We did more than open presents this year. And I dare say we had more fun and more memories from other favourite moments than present opening. (Here they are... in no particular order).
Our longest, most expensive memory-making event of the year was our summer trip to Ontario. It was long-overdue and a pretty great all-around trip. Minus the bugs. Oh my, the bugs. We had so much fun hanging out with my family and revisiting all our old stomping grounds in and around Barry's Bay. Joseph recalled today, "I liked going to see those boys in Barry's Bay." Shout-out to the Craines!
(Don't mind the awkwardness of all the positioning and the tree in that photo... we've never been great at family photos)
Dan and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I have no memory whatsoever of what we did...meaning probably nothing. We never go on dates. We've never even had a babysitter other than family. And I can't remember the last time we did anything without the kids (before Emilie was born? before John Paul was born?). Having said that, marriage just gets better and better. Looking back, those first months and years were so much more difficult. We understand one another better and we're just so much happier than back then (doesn't mean we complain less though...). And, we've started having chai (tea) together on Sundays in lieu of a date. We send the kids off and... talk... about mostly unimportant stuff.
We did so many day, weekend, and little trips this year it's hard to recount them all. From our "pilgrimage" to the new Rider stadium in Regina, countless early, early morning drives to Saskatoon to attend the Latin Mass (every 2nd weekend for a few months in the Spring), Sunday trips to Nipawin to be with grandparents and tend our garden, driving hither and thither for hockey Joseph's hockey games last winter, weekend getaways in Saskatoon with relatives and friends... it has been a wonderful year for getting around.
For the first time since we bought out house in 2014, we did not have a big renovation project on the go in the summer. We (read: Dan) finished our basement "workout" room in the early winter of 2017 with help from Dan's brother, Stephen, painted the remaining hallways and doors in our upstairs, and did another quick basement bedroom job paint and carpet. Okay, that's actually not just nothing, but compared to other projects that disrupted our entire house for weeks on end... it was nothing! We have now repainted every wall in our house. My point, actually, was that we had more time to enjoy ourselves. Which we did.
The year was also one for visitors. We are definitely not seasons entertainers, but we got a fair number of guests in the summer and we did okay, I think. We hosted lots of family and friends from near and far. We are ready to do it again. Our door is open.
Joseph turned 6 and started grade 1. He has been losing all his teeth, reading everything he gets his hands on, and growing up mentally and physically. We enjoy our winters at the hockey rink and watching him improve his speed and stick skills. Joseph loves hockey. Big time. We love his little creative side, seeing his drawing, crafts, and indoor and outdoor building projects. Joseph has a little of a shy side, but has no problem bossing his little siblings around. He is a great little student, loves homeschool, and continues to make leaps and bounds in his learning.
John Paul turned 3 in March (so he's 3 months away from turning 4 now). He is our speedy little energy ball. Not wanting to be outdone in anything, John Paul is doing school, colouring and cutting constantly, pouring over books, and competing in everything. His brain is sometimes way ahead of the rest of him and he sometimes jumps and stutters while he's trying to get what's inside his head out of his mouth. For a kid that's generally very loud, John Paul can be quiet and speechless, thinking. He is a great little help picking up toys, washing the table, and cleaning the house (when he puts his mind to it!). We are so interested to see his little personality come out more and more (challenging, but fun!) as he learns to draw, do things for himself, and think about things for himself.
Emilie is 18 months old now... and not a baby anymore (but still has "nuh nuhs" and likes to sleep with mommy if she gets her way). In fact, she has three of her own "baa-bies" which she tries to carry around all at once. She rocks them, shushes them, and sometimes puts them to bed. Emilie continues to bring us so much joy with her sunshine smile and happiness. But she's a little personality all her own, with a temper and destructive streak: her favourite word is "nooo"; her favourite past-times are eating and destroying. She goes to great ends to colour on shelves, eat uncooked macaroni, and dump the potty (not her pee). But she is just the cutest, the way she sings and dances, gives kisses and hugs, and kneels to say her "Ma Ma" Hail Mary's.
At the beginning of the year, I had a word on my mind for the year: contentment. For a perfectionist, it's a bit of a hard thing. But I wanted peace and joy, whether perfect was a part of it or not. I wanted to stop imagining my perfect (unachievable) life and live happy in my real life, my real house, with my real kids. I like to think I'm letting go and living more contentedly than I was -- a long way from perfect, which is perfect. So if you see my house a mess (I'm ignoring it), my kids wearing ripped or mismatched clothing (I let them dress themselves), and uncooked pasta all over my floors (I give up!), but we're reading books, doing science projects, and having dance parties... you know, we are content and living the life. It has truly been a wonderful year.
There you have it, a year in review. It's New Year's Eve. We pulled out the chocolate milk, crackers and cheese and wished our kids a happy new year at 7pm. They are now sleeping! Which is probably where we will be... long before midnight. We're living the life! To you and yours, Happy New Year.
