Happy New Year!! Holy moly the holidays were crazy. So much to re-cap, I'm not really sure where to start...Thanksgiving, Ella's Birthday, Christmas, Christmas, and more Christmas. It was a whirlwind, but oh so fun. I'll try to catch up on all that later! Anyway... happy New Year!! It's 2014-- an even number year. Even numbered years have been pretty memorable for our family-- 2006 Brent and I got married, 2010 we had Ella, and 2012 we had Ava Jane!! Always excited to see what an even year has to hold. And no I am not pregnant in case you were thinking that was a hint. Who knows what the future holds in that department, but for now we happily content with being a party of 4 (but we're not totally ruling out being a party of 5). Just thought I'd put that out there. I've been asked a lot lately if we are planning on a 3rd. The answer, I really don't know. If we do decide to try for a 3rd it will be with prayerful consideration, permission from my doctors, and an agreement that it is best for our family. Prayers for discernment are always appreciated!! So 2014 here we come...
But before we jump into this new year, it's always important to reflect on lessons learned in the previous year. Here are 13 things I learned last year in 2013. It was a year of transition, and change, and really finding our new groove. With ups and downs there wasn't much else to do but soak it all in and learn...and change...and evolve. So here goes!
13. The crockpot is my friend. 2013 was the year I realized how fantastically easy crockpot cooking is! Revolutionary really.
12. I can travel outside of the country...to Mexico for a dear friend's bachelorette party to be exact....and things will still be fine at home. Even if both kids are sick. Lucky to have a great husband and family!
11. When your child transitions from a crib to a toddler bed, it means (in our case) that you will see your child multiple times a night and have to re-route her (or him) back to said bed multiple times. In many cases your child will sneak up the bottom when you and your husband are in deep REM sleep and you will only wake up when you are randomly kicked in the ribs. Yes, Ella is that smart. She has figured out that the sneak attack allows her to be in the bed....sigh...
10. Potty training a strong willed child is not for the faint of heart. Like seriously. What a production. But, we finally fully potty trained Ella by her 3rd birthday. That's not to say she doesn't have an accident from time to time because she decided she didn't want to stop playing...
9. Your 3 year old child will repeat what you say... for example... Brent refers to poop as "crap" sometimes by mistake when the kids are in earshot. This is seriously the worst word he ever says so it's almost comical that she picked it up. His mouth is squeaky clean!! The other day I heard this scenario
E: Ava Janie, you shouldn't crap in the tub
Me: Crap is not a nice word we should say poo poo
E: Why not crap?
Me: It just doesn't sound nice.... poo poo or poop is better
E: Ok, Ava Janie, you shouldn't poo poo in the tub.
Keep in mind Ava Jane was not pooping in the tub...not really sure where this was coming from?? But, they repeat EVERYTHING.
8. It is so awesome to have your Mom live close by. We are very lucky! Thanks for all the times you've run over on a whim because we needed milk or to watch the girls or because we just needed a break!! It's been a long time since I lived near my Mom so it's been a lot of fun.
7. Having kids 18 months apart gets SO MUCH EASIER once the littlest turns 1. Seriously. By the time Ava Jane hit 18 months I was totally thinking--- this isn't that hard...we could do this again.... It was a far cry from the first few months! But well worth it. Having girls 18 months apart has been the most amazing blessing we could have imagined.
6. SISTERS have each other's backs. OMGosh... I better not forget to do something for Ava Jane that I am doing for Ella. Ella automatically corrects me..."Mommy, What about Avie??" They are like little soulmates and totally LOVE each other. It's really the coolest thing ever to watch them interact. Even at such a young age. #sistersrock
5. ORGANIZATION is the key to EVERYTHING!!!!!! I have *finally* become the organized person I want to be. I make lists, I have thrown
crap junk out, I have playroom baskets that I organize on a weekly basis even if it seems counterproductive...because it's not. Being ORGANIZED is a game changer. Grateful I have been able to reign my ADD self in. It has made life so much easier.
4. It's thick and thin when you marry your best friend. Opening and running a business with your husband is never easy. Especially when you open up a business from scratch. There is a huge learning curve, lots of frustration, lots of fears, and lots of WTH moments. But what I have truly learned is that the road may be rocky, but nothing is impossible when you believe in the person you marry and they believe in you. We've come out stronger and have really learned to enjoy the sunshine and dance in the rain. Cheesy, but true.
3. You have to make your own happiness. For a while it was hard to start our new life in our new house and city. It was that UGH factor of having to make new friends and having to put yourself out there. I find it all so exhausting. At first I complained about having to make another go of things...Athens to Augusta to Dallas to Savannah to Roswell to our final destination was such a long journey. So many wonderful friends we loved and left along the way. I wasn't sure I had the energy to do it again. And then something amazing happened-- we learned we lived in a fantastic neighborhood and were reminded that we have amazing OLD friends and made fabulous NEW friends that love us and support us on this journey. And then one day I woke up and realized I have the kind of friends that can walk into my house when it is upside down and I haven't showered and my kids are screaming and they don't bat an eye or love me any less. Yes!! What an amazing gift. We are blessed in abundance by wonderful FAMILY and FRIENDS. God is so good.
2. If I work part time I am still a good Mom. This was a hard one for me. I have nothing, nothing against working Moms. In fact I totally admire woman in the workforce that do it all. You are amazing. But when I decided to go back to working part time, it was a decision I felt a lot of guilt about for various reasons. I did it to help Brent and to have an outlet. And there is nothing wrong with this--but I gave myself a guilt trip. I had been home with Ella EVERY SINGLE DAY except for the hours she was at mother's morning out for 2 years. I hadn't missed anything. I had a routine scheduled to the minute. And letting go control like that was SO incredibly hard. But, I did it and I am so grateful I did. We are so blessed to have our wonderful babysitter who the girls LOVE and she loves them. They are just fine. And guess what. So am I. So am I. In fact, I am a better mommy because I have an outlet and when I get home I am 100% all about them. This was a HUGE realization in 2013. So glad I let go of my guilt and decided to work part-time.
1. You can have faith that there is a plan even when you aren't really sure what it is. This year was full of question marks-- full of excitement--full of doubts. But we made it through stronger and more supportive as a family. The practice is continuing to grow and we are getting wonderful patients and their families (thank you to all our AWESOME friends that come to see Brent). It's like nothing we've done before. Everything else has always been a sure thing and planned out. But, this is still new ( a year later). Exciting and scary. But there is a plan. How it will play out-- we don't know...but FAITH in God regarding something you are not so sure about is the cornerstone of what makes you stronger. This I have learned.
Good-bye 2013. So many lessons learned. We will see what 2014 holds. Have a blessed New Year, Friends!
Mix all this in with the fact she is already talking in 3-4 word sentences and attempting to potty train all by herself. She's a firecracker, go getter, determined beyond belief, a jokester, dancing queen, garbage disposal of an eater, dress-up guru, wild thing of a girly girl...and smart as a whip. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for this little girl--- she really might end up queen of the world!! 
