CLOSING UP 2015

It's my annual "write about the past year "post.  We've been home from our KS/CO trip for about 3 hours, and the kiddos are all in bed, and John's at work for just a bit longer, and I'm trying to sneak it in.  In preparation for writing this post, I looked at the NYE's posts for 2012, 2013, and 2014 and got all nostalgic and sappy feeling.  The past few years have held so much change and emotion and intensity.  I also read my "Regrouping in 2015" post from January and realized that we have regrouped on some things (like reconnecting in our marriage) and other things have still gone by the wayside (I didn't redecorate a single thing in 2015).

So where does 2015 leave us?

Well, we certainly aren't as battered and bruised as we were at the end of 2014, but our wounds are still fresh.  2015 brought new pain, such as really discovering and exploring what racism is going to mean to our family and getting a front row seat to pain in the lives of those around us on many occasions this year.  We also said goodbye to our first family pet of 12 years: RIP Hope.

But, I don't want to sell 2015 short, because it held many highlights for us as well.

Lily turned six, and it seems as if every last one of her teeth intends to fall out.  I've also realized that I am a shamefully bad tooth fairy.



Bella turned five, and we celebrated with a trip to the fair that actually turned out to be fun for everyone (sadly, this is a rarity for us these days).



William and Violet turned two, and they have the extreme highs and lows of most toddlers.  Times two.  Twins really are a challenge - one we're hoping to survive, but the jury is still out most days.



John and I did focus on our marriage in ways that have really paid off for us.  This included weekly date nights in the back half of the year and several adults-only trips.  I'm so thankful that God walks with us in the hard journey of a marriage, and I do not take for granted that we like each other more this New Year's Eve than we did the last one.

- John surprised me with a shopping spree at my favorite store for Valentine's Day


- We went chasing waterfalls in Belize to celebrate our 10 year anniversary


-  We had a San Frantastic trip in September

And where would we be without our dear friends who helped make 2015 special?  We traveled to Branson with a huge crew for an unforgettable time.

We also went to Dallas with our BFFs from college.



This year, we got to see two dear families that we love welcome home adopted children.  We love Micah and Shelby with all of our hearts.

We also welcomed a new brother-in-law into our own family!

We got to see each of our children grow and develop, and that is always such a blessing and privilege.  They are healthy and thriving, and I am so thankful.


(photo cred to Main Street Studios)

2015 was good, because God is good, and he is using the good and the hard things to shape us into people that better reflect his glory.  We want to know him more and love him better, and we have a better understanding than ever at how much we need him to do any of that at all.  We are selfish and comfort driven, but God loves us and cares for us all the same.  I'm so thankful.

Happy New Year.

MOUNTAIN DAY & NIGHT DATE

John and I had an amazing opportunity this week.  We've been in Colorado with his family, and his parents so graciously offered to keep our children for a night so we could have a getaway.  We made the absolute most of it, and it was truly a wonderful gift all the way around.

Just driving into the mountains in Colorado is a huge treat for us.  We saw wildlife and scenery that speaks to our souls.  We had a great lunch in Buena Vista and enjoyed being together and being able to stop with no one screaming at us.  Always a bonus.

We then continued our drive to Leadville, where we had reservations to go DOG-SLEDDING!  I felt like typing that in all caps, because that is how I felt about it.  We were so excited, and it really did live up to the hype in our minds.  We got to meet our dogs before heading out to the 5.2 mile loop with gorgeous mountain views all around.  Our guide had us take turns driving a sled or riding in a sled, and because we were dressed for the adventure, both were great fun.  If you ever get the chance to go dog-sledding - take it.

We had dinner reservations at a highly recommended fondue restaurant in Keystone where you take a gondola from 9,000 feet up to 11,000 feet.  Der Fondue Chessel was a different style of fondue than we've ever had, and it was delicious and so warm, which was a welcome treat when it was 11 degrees outside.

We stayed the night in Breckenridge, and awoke to 0 degrees with a beautiful view.  We took in a delicious breakfast at The Blue Moose before wandering around the charming downtown.  It being a dry cold really does make a difference.  Plus, we wore tons of layers, and I carried around little hot hand warmers.

And just like that, it was time to head back to our children.  Thankfully, we had another gorgeous drive on the way.  The Rockies truly are spectacular.

(John loved being able to drive his old 4-Runner, which has since been passed to his parents.)


Thank you, Colorado, for being amazing.  Thank you Lenny and Sharon for taking such wonderful care of our kiddos, and thank you Lord for allowing us this special treat!

CHRISTMAS WEEK

We've been busy little Christmas bees this week, as have most of you.  We've filled our time with family and friends before Christmas, plus a little gingerbread action and trips to Target.

John worked most of Christmas Eve, and I was packing for a trip, so it was a bit anti-climatic/stressful.  We did enjoy worshiping together at our church's Christmas Eve service, making cupcakes for Jesus and eating a Chinese buffet dinner.

(I know Jesus really loves red and green.)

By the time I went to bed on Christmas Eve, I was tired and a bit on the cranky side.  But, Christmas morning dawned beautiful and full of new mercies.  We had a delightful morning at home with just our kiddos, opening stockings, reading the Christmas story at breakfast and opening presents.  I will treasure the memory of a Christmas morning like that.  Such sweetness.

After we had finished our festivities, we switched gears and got on the road.  We traveled to Kansas to spend the night with my family on our way to Colorado.  Our children are not historically the best travelers (mainly one little girl twin), but the traveling has been okay.  Not fantastic, but we have had much worse drives.  (I'm actually writing a blog post from the road, so it can't be all bad.)



Seeing family on Christmas night was a real treat!

I'm so glad that Jesus was born and that we get to celebrate his birthday with friends and family and fun.  I hope your Christmas had more highs than lows and that you got to savor things that really matter.