Well another year has come and gone. I can't believe it. I'm not really sad about it. I'm excited for new things in 2014. 2013 was filled with many many things some really good things,some really hard things, and some really cool God things. I'm thankful to be alive and healthy and have a sweet family with me. Here's a little about what our life was like in 2014.
In January I finished up my maternity leave and continued adjusting to being a mom of two. I went back to work at the end of the month and it was one of the hardest times for me. I went back with no assistant and felt completely swamped and overwhelmed. Like I was just keeping my head above water. Thankfully my coworkers were the best supporters and encourage-rs. Little did I know this would be just the beginning of a very trying spring semester.
Hudson turned three. Three has been hard for us. He's almost four I pray it's a little easier. I love him with all my heart though, even when it's tough.
We also dedicated our baby to the Lord. It's the most important thing we can do in his life-show Him God will lead him on this journey.
In February, we decided we would start our own LifeGroup. I had no idea where this would lead, but we were obedient and had a very small LifeGroup.
We saw a little snow in February. Crazy Oklahoma.
In March we had Spring Break, Easter and family visit from New York!
In April, we helped with Abby's engagement!
May was tough. I felt like I had a secret I was hiding from these lovely ladies and my heart was so torn. I knew that I would probably be leaving them, but couldn't stand the thought of it. Thankfully the Lord gave me peace about it all {read about that here}. But I still miss them like crazy, these ladies are like sisters. The same day I interviewed for my job Ryan also interviewed for a new position in his company. We both walked away with new adventures set before us.
June came and we celebrated five years of marriage, five busy and joyful years.
This guy started crawling and life would never be the same! We enjoyed basking in the summer sun and playing in the water!
July was all about the waiting game. And wouldn't you know Harper made us wait the WHOLE month to meet her! It was worth every minute though ;)
The whirlwind (aka August) was all NEW for me! I was getting my classroom ready, meeting a lot of faces and not remembering names, and learning new procedures and routines. I loved meeting the 22 sweet faces I would know as my class!
But even better we branched off from the LifeGroup we were meeting with and started meeting with another couple. God has really built great friendships through this group and has shown us that when we are faithful to invite He will take care of the details. LifeGroup has been SO good for my soul. It's one of my favorite nights of the week!
Hudson went back to preschool. He loves that place!
We took the boys to their first Rangers game!
And my sister came back to work! We began working on starting up our own blog and teacher resources. Slowly but surely we are learning the business. I'm excited for what is to come for us through Kinder Sisters!
October was a little scary, Hudson wasn't well so we had some blood work done. The blood work revealed some scary stuff which sent us into a whirlwind of more blood work and a CT scan. Thankfully we are continuing to work through it and his levels are better even though the mystery isn't completely figured out. I'm thankful every day that it didn't turn out to be as bad as it could have been.
And I'll just take the opportunity to show you the H's again. Apparently Wizard of Oz was the theme of 2013, had NO idea when I picked it at the beginning of the year!
November! Where do I even begin? It was the craziest month for us but also one of the biggest blessings! We celebrated this guys first year of life! He is seriously the happiest, most joyful thing I've ever met. His smile is contagious. I loved every bit of his first year.
Then I got to stand by this beautiful brides side in one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies I've ever seen!
And I gained a super cool brother! A growing family is so much fun!
And we ended it all with being thankful for SO much!
And of course December was all about the big birthday celebration! This year was so fun because Hudson is really starting to understand what it's all about. We have LOTS of conversations about Jesus and why he was born and what Santa's job is and where Jesus is now. It's really cool to see the little guy try to process and understand such a important truth.
We also spent lots of family time together!
Reflecting back I would say that 2013 has been one of the hardest yet. We had lots of change, difficulties, trials, laughter, and fun along the way. But it's all been worth it. Our big big God has shown that he cares about the small, minute details just as much as he cares about the big decisions. I'm going into 2014 smiling and knowing that our God is GREATER! I can't wait to see what He will do this year. Praying that you know His love more than you've ever known it before. Blessings and love for 2014!
