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Wednesday, January 1, 2014

2013: The Year of Exhaustion & Smiles

As I write this, our whole family is on about day five of a viral infection of some sort that has us all nose-blowing, snot-wiping, and throat-hacking our way through the days. I am anxious for us all to feel well again so that we can find some semblance of normal, get the Christmas decor taken down, and just catch up on life in general.

So, that said - I'm not going to lie, friends. This year has worn me out. Maybe this is just what life with little kids is like for everyone, but it seems like we've had one thing after another after another (sometimes multiple things) all year. Our fence is falling down, we need a new roof, our house is in a perpetual state of disaster. I'm really not complaining here. Just throwing it out there that life can be unexpected and crazy and tiring. In spite of all of the less-than-great, this year has been a good one for our little family. I'm recapping things below - hope you have fun sharing some memories with me!

In 2013, we celebrated five years of marriage, almost three years of breastfeeding in spite of our difficult start, and countless little milestones with our babies. I managed to make it the whole year without being pregnant (yay)! There were good days, bad days, and times I thought we might not make it until Daddy came home from work. There were hugs and kisses, tears and insanity, and too many small moments to recall. It's amazing how much can fit into one little year.


January.

We started off the year with 22-month-old Lincoln and 6-week-old Adelaide. Lincoln was obsessed with brushing his teeth. Addie let us know she couldn't tolerate dairy, so I started a serious dietary adjustment to compensate for her need. Lincoln finally said "mama," but it wasn't to me.


February.

There were a lot of toddler mood swings. I found out (not for the last time) that I go crazy when life gets in the way of crossing things off my ever-growing to-do list. We became great friends with Mickey and other Disney Jr. characters, as we spent more time than I care to admit with them. Lincoln said mama for real - 6 days after his second birthday. I got to let the crafty side out and made Mickey Mouse birthday invitations, then threw a birthday bash with DIY goody bags, toddler-friendly food, and super cute decorations. I think I learned that I love party planning.


March.

I tried to savor all of the little moments. We took Lincoln to Disney on Ice. I hid some vegetables in muffins and we went for a lot of walks. We missed Easter because Daddy had strep.


April. 

Lincoln had a brief interest in potty training, but it was to no avail. We learned it is pretty stupid to put potatoes down the garbage disposal. We all (unfortunately) started sleeping terribly when Addie quit sleeping through the night. Addie got her first tooth.


May.
 
We enjoyed Lincoln's expanding vocabulary. I wrote a hate letter to my kitchen sink, but celebrated seeing my name in a byline for the first time. I spent more time than I care to think about preparing for consignment sales.


June. 
 
The month started with our very first ER visit, when Lincoln spilled coffee all over himself. We turned pretty low-key for several weeks after that incident. Finally ventured from our house to ride Thomas the Tank Engine. Addie started sitting up.


July.
 
Addie started crawling. We dressed up like cows. It was so hot outside that we didn't leave the house much. We bought several library books and watched all the superhero movies. I finally finished knitting a blanket for Addie. Worked on completing our summer bucket list. Addie said "dada" and "mama" and Lincoln started becoming a total chatterbox.


August.
 
We ate a ton of applesauce and served countless toddler meals that were met with varying levels of enthusiasm. I directed four productions with my drama students.
 

September.
 
We all experienced our first circus. Addie started walking. We traveled to a family reunion and spent the trip stuck in a hotel room when Lincoln was sick.


October.
 
We took the kids to the pumpkin patch and apple picking. Star Wars Halloween - no more words are needed. Addie loves baby-led weaning and Lincoln peacefully gave up his binkies.
 

November.
 
I directed another four productions (holiday themed this time) with my drama students. We took the kids to the Old Time Christmas Festival at Silver Dollar City - and loved it. We celebrated Addie's first birthday. We missed Thanksgiving due to illness.
 
 
December.

I grumbled (a lot) about how American Girl made the decision to retire Molly. Had fun Christmas crafting things like hooded towels, hand-print wreaths, and sock snowmen. We started a lot of family holiday traditions like making cookies - and we had a beautiful Christmas.


You know what, 2013? You were good to us. I may be exhausted, but I am blessed. Let's see how much we grow this next year. With any luck, I'll get (just a little) more sleep!

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