Well 2022! It's been real! Grateful for the blessings but not really sad to see you go... As I sit here with the family recovering from a stomach bug, it seems almost comical that this is how we are closing off the year.
We started the year with 3 out of the 4 of us getting COVID in January right before. A was spared as she had just gotten her second shot, D and I had mild cases and C got hit the hardest for about 36 hours. COVID didn't leave us alone as it saw D once again being infected in October. We think the rest of us were spared. Colds, flus and tummy pains were also prevalent!
We are almost seven years into living in our home and this year, we were finally able to complete our renovations--- way later than we anticipated. It was about 10 weeks of dust and disruption.Our entire family moved into two bedrooms and a tiny sitting area. I moved my office into what my colleagues thought was a cave. We also moved gratefully into my friend's house when she went to Portugal for 3 weeks though that took some work with racing to get the kids to school on time and pick them as it was about 20 minutes away. We are about 90% complete with some cabinetry still to be completed and some furniture en route. So far, we are very pleased, excited for it to be totally done and broke.
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| Mid reno, we brought our furniture in to celebrate thanksgiving. |
Toby is now 2.5 years. He is a joyful part of our family and loves snuggles, sneaking open the kids' lunches when they get home and jumping up on furniture... a huge source of chagrin for D with the new furniture. He is very mild mannered except when people come to visit and he jumps on them in excitement for the first two minutes- this did not bode well for a visitor we had over the past month who was visibly terrified.
We officially have a teen in the house! C is in the eighth grade and is loving school, her friends and has a hectic social schedule. It's nice to see her with a few solid friends. She switched swim clubs this year and has made some awesome friendships there as well. Her parents aren't great fans of the 520am wake up times to get her to practice. Her violin playing has also escalated this year. She finally practices without being told, beautiful musis has emerged and we couldn't be more proud. This year, she played in two city concerts with the Youth Orchestra! She also did soccer and volleyball! She is still the messiest person in the house :-). She is thoughtful and gracious.
A is 10 and in the fifth grade. She is also a social butterfly, always making weekend plans and chatting online with her friends. She is still dramatic at home and zen in school... we always find this so amusing. Her academics are solid and this year, she is in two sets of dance, tried volleyball and still plays the piano. She also got back on gluten this year which makes life and meal prep way easier! She continues to be an awesome organiser with lots of lists, schedules and itineraries and loves a clean house and bedroom. She loves to give and loves hard.
D works too hard!! There I said it. With the pandemic, he works nights and weekends and the work and emotional toll never ends. We have spoken about the need to switch off a bit. He is an awesome parent, trains Toby better than the rest of us and takes the brunt of the weekend drop-offs, something I'm very grateful for. His brother was seriously hurt this year but thankfully is on the mend. We continue to pray for him and his family.
I'm doing well. I decided earlier this year that my three principles to live by are grace, growth and grit and I really try to embody those through my life. I took up a bit of running this summer and I love it... on hiatus for the colder months but both Toby and I have enjoyed it. The Peloton app has been a God send in those busy times. Work life balance is something I've been aiming for and I've set some boundaries for myself this year. I'm still at the same company. I switched portfolios a couple months ago and now I get to sample cookies as part of my job! The learning curve has been steep and stressful but my new manager is excellent and gets in the trenches to explain to me. I'm excited for the new year at work and learning and growing even more. I've also began making friends at work which adds to the enjoyment!
We did manage to travel a bit this year...Mexico for March break and then to Jamaica to meet my parents, my brother's family and my sister in law's parents. both were great for the soul and we hope to explore the world even more in 2023. The girls and D also met his brother and his family and D's parents in Universal, Florida for a few days! The kids went to NYC with my parents this year and then I went to pick them up. I was so happy to see my other brother, nephew and aunts who are some of my favourite people. We also made a weeklong visit to Napanee at the end of summer with D's cousin and her family-- a wonderful end to the season!
I feel like I complained a lot in this post but this does not negate all the blessings we have with friends and family. I am grateful for the health of our parents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We are very blessed to have food and shelter and so many kindnesses bestowed upon us by so many people. You know who you are and I'm truly thankful for you and for sharing celebrations and life with you.
And to my readers and beautiful blog friends (all 5 of you) , I know I haven't been a consistent blogger AT ALL this year but I thank you for reading and commenting when I do surface.
I wish you all a beautiful, peaceful, successful 2023!
