Remembering 2014

Obviously having three children puts a damper on my blogging. I think I have posted about ten times since Sam was born. Eek!

There are things I want to record here about 2014, so even though we are over three months into 2015, I'm doing a recap.

January
Leah turned 4! My Mom came from Idaho, and Hayley and Jocelyn came from Alaska to celebrate!

February
We visited lighthouses in Maine and it snowed a lot in Boston.

 March
Samuel turned one!

April
We had ourselves a nice, quiet Easter,

And watched the Boston Marathon (SO inspiring!)

May
We went to Maui!

June
Samuel finally started walking!

 Lainy finished 1st grade!

 July
 Brad had a birthday, we went swimming nearly every day, picked blackberries and roasted marshamallows in our back yard, put on a production of Peter Pan with some friends, and had the most lovely summer!

August
We went to Idaho to welcome my sister Cassi home from her mission and recharge our souls with family.

 When we got back to Boston (after the worst traveling experience ever, ever, ever), Lainy turned 7!

September
My parents and my brother's family came for a visit! We saw a Red Sox vs. Yankees game (one of Derek Jeter's last games), went to Maine, and let the cousins play to their heart's content.

October

Peter Pan theme Halloween. Samuel was thrilled about trick-or-treating.

November
I turned 30 (strange) and Brad's parents came for Thanksgiving. We love them so much!

December
Our Christmas celebrations were so fun and sweet and wonderful. Our kids are such fun ages. Christmas was magical!

Goodbye 2014. You were a good year!

Thoughts from a grocery store parking lot...

Tonight I sat in my minivan in the grocery store parking lot eating chocolate and listening to music  because I could! And though it felt a little pathetic, it also felt good to get out of my house sans children for a few minutes and remember that I am a person too.

Motherhood has a tendency to make all my faults glaringly obvious. It's the most challenging thing I've ever done: In every possible way--mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. Whew, it's a doozy! But I love a good challenge and I'm thankful for this one. It helps me to grow.

And even though I sometimes find myself looking quite pathetic in a grocery store parking lot, a few minutes later I walk into my house with a full heart to sneak into darkened bedrooms and kiss those three sets of warm cheeks I love so dearly. The blessings and the wonder of it all are not lost on me...most of the time. (insert wink)

To Leah on her Birthday

Dear Leah,

My goodness, you are five years old! How did you get so big so fast?

I think the highlight of your year was going to Maui with Grandma and Grandpa last Spring. You talk about Hawaii nearly every day. "Maybe we can move to Hawaii after we live in Boston," you say, "I think Hawaii would be a good place. Or Idaho, I guess." It was sure a fun trip.

The other day I thought you should try on a pair of Lainy's old jeans. You've never liked jeans, but I thought that maybe because you are older you would want to wear them. I was wrong! As soon as we buttoned them up, you started squirming and making faces. So off they came and we put you back in leggings and dresses. It's okay, I get it. You just like to be comfortable. Maybe that is why you want to live in Hawaii? Because you can wear dresses and sandals all year?

You continue to have a sweet, tender heart. Whenever Samuel gets upset you try to help by getting his blanket and binky for him. And if that doesn't work, you beg me to help him. "I just don't like it when he is sad," you say.

Before Christmas, you started surprising me by making all the beds in the house every morning. I thought it was because you were hoping to get extra presents from Santa Claus, but you have kept it up! I don't think you know how much it helps me. Or maybe you do and that is why you do it. You are so sweet!

I am so grateful for you, little Leah. I guess since you are five-years-old you have to go to Kindergarten in the Fall. I have mixed feelings about this, but I know you are excited to be a big girl like Lainy. For now I will treasure my time with you all to myself.

I love you! Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mama


My favorite thing you said this year was the day this picture was taken. You said: "Mama, I'm a Hawaii witch and my power is to make people nice. And I sometimes have dreams about Jesus. He says: "Behold!"". :)

Maui in May

My parents took us to Maui in May. It was heavenly. The New England winter was long and cold so we were more than ready to escape to paradise! It was a trek to get there from Boston (almost 20 hours) but the kids traveled amazingly well. Sam loved the window shades on the plane. He probably annoyed everyone near us as he opened and shut them, but it kept him happy!

The perk of being jet-lagged was mornings like this. We'd wake up, walk outside, and watch the sunrise. We were the first ones on the beach most days!

We met some very friendly people at the market in Lahaina, and snapped a photo under the banyan tree.

 At church on Sunday a new stake was organized in Maui. It was a beautiful meeting. To close the meeting we all stood and sang "Aloha Oe". Then we had Sunday dinner, Maui style (ie grilled steaks on the beach).

The rest of our trip was spent snorkeling (we saw turtles, a shark, a seal, and lots of cool fish)...

 And body boarding...

 And eating wonderful food...

 And playing on the beach...

 And visiting the summit of Haleakala (a volcano)...

 And going to more beaches...

And going on hikes and drives...

 I love these people. I mean, the location was amazing, but it just felt good to be with them.

 

Thanks for an amazing trip Mom, Dad, and Jeff! We had the best time. It was hard to come home.

Aloha Maui! Until we meet again!

(Not pictured because Brad lost his phone in the ocean are the following events: the Sheraton Luau, the boys going scuba diving, and pictures of the amazing hotel pool that the girls lived in all week.)

Coming Back

Well hello little blog. Sorry I have neglected you for so long! You have missed so much that I kind of don't know where to begin. So I won't for now. Maybe I'll do throwback posts later. But for now, there is this: We are happy. We are healthy. We are grateful.

And here is why:

Brad is in his second year of Opthalmology training which means a WAY better schedule. He has most weekends off! It's amazing! He can come to church! He can come with us to do stuff! It is awesome. We have missed him.

Lainy is happy in school. I spent the summer debating/praying/fasting about whether or not to home school her this year. There seemed to be so many pro's to keeping my precious girl home and far away from the things that made last year so hard for her. I was actually all set to do it, but then I went to the temple and had the strong impression that we should send her to school for another year. So, with an anxious heart, we did. And she's been great! It's a complete 180 from last year. What a blessing.

Leah started a little ballet class. I've been teaching her some things at home, but this year we wanted her to do something special just for her. Her dance studio is called Catch the Funk, which irks me to no end, but the price is right and they actually do a good job with the basics. She's the social butterfly of her class and asks me every morning "Do I go to ballet today?". It's hard to get her out of her leotard and tights. She remains our tenderhearted, adorable girl.

Samuel just turned 18 months old. He is a special soul. I really wish I could freeze him at this age for a while. His next big adventure is Nursery: it hasn't been going well so far. But honestly, I'm okay with a mama's boy for now ;)

We spent the Summer swimming, exploring Boston's North Shore beaches, camping in the back yard, taking care of our garden, and visiting our family in Idaho. It was heavenly. I tried to keep it as fun-filled and low-key as possible. We all needed it.

So there is my update, little blog. I'll be back soon.