Hello 2017! The holiday season is over and here we are on the first night of a brand new year.
Good byes can be hard!
It’s a fresh slate. It’s the brink of opportunity for more happiness, more experiences & more fun. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t take a moment to say farewell to 2016.
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We kicked off the 2016 year with a little boy who turned ONE!
January 2016 – my baby is ONE!
There were balloons and cake and a sweet little baby who was barely a baby. In the past twelve months, our not-so-baby Mitchell gained courage to walk and took off on a journey of fun & exploration. He’s had highs & lows. Trips to the park, trips around the block, and a trip to the Cleveland Clinic. Twenty sixteen shed more light on his syncope and we’ve moved forward with confidence and a bright diagnosis knowing that he will simply outgrow these darn episodes. He’s moved from the freshman room to the sophomore room at school, and he’s moved from a crawler to an energetic boy who loves Elmo, chocolate & lots of affection (but only of course when he’s not busy playing). He adds laughter to our lives every single day!
Love!
In 2016, Makenzie Ruth turned FOUR and reminded us just how fast time flies (honestly, wasn’t she just born?). The year brought her second dance recital, her first exposure to soccer and her continued love of all things related to the summertime!
June 2016 – Dance recital song was Bushel & a Peck!
She fell in love with gymnastics during the Olympics and she fell in love with the thought of reading & writing during her days as a Senior at her school. She’s sweet and lovable and someday wants to grow up and be a teacher. Makenzie is an awesome big sister and 2017 might just be the year that she gets on the big yellow school bus and heads to kindergarten (insert sobs here).
July 2016 – Being silly in Lake George
Twenty sixteen brought about fun & happiness, and frustration & challenges. Twelve months with two toddlers included fevers, and urgent care trips and the unanswerable question of how do we balance it all? Two careers and too little time. There were late nights and early mornings. There were wet beds and scary dreams. There were many, many coffee cups and an occasional glass of wine. Denny and I fought against never-ending laundry, cranky mealtimes and the expense of two in daycare. But we also teamed up to ensure a really great vacation to Lake George, outings to every kid place in town, and a ride on the Polar Express. There were cuddles and giggles and plenty of dance parties. For me, 2016 brought me to a place of clarity after twelve months of postpartum emotions (more about that someday in another blog post).
As an extended family, we said good-bye to my wonderful grandfather. We said Hello to a beautiful foster baby girl. And we said Thank You, God! when my sweet teenage cousin was given a new chance of life from a heart transplant. All those involved were humbled by the beauty and wonderment of this journey called Life.
Another passing year made us aware of the struggles and heartaches in the world near and far, but it made us even more aware of the need to embrace the good that will always ultimately outweigh it.
The good!
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A wise person once told me that if you went into a room with all strangers and everyone dropped their problems into a buckets, you would realize just how much you want your own problems back. This thought has stuck with me ever since and I hope that we can all keep this in mind as we move forward and try to make 2017 our best year yet. Imagine how much better our world would be if we could each be more compassionate and more understanding of those around us?
So I wish you and your families health & happiness & fun in 2017! Cheers to the good and cheers to the bad for making us appreciate the good ever more. Cheers to the memories of 2016 and the possibilities of 2017!
With Love,
Erin
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