Reflections And Some Goals For Our 2014

2014 will no doubt be a busy year for our family. We will go from a family of three to a family of four! If someone told be when I first started this blog almost 3 years ago that we would be here right now, I might not have believed it. We went from a couple of 23 year olds "living it up" in Bolivia, so desperately wanting a family to now preparing to give our first born a sibling. Whoa. Time really has flown by but that is what happens when you're having fun, right?

 

This past year was a good one. We got the hang of being parents, we (Phillip and I) grew even closer which I didn't even know was possible, purchased a home and moved to a town we both love. There were promotions that have helped our family out a ton which have come with greater responsibility and challenges on how to balance it all out. And then of course, there was that time after the first night in our new home when we found out we were going to have another baby.

 

 As wonderful as 2013 has been to us, we are so looking forward to what 2014 has in store. We know there will be more challenges, good and bad. We are anxious and I'll admit, a tad nervous to grow our family. I have also been hard at work trying to start a little something of my own. A process that has taken longer than I expected, stirred up more emotion that I knew it could, and tested my ability to balance my responsibilities without feeling like a total failure at all of it. But with these challenges, I have hope. Hope that in 2014 we can reach goals we didn't think were possible.

 

• Give birth to a healthy baby boy (but that's kind of an obvious goal huh?)
• nurse my baby for at least 4 months
• improve my ability to ignore mommy guilt
• get my new business off the ground
• blog more
• take better pictures
• continue to make our house a home by completing one project a month - big or small
• vacation at least once with both of our babes
• more date nights!
• host more gatherings
• grow my hair out (?!?!) YUP!

 

 

Here are some photos from the past year...

 

 

 

Silly nights with my hubby

 

Nine months out...

 

Good times with good friends

 

 

Doctor visits

 

Outtings with mama

 

 

Different kinda date nights

 

 

a growing boy

sweet moments with daddy

This face that melts my heart

 

 

 

park dates

 

close calls

 

after dinner loving - it's a family ritual

 

weddings

 



 

 

more date nights in

 

 

THIS FACE!!!!!

 



 

DISNEY!

 



That time my baby brother got married

 

are they gorgeous or what?

 

 

family bonding time... tons of it

 

new friendships

 

first haircuts

 

first time coloring at a restaurant

 

Children's museum outtings

 



 

cousins...

 

 

library fun

new moments in a new home

 



 

learning that sometimes it takes a bit of crazy to make my baby content while shopping

 



Silly boy in mamas shower cap

 



 

That day we announced to our friends that were expecting "thing 2"

 

 

Enjoying our new town

 



That time our buddies from Bolivia came to Florida for a visit. Boy was it a nice treat to see these faces.

 



 

Evening on the beach

 

 

announcing on the blog that I was pregnant

 

When baby boy dislocated his elbow and... we somehow lived to tell the story.

 

 

More date nights - OUT and without Cruze. This was a big step for us.

 

Loving those moments when we were able to reflect on how thankful we are for our growing family

 

That time I made a DIY scarf for my boy and it became a pinterest sensation... I kid!!! But I still get good traffic from it.

 



 

 

enjoying the home we have been blessed with

 

trying our hardest to get a family "selfie"

 

 

more cousin time

 

and showing off his prayer skills

 

 

Yes 2013 was a blast. We learned a lot and grew in love. And we CANNOT wait to get our 2014 on!

 

Let's do this.