On Being Mommy- 2014 was a year that I got to spend watching sweet Eden grow from a baby to a toddler. I got to experience the world through her eyes and see the world from her perspective of newness. To her, all things are new. It was such a cool thing, and something I am so grateful for. Her personality is becoming so fun and I am just in awe of all of the things that she is learning every day. So many fun firsts too, that I am blessed to have been able to experience with her---learning to walk, first time trick or treating, expanding her vocabulary (this morning she told me, "no mommy, you stay," when I was trying to leave for work,) riding rides at Holiday World, sliding, first haircut, moving up to a big girl bed, feeding herself Orange leaf fro yo---(mommy's ultimate pregnancy craving with her.) Can't wait to experience more firsts (like her first time being a big sister) with her in 2015.
On family- Well, in 2014, Josh and I announced that we would be expanding our family in 2015. We found out in the summer that we were pregnant and were beyond thrilled--and then found out in the fall that we would be adding a little BOY to the family, and naming him Emmett Andrew. He will be here mid February-Early March, and we are so excited!! Josh and I also celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary this year.
Both my brother and my sister in law got engaged in 2014. My sister-in-law also got married, and we welcomed Clint into the family, and they announced the start of their family with a baby due in late summer, so I learned that I am going to be an aunt for the first time! Whew. 2014 was certainly busy for them.
2014 was my dad's first full year retired, and I am thankful for all the times that he came to EVV on short notice to watch his sick granddaughter or to help out in anyway we needed. It definitely made our lives easier.
On faith- God has taught me to trust in him. With everything that happened in 2013 I almost felt as if my life was over. For a time, I felt like I had life before my dad was diagnosed with HD and life after, like they were two separate lives that were in no way connected. However, God has been teaching me this year that he is bigger and stronger than any "thing" in our life, even a disease that seems pretty big. He is faithful in the calm and in the storm. He has shown me time and time again that when things feel out of control, I can still trust in him, I can still take refuge in him. I don't have to be afraid. I spent the end of 2013 and a good chunk of 2014 giving this disease control. God showed me this year that I don't have to do that, and I finally feel his peace.
On teaching- This has been my first year teaching fifth grade reading and I have loved (almost) every minute of it. Fifth grade is such a cool age, where they still care about your approval and want to please you, but they are also able to have conversations and understand things on a deeper level. The fifth grade class this year overall is phenomenal, and I feel blessed to have been able to teach them. It's also kind of funny that they were the same kiddos that I taught in third grade when I was pregnant with Eden, and now I am teaching them again, this time pregnant with Emmett.
In review this year has been a year of love for my family, learning to trust in God (a lesson that I am sure I will continue to learn and re-learn and learn again throughout my life), another year of doing a job that I love, and getting to do my second job as mommy, a year of experiencing the small, everyday life things, and learning that these things are really the big things. 2014 has been good to me, and I look forward to what 2015 has to bring.
