adventure, and we loved spending time with family. I was finally starting to see improvement in my energy levels, since starting iron supplements. My GI had wanted me to increase my Stelara dosing to every 4 weeks, and he had been battling with insurance to approve it for almost 2 months. I was finally able to start that new dosing in June. We were soaking up as much summer time fun as we could, to fully enjoy our summer before Kindergarten! We went strawberry picking, celebrated Father's Day, went on hikes with friends, and June is also when we started praying {specifically} about our new house.

We celebrated the 4th of July with some friends from church and our neighbors. We also soaked up some fun pool time and danced with Mickey Mouse at a friend's birthday party. Maddie lost her first tooth, which was a day filled with excitement! Mike and I were able to enjoy a fun anniversary date to get sushi and ice cream, and we were able to reflect on 11 years of marriage. I officially submitted our Notice of Intent to homeschool {so we were committing! haha}; while I was busy prepping curriculum, the kids were busy doing all the summer things before school started :)

We wrapped up the summer with another visit with Grandma and Papa in August. We enjoyed several parks, celebrated Papa's birthday, and played mini golf. We also did 2 weeks of swim lessons! It was definitely late in the season, and we are still not swimming {sigh}, but I'm glad we were able to get some practice in anyway. We celebrated Aiden's 4th birthday with a fun Blippi-themed day. And then we started our homeschooling journey with Eli and Maddie starting Kindergarten and Aiden starting Pre-K. Mike got to spend a week in the mountains with pastor friends, and we tried to soak up the warm weather as we settled in to a good school routine.

In September, we were finding our groove with school, but still trying to spend as much time playing outside. We visited the Maryland Renaissance Festival with neighbors, which was a unique experience. I got to start the women's Bible study at church, Maddie transitioned into a booster seat, and we got to spend some time with Pastor Milt and Mrs. Val. Behind the scenes, we were finalizing details for buying our Virginia house!

October was really busy! We were able to go to an apple orchard with friends, which made for a sweet memory! I was deep in the battle with my headaches/migraines. They were becoming more intense and more frequent, and I was really struggling. But the Lord was still gracious to sustain me. I was able to slip away to West Virginia for a weekend getaway, which was so refreshing and needed. I got to attend our church's annual women's retreat, helping with the hospitality team. Granny came for a visit; unfortunately, she got a really bad case of vertigo, but we were still thankful for the time we had with her. We had our annual fall festival, Aiden became our 3rd kid to get glasses, and we got to start visiting our new house! Fall was in full swing and the kids got their first taste of raking leaves. I convinced the kids to do another family costume, and we got to go trick or treating as Cinderella, Jaq and Gus Gus, Prince Charming, and the Fairy Godmother.

Eli and Maddie turned 6 {!} in November. We celebrated with monster trucks and princesses :) We were able to return to Cox Farms this year, which was such a fun treat. We were in full remodel mode at the new house, so we were back and forth a lot to watch the progress, do some painting...but mostly to attempt to manage ALL THE LEAVES. We wrapped up our first semester of school and started packing. We got to spend Thanksgiving with some sweet friends from church, and we were so thankful for all that the Lord has provided for us this year. We got to celebrate Mike's birthday with a yummy lunch at Uncle Julio's!

December was full of packing, finishing up some of the remodel, and finally moving! It was a busy month, for sure. I fought with insurance to get my Stelara approved again, but thankfully was able to get that done before our move. I also got labs back that showed my inflammation markers in a normal range for the first time in 3 years! We moved into the new house the week of Christmas, so we were able to spend Christmas there. We still have boxes everywhere, but we're working to get unpacked and settled as we look ahead to 2023!

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Each year when I sit down to write this post, I am always in awe of all that has happened in a year. As I look back over the previous 365 days, I am surprised to remember some things that seemed to have happened so long ago, and I smile at the memories that we are able to create throughout the year. I am in awe of how the Lord has provided for us this year; He has always been faithful to provide. But this year was more than we could have imagined. Finding a house and being able to make it our home is the last piece of the puzzle of our move to Virginia. And yet, the Lord had every detail orchestrated and waiting for us in His perfect and good timing. We have so much to be thankful for, and we are looking forward to all He has for us in 2023!

Walk With Me Through 2021...

2021 was a transition year for our family.

This year has been filled with learning all things Virginia! We are settled in, learning the area, meeting neighbors, building our new community here. And we are so thankful for how the Lord has provided! Moving away from family and friends, and everything we have ever known, could have been so much more difficult. But the Lord has shown us so much grace. We miss our family and friends, yes; but we are thankful for the new friends and church family that the Lord has provided here.

We have still been navigating COVID and my health issues. It's a little disappointing to reach the end of 2021, still not in remission. But despite that, the Lord has still been faithful, and we can come to the end of another year, knowing that He will continue to take care of us.

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

The beginning of January was tough because we said goodbye to our sweet Sasha. While it was so difficult to say goodbye, I am thankful for the 13.5 years I had with her, and there was so much grace that we said goodbye before moving again. We finished up our time in the extended stay hotel, but finally got to move into our townhouse! It felt so good to have all of our stuff back, out of storage, and we were so thankful to finally start getting settled. In the midst of unpacking, we started the 1000 Hours Outside Challenge, and still found time to celebrate a few silly holidays {National Pooh Bear Day and National Chocolate Cake Day!} :)

Grandma came to visit us in February! We were so thankful to have her here for a whole week; it was cold, so we spent most of the time inside. But it snowed, so we were able to share that fun with her! It was also fun to have her here to celebrate my 36th birthday. We surprised the kiddos with a little Valentine's Day celebration, and it was fun to love on our little loves. After a lot of red tape and miscommunications, I was finally able to increase my Entyvio infusions, in hopes that more frequent doses would induce remission. I got my first COVID vaccine {yay science!} and became an official Virginian by getting my VA Driver's License.

In March, I published a {40 Before 40} list. I didn't make much progress on it this year, so we'll see how it goes over the next couple of years. But again, it was a good time to reflect back over all the blessings and experiences the Lord has allowed in my life already. We started exploring the area a bit more, and went on our first family hike in Ellanor C. Lawrence Park. We were trying to play catch up with Toddler School {since we kind of dropped the ball during the move}, so we had fun learning the story of St. Patrick, making paper caterpillar chains and homemade bird feeders, and starting our butterfly garden. We were able to get the kids balance bikes {a delayed Christmas present from Granny and Grumpz!}, and our little bike gang was born! I got my second COVID vaccine, we made matzah bread for Passover, and Aiden got his own "OK to Wake" clock...because little dude was STILL waking up in the middle of the night.

We celebrated Easter in April, with fun Easter crafts, Resurrection Eggs, fruit pizza, resurrection rolls, and a few Easter egg hunts! I was able to get creative by designing a photo booth for our women's Spring Fellowship, and it was so good to be together {outside and socially distanced} with the women in our church. We started spending more time outside, playing in the sandbox, in the backyard, going on walks in the neighborhood, and enjoying meals/snacks outside. We also visited Meadowlark Botanical Gardens {super fun!}, and I hit the 18-month mark of active Crohn's Disease {not so fun}.

We welcomed friends from Texas in May! Laura's family came to visit, and it was so fun to have them here, to hug my best friend! We got to enjoy the Jurassic Encounter at Bull Run Regional Park, which was a nice drive-thru exhibit {since we were hiding from the cicada invasion!} Maddie started wearing glasses again, we cheered on a 5K our church hosted, and we celebrated some more fun {silly} holidays {Apple Pie Day and Paper Airplane Day}. We also had some more outdoor adventures at the church playground, Frying Pan Farm Park, and Manassas National Battlefield Park.

In June, we got to pick strawberries at Wegmeyer Farms with friends! I was still trying to figure out health stuff, and little did I know that I would take my last Entyvio infusion. I participated in our church's summer book club, we celebrated Father's Day, and we also got to visit the Air & Space Museum with friends. We spent a lot of time playing outside, doing all the fun summer activities: bubbles, sidewalk chalk, popsicles, water table, etc. But the highlight of June was having Uncle Michael come to visit! We got to visit the National Mall and the National Zoo, and we just loved having him here with us :)

I had another colonoscopy in July, only to find out that I had no change from the year before. So I fell apart, took a deep breath, and started fighting again, this time with Stelara. We made some fun 4th of July crafts, all 3 kids were now forward facing in their car seats, and Eli and Maddie continued with their eye check ups and patching. We spent a lot of time outside, walking on trails, playing at parks, and going to outdoor story time at our library. Mike got to spend a few days in Colorado for a pastor's retreat, which was a good time for him to get away with sweet friends and mentors. Grandma and Papa came to visit, so they could babysit while Mike and I slipped away for a weekend on the Shenandoah River to celebrate 10 years of marriage!

In August, we said goodbye to my Grandma, which was hard to lose another grandparent within the year, but are thankful for her life. We hiked the Stone Bridge Loop Trail at Manassas National Battlefield, learned how to do somersaults, and spent more time riding bikes. Mike and I had our first at-home date with The Happily Co Date Box, and we celebrated National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, National Watermelon Day, National Waffle Day. Aiden turned 3 years old {!} and we celebrated with a fun garbage truck themed day. We also started up school again at the McCullough Schoolhouse! Eli and Maddie started Pre-K, and Aiden started Toddler School, Year 2.

School was in full-swing in September, which took most of our time with books, crafts, science projects, and music. It was nice to get outside with the cooler temperatures! We enjoyed lots of walks and hikes, and we were able to enjoy a friend's birthday party outside.

Granny and Grumpz came to visit us in October! We got to show them our life here in Virginia, and we visited the Air & Space Museum and Frying Pan Farm Park. Eli and Maddie hit their goal of reading 2000 {unique} books, we went to the Cox Farm Fall Festival, and Maddie and I got to enjoy a fun girls day at the salon. I was able to attend the women's fall retreat, and the kids got to hike to Bear's Den Overlook with Daddy while I was out of town. Being outside was super fun this month because of all the huge, colorful leaves! Our church hosted a fall festival, and we were able to go trick or treating with our neighbor friend C, all dressed up in our Cars costumes!

In November, Eli and Maddie turned 5 years old! We celebrated with all things Trucks and Tutus :)  We had a small thanksgiving at home, but I cooked my first official thanksgiving meal, which turned out decent enough to serve and enjoy with Mr. Jesse and Mrs. Becky. Mike also turned the big 4-0! We were working hard to finish up our semester of school, fully enjoying our study on the armor of God. I shared a few more books for Embryo Adoption Awareness Day, and we were looking forward to starting our Advent studies.

We kicked off December with National Cookie Day! Aiden hit his goal of reading 1000 {unique} books before kindergarten {and mommy is officially done tracking books haha}. We enjoyed so many fun Christmas things this month: Christmas at the Corner Market at Cox Farms, National Gingerbread House Day, decorating and crafts. Grandma, Papa, and Uncle Michael got to visit the week before Christmas! We visited the National Christmas Tree, enjoyed the lights at Holiday Road, and had such a fun time as a family. We enjoyed Christmas Eve dinner with friends from church, and had a quiet Christmas at home. I finally shared our Fall family photos, which was a fun way to wrap up the year!

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It's crazy to think that we started 2021 living in a hotel. And now at the end of the year, we are more settled, with a new church family, befriending our neighbors. The Lord is so gracious and kind. Happy New Year!

Walk With Me Through 2020...

Oh, 2020. You were...special.

SO much happened this year. When I sat down to write this post, I kept thinking, "Oh my gosh. That was this year?" It just seemed like the never-ending year, and we had so much personal family change too. From a global pandemic, to the return of my Crohn's Disease, to Mike's new job...I never would have predicted that 2020 would end with us living in Virginia. Definitely didn't see that one coming :)

While 2020 was full of surprises and unknowns and life-changing events, it was also the year I learned {again} to appreciate all that I have been given. There's something about being forced into quarantine that makes you pause and reflect. There's something about getting sick that makes you re-evaluate what's important. And there's something about packing up your life and moving across the country in less than ideal circumstances that makes you remember all of the grace and mercy that you experience daily.

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019

I kicked off January by reflecting on the goals I had set and the books I had read the previous year. It was also a good time for me to stop and reflect back over all that had happened in the previous decade. It was a good way to mark the gifts the Lord had provided. We were in the midst of toddler crazy-town, and I seemed to think it was hard then...haha, little did I know... :)  I started to suspect my Crohn's was back, but I was still trying to convince myself that it was something else.

In February, we started our second semester of Toddler School, and we continued working toward our goal of reading 1,000 books before Kindergarten. In an effort to correct her strabismus, our sweet Maddie girl got glasses, "double gum pink" glasses, to be exact. She wasn't too sure at first, but she eventually rocked them like a pro! Aiden turned 1.5 years, and we celebrated by a fun trip to the park. We were busy with BSF, and community group, trips to the Crayola Experience, and just going about normal life.

Everything in the world changed in March. We got to experience a fun weekend with Grandma, out and about, like normal, before everything shut down. We had been hearing reports about the COVID-19 virus, but lockdowns started to happen, and we were advised to stay home, to socially distance from people to "flatten the curve." We couldn't find toilet paper or hand sanitizer in the stores, but we were able to stay home as a family, and our kids weren't too affected. While we were trying to figure out the seriousness of all that was happening, we tried to make the best of our time at home. The neighborhood did a lot of "socially distant" activities, we went on a lot of family walks, and we played outside A LOT. We also decided to tackle potty training. 

Lockdowns continued in April, and most of our activities shifted online. We celebrated Easter at home and continued enjoying time outside: playing in the backyard, playing with sidewalk chalk, and going on walks. I celebrated 8 years working for the bank, I broke the side mirror on our SUV backing out of the garage {because it had been SO long since I had driven anywhere}, and drive-by birthday celebrations became the norm. We decorated our car and drove by Granny's house to wish her a happy birthday!

In May, they started opening up businesses/life in phases, but we continued to stay home and be cautious. Our kids were living their best lives with all the outside time, and we were so thankful that we were stuck at home with amazing weather! We were battling nap time shenanigans, and we started separating Eli and Maddie at nap time. We ventured out {in masks} for eye appointments, and learned that Maddie girl was going to need surgery for her strabismus. We were all nervous, but overall, she did really well in handling the COVID test, the actual surgery, and the recovery. 

We were still socially distancing in June, and we were so thankful that we both able to work from home still. We had the opportunity to take front porch photos, a trend that was happening among photographers as a way to record this unique time in history. It was starting to get hot, so a lot of our outside activities involved popsicles and water; we pulled out our water table and got a new fun splash pad. Sasha turned 13 years old, and we got to celebrate Mike with a fun at-home Father's Day. I also had a colonoscopy that confirmed that my Crohn's was, in fact, active again. We got a special treat with a visit from Grandma and Papa; they were willing/able to quarantine for 2 weeks before coming to visit, and we were so happy to see and HUG them!

In July, we hit our goal of reading 1,000 books before Kindergarten! We participated in an at-home VBS, and the kids had so much fun. Fourth of July was pretty quiet, as we were still social distancing, but we were still able to dress up in red, white, and blue. Our at-home adventures continued with a hot air balloon sighting and with a turtle rescue! Mike and I celebrated our 9th anniversary with a fun at-home pottery date. We enjoyed dinner, cheesecake, and painting a few pottery pieces. As a fun summer treat, we introduced the kids to ice cream sundaes. I also started my Entyvio infusions, trying to make steps toward healing.

We celebrated National Watermelon and National Waffle Days in August. Our sweet Aiden turned 2 years old, and we celebrated with a fun Pooh Bear day! We got to attend a drive-by wedding shower for some sweet friends, we learned that Eli likes classical music, and we enjoyed some garage picnics with Granny and Grumpz. We lost power one night and tried to make it fun with a flashlight picnic dinner. It was also really hard when my family had to say good-bye to my Grandpa, but I am thankful I was able to be there with my family. I didn't blog about it at the time, but Mike was interviewing with Chantilly Bible Church in August.

We started our second year of Toddler School in September. We hadn't made any public announcements yet, but Mike accepted the position as Executive Pastor at CBC, so we were in a whirlwind of packing and prepping to sell our house. I was still trying to figure out my health stuff, so I had a CT scan and an abdominal MRI.

In October, we put our house on the market, and continued packing and prepping to move across the country. It was a crazy busy month, full of goodbyes and lasts and changes. Mike and I made a quick weekend trip to Virginia to find a place to live, and we sent most of our belongings ahead of us in PODS, while we lived in an empty house with the bare minimum. Oh, and I threw in an upper endoscopy for good measure. Just the beginning of our adventures, as we officially hit the road on October 31st :)

We said goodbye to Texas and made the trek to Virginia in November. We celebrated Eli and Maddie's 4th birthday while on the road, but I think they enjoyed our stay on a little goat farm. Grandma and Papa made the drive with us, and they were able to spend a few days with us as we settled into our temporary place. We moved into an extended stay until our rental place is available in the new year, so we started figuring out life in a tight space with 3 kiddos and a dog. Mike started his new job, and we started our new life in Virginia! We had a quiet Thanksgiving with our little family of 5, and we continued learning about our new home.

December was jam-packed with Christmas fun! While we were not able to put up our usual decorations or celebrate with our usual traditions, we were able to do a lot of really fun activities to make it feel like Christmas in our little hotel room. I was still really struggling with my health, starting a new medication and trying to determine if my infusions were actually working, so there were a lot of really hard days. But I am really glad that we had a fun Christmas bucket list to keep us all distracted and in relatively good cheer! We missed being with family for Christmas, but we are thankful for the time we had as our little family of 5, and the technology to "see" everyone on Christmas. We wrapped up December ready to countdown to our next move into our rent house in January. It can't get here soon enough! :)

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2020 was a WILD year. As I reflect back on all that happened, I am amazed at God's unending grace to us. We have so many plans and expectations and hopes for 2021, but we also know that we need to hold all of it loosely, surrendering every bit of our own plans to Him. We truly have no idea what next year holds, but we are excited to be on this journey together as a family, and we look forward to finding out together!

Walk With Me Through 2019...

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.

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

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!

Blog :: Hold, Please

I have several posts/updates to publish, but my computer kicked the bucket, so I’m in a bit of a holding pattern. I have ordered another computer, but I am just waiting on it to get here. I was able to do this post from my phone, but it’s too much of a hassle to upload photos and write a full update on things, so they’ll just have to wait.

So when I all of a sudden publish a lot of posts all at once, that’s why :)

Walk With Me Through 2018...

2018 was filled with chasing toddlers while pregnant, and then chasing toddlers with a newborn in tow. So to say it was crazy...is probably an understatement :)

Despite the craziness, the Lord was incredibly gracious to our family. We are now a family of 5 {!}, when just a few short years ago, we were hoping that the next year would be "our year" to start our family. What an incredible blessing!

Past reviews: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 {I can't believe this is my 10th Year in Review post!}

In January, we were still keeping our pregnancy a secret, but we were so excited for our newest little one! We got to see our sweet baby {and confirm that we were only having one this time!} at our first ultrasound. I was trying to navigate life with both Eli and Maddie walking and starting to get into everything. Eli had his first eye doctor appointment, where they determined he would need glasses.

Eli's glasses came in February and it was SO adorable to watch him be able to "see" for the very first time! I got to celebrate my 33rd birthday with friends and family, even getting a fun birthday date out with Mike. We also made our public announcement for our little tiebreaker! We found out we were having a boy, and we were so excited to share the news with the world :)

March brought another bleeding scare and another ER visit. Thankfully everything checked out, and our sweet baby was doing just fine, while Mama recovered from the scare of yet another SCH. My belly continued to grow, and we revealed the name of our sweet baby boy: Aiden Michael. Eli and Maddie transitioned down to 1 nap, and they had their first official egg hunt at Granny's for Easter.

We bought a house in April! Which is crazy, because we didn't really look for that long. We spent most of the month packing and then moving from our rent house in Plano to our new home in Melissa. I reached the halfway point of my pregnancy, a little amazed that I looked bigger this time around at 20 weeks haha. And Mike got a promotion at work and moved into a new role.

In May, we continued getting settled in our new home and community. We also started our Summer Bucket List, which included going to the Children's Aquarium and playing in the spray fountain at City Hall. Grandma came to town, and Eli and Maddie had a BLAST with her.

We continued our fun summer adventures in June. From celebrating National Donut Day and eating ice cream for the first time, to eating watermelon and taking wagon rides around the neighborhood, we fully embraced all things summer. Eli got his very first haircut {!} and we were able to enjoy a fun week of swim lessons with our cousins and Grandma. Which meant we then spent a lot of time at our new neighborhood pool! I was able to see our sweet baby Aiden on ultrasound again, passed my glucose test, and got my shots.

In July, we took a road trip to see Grandma and Grandpa, celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, and I got a fun overnight Mama getaway. The summer was definitely getting hotter, and I was definitely getting bigger and slower, so our summer activities tended to be a lot simpler toward the end of June {bubbles, sidewalk chalk, reading books, painting with water}. But we did manage to celebrate National Ice Cream Day! We started getting more things together for Aiden: putting together the crib, making freezer meals, and working on his nursery.

August was officially baby month! I was working hard to get more things checked off our summer bucket list, while also trying to get things ready for Aiden. I finally finished his woodland nursery, and then we started the waiting game. I had one round of serious contractions that came on strong and then basically stopped for a week. But once real labor started, we were so excited to meet our sweet boy! Aiden Michael was born, and we became a family of 5!

September was a crazy whirlwind. We were so excited to welcome Aiden, and Eli and Maddie were so excited to be a big brother and big sister. And then life with 3 little ones under 2 settled in, and boy was it crazy! I didn't share the full extent of my postpartum complications until October, but September was a pretty scary and life-altering month for me. It started a chain of events that I am still working through even as the year closes, but the Lord was gracious to spare my life. We had a fun reunion with our Redeemer family, and Aiden hit his 1 month milestone!

We were still in survival mode in October. My mom was gracious to put her life on hold to come stay with us, which allowed us to do way more than I would have every done if she hadn't been here {like go on a neighborhood nature walk or paint pumpkins}. October also brought our first round of sickness for poor baby Aiden. While he was definitely miserable, we were thankful it wasn't more serious. Since everyone was sick, we didn't get to show off our fun family costume for Halloween, but Maddie still enjoyed her tiger costume at home :)

November started to feel a little more normal, but I was still struggling. The whole 3 kiddo thing was kicking my butt! We survived the 2ish month of 3 kids under 2 {but barely}. Eli and Maddie turned 2 years old {!} and we were able to celebrate with a fun Two Cool, Two Sweet birthday party with family. Aiden celebrated his first Thanksgiving, and also started physical therapy for his torticollis and plagiocephaly. I was also able to surprise Mike with a fun Ron Swanson-themed birthday dinner!

We started off December with our Advent readings and songs. Sadly, we decided not to decorate for Christmas this year {wasn't worth the fight with toddlers}, but we still tried to do some fun Christmas things. We attended our city's Christmas parade, and Laura helped us decorate Christmas cookies. I celebrated being in remission from Crohn's after my initial diagnosis 6 years ago. We enjoyed a fun Christmas with family, getting to see Christmas lights, wearing matching family pajamas, enjoying opening presents, and just spending time together. Aiden turned 4 months and we reflected on the completion of our Embryo Adoption journey.

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2018 was a year full of toddlers, pregnancy, and a newborn. We are beyond grateful for how the Lord has grown and blessed our family, and we look forward to continuing to figure out life as a family of 5! Thank you Jesus for our beautiful family!