For starters, 2021 saw all four of us getting vaccinated, one partially and two boosted. Rapid tests are being used and we've had a couple stay at home situations due to each kid having to quarantine from a possible exposure. We had multiple bouts of school from home. We postponed travel plans once again but at least we were able to see my parents, D's brother and his family, his aunt and cousins. Hopefully 2022 will have us seeing some more family.
We are still very happy in our home... six years in. We continued with some smaller renos like chopping some trees to fix the sight line from the house, fixing in-floor heating and completing more backyard work. We also are biting the bullet in early (hopefully 2022) with changing flooring, a fireplace and some cabinetry.... It will require us moving out for a week! Hopefully, that's all. We are still very grateful for the beautiful neighbourhood we live in with our happy "hours", music get togethers, walks and treats shared. We did our very own seafood boil and a chef party for the first time this year.
C is now in the seventh grade and in a new school... She misses her old teacher but she is doing pretty well with the academics. There are some ups and downs with her peer group and we struggle to help her navigate it. She moved up to yet another level in competitive swim which involves some 5:45 am practices and taking her out of school early. The better your kid becomes at a sport, the more inconvenient they make it for the parents. She is also still loving her violin and this year was accepted into the City Youth Orchestra.... now she is forced to practice, ha!
A also switched schools and once again, this kid surprised me with her aplomb. She has found her own little tribe and according to her teachers she is so "zen" in class.... a far cry from her at home dramatic antics. She is the best little organiser, loves writing out routines, plans and schedules and will someday rule something big... j/k... maybe! She had a rough health year with some unexplained tummy pain. She tested positive for celiac so we cut gluten out of her diet (and largely the rest of ours). We also had to put her on a low FODMAP diet as she may have IBS. It seems to have settled a bit but we will be doing further testing in 2022. She started back gymnastics and dance this year and still plays the piano with immense concentration.
D is still working 3 out of 5 days from home. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing as he sometimes can't switch off. He is the most prolific binge watcher, loves playing with Toby and enjoys wiping counter tops and vacuuming-- ha!
Toby is now almost a year and a half. He is still obsessed with A's stuffies, cheese and snuggling me. He is very social and loves both humans and other dogs! I did some puppy training with him this year and with D's constant training, he was the star student in his class. He is such an incredible blessing to us all.
It's been an up and down year for me... Supervising online schooling was not my thing and it was a very worrisome year with A's health issues. I really struggled. Starting back in the corporate world in November though challenging has also been a blessing. The kids seem alright, it's fun to exercise my brain fully once more and it just seemed like the right thing for us all. I can't wait to immerse myself more in the role in 2022.
We did manage to do a couple much needed Ontario getaways this summer. We went to Blue Mountain for some family fun and then right before school started headed to Picton with some family. Both were awesome little trips and time away.
Despite all of the tribulations that 2021 brought, we are grateful for the blessings and kindnesses of so many friends and family members. You know who you are and you mean a whole lot!! I am also grateful for honesty. Parents and friends in my tribe more than ever began to share stories of their own personal struggles and it's nice to know that we aren't alone in our parenting and life issues.
I hope that 2022 brings some more normalcy to us all. I hope to see more family members and travel just a bit more. D has to see his parents!!
And to my readers and beautiful blog friends, I know I haven't been a consistent blogger AT ALL this year but I thank you for reading and commenting when I do blog. Istarted to feel that my girls' stories were to not mine to tell anymore but then C told me to start back as it's fun to read... who knows what 2022 will bring, blogging or otherwise!
Happy 2022, friends!
