A New Year: 2015

Lets recap 2014. We all had a great year!

Brinley had lots of firsts this year. 

She was busy with swim lessons, her first dance class, and a great session of YMCA gymnastics where she kept getting bumped up to the next level for her age group. She is a natural athlete and I'm happy she has found something that she loves to do. It is amazing how fast the gymnastics centers want these little kids to go from a 1 hour class once a week to multiple days a week. For now, seeing as though she is only 5, we are sticking with 1 day a week this year and having fun while doing it! She hopes to join a soccer team this spring too. Brinley also started VPK in 2014. She has excelled in school. Her teachers adore her. She comes home chatty about her cute friends and their fun adventures they have on the playground. I am so proud of Brinley this year. She has become quite the big kid. Every month she looks older and older to us! She has grown up. She has become more reliable and helpful around the house which has really helped me. I love her so much and appreciate her sweet spirit and loving heart. 

Ellie. Ooooo Ellie. 

You are knee deep in the 2 year old world right now, but looking back, lots happened for you too in 2014! You joined nursery (!!!!) and really started coming into your own. We learned that your red hair is exactly how your personality has blossomed: feisty and loud and spunky! Ellie has a big personality. I hear that a lot from strangers when we are at church or out running errands. I've really tried to embrace her wild spirit because she is so determined and stubborn and I just know those attributes are going to take her the distance in life with school and making friends and overcoming trials. Her stubbornness is kind of killing me now, but I know I'll appreciate it someday :-) Ellie loves Brinley so much and those two are best friends. Brinley loves taking care of Ellie and Ellie loves doing big girl things like her big sister. We rarely have fights break out between those two because they honestly do play so well together.

Ryan and I were busy too this year. At the start of 2014, we decided on our word of the year: patience. I think we did a pretty darn good job at riding out this first full year as a full-time attorney living in south Florida. He worked exceptionally hard this year at work and we are so proud of him for doing so well. It is amazing how the days and months fly by when you're out of school and don't look at the year in 3 semesters. We settled into a grove and tried to make the most of our free Saturdays together. We also committed to MORE DATES and family fun activities. We went out on a date at least once a month and really enjoyed being out together. 

In 2014, we also committed to doing the Whole 30. It seems like, at least for me, 2014 was the year of BODY CHANGE. I went from getting into the best shape of my life and clean eating because of Whole 30 to now being pregnant! 

In August, we found out we were expecting and it has been an exciting journey ever since. Now we are under 3 months away from meeting our new baby. Time is flying by! I have been anxious to get the house settled and organized for his arrival. I've been purging and rearranging and organizing and it is so therapeutic for me. I love it. We been so grateful for the baby boy clothes that have been given to us to start our collection. Going from 2 girls to now having a boy is hard work! I gave away 2 bins of clothes Ellie has grown out of to make room for all the boy clothes we will be accumulating. 

And onto 2015.

We don't really have much lined up for this year except having a baby! I laughed with Ryan when we sat down to go over our couple goals, family goals, and individual goals because my only goal this year is to survive. Survive pregnancy. Survive the c-section. Survive having another baby. and survive the transition to 3 kids. I'm not giving myself any other goal because I think gaining another member of the family is a big enough change! I don't have any weight loss or fitness goals. I don't have any amount of books I want to read (except I did start the Harry Potter series again to help make the last of my pregnancy fly by...it has been so much fun!). We have a few fun trips planned, possibly Disney World and our Canadian family reunion this summer. We hope to just make the most of the last few months of pregnancy with our girls, and then enjoy the rest of the year as a family of 5. FIVE!! That sounds crazy. Ryan and I are so grateful for all the blessings we received in 2014, and we are trying our hardest to have another smooth year of work, family, church, and everything else!