Here we are again, at the brink of another new year. How this manages to happen faster and faster each year, I'll never know. It's a good reminder for me to cherish each moment, to hold my people closer and enjoy each age my children are at, no matter how frustrating it may be, because all of sudden it's just a distant memory and I don't want to look back with any regrets.
The majority of 2016 has felt like a giant exhale of relief, mainly due to finally receiving Aviannah's Canadian citizenship and with that, the end of all paperwork relating to adoption. Here's a bit of perspective: this is the first time in 6 years that we are not waiting for and/or filling out some piece of paper for the adoption process. 6 years. It almost felt like an out of body experience to finally be done with it all. I would walk around thinking "Oh no, there's this yet...no wait, that's done too. Is everything really...done??" It's a hard thing to put into words. And honestly, who knows if we are actually done? For all I know we might start the process again tomorrow (um, kidding), but for now it feels AMAZING to be free of paperwork. John and I love our little family and while we are open to adopting again, we feel very content and at peace with the way things are right now. But hey...it's in God's hands like always, and as I've come to learn over and over again, He's always full of surprises!
Here's a look back at some highlights from our 2016:
-In January, John and I went to Edmonton for the Breakforth conference. It was an excellent weekend and we left feeling refreshed, relaxed, and inspired!
-March was a busy month for us. Cassidy turned 5 and Aviannah turned 2. Cassidy had a princess party and we had a total of 8 little princesses in our house for a few hours. It was SO much fun! We also had a joint birthday party with both our families for the girls.
More March highlights: we bought a van!! I am thrilled to finally have access to a vehicle during the day. I still absolutely love our van, it's proven to be a reliable set of wheels! We also had family pictures done during the month.
-In April both girls started swimming lessons. Cassidy did great! She is so much more confident in the water and passed her level. Avi on the other hand did not do great. She hated it and we only ended up taking her maybe 3 times. We are going to try again this spring and I think she will do much better!
Cassidy also started outdoor soccer in April for the first time! She absolutely loved it! She definitely has some natural athletic ability and we are excited to nurture that and see what comes of it! She played on the Falcons and she had as much fun playing as we did watching her. Is their anything cuter then little kids running around in cleats and oversized jerseys?
April 29 was the day we got the news that Avi is now a Canadian!
-May was also an exciting month. Cassidy had her preschool graduation ceremony and looked adorable in her little cap and gown. She still talks about her teachers and friends from pre-school. She had a great year. We also had her kindergarten orientation in May (she attends Valley Christian Academy). She was very excited to see her classroom and meet her new teachers.
I also had my year end piano recital at the end of May and it was a wonderful evening. All my students did a wonderful job!
John also made a garden plot in our yard. We had a very successful first garden, there was enough for me to go out and grab a few things for supper but not anything extra for me to can/freeze, which was exactly what I wanted!
-In June Cassidy's soccer season ended with a big all-day tournament. It was a hot day and she was tired by the end of it but she was very proud of the medal she received! We also went on our first camping trip, just the four of us, for the last weekend in June. We went up to Memorial Lake and had a great weekend, even though the weather wasn't that great. It rained for a bit Saturday afternoon and we barely made it into the tent before the rain came pouring down! We stayed dry though, and the girls still braved the lake even though I thought it was freezing!! They made some friends and we made some great memories!
-July kicked off with myself and some friends doing the Foam Fest 5K. We did it in 2015 and had so much fun we just had to do it again! It was even better this year and we all had a blast!
Mid-July we had a big family reunion (on my mom's side) in Vernon, BC to celebrate my cousin's graduation from high school. We rented a gorgeous house and enjoyed a few days together. It goes down as one of my favorite vacations ever! We spent every day at the beach and many hours playing beach volleyball (even Grandma joined in!) We visited a kangaroo farm and ate lots of good food and of course stayed up late playing games and laughing till we cried (that's a given with my mom's family). This was also Jill's first family vacation with us, and it will be the first of many because...
On July 29 Eric and Jill got engaged!! The wedding is set for July 29,2017 (exactly a year later) and we are all so excited! Jill is perfect for Eric and she fits right in with the rest of us too!
-August was a quieter month, except at the beginning. My birthday is the 4th and John completely blew me away when he planned a surprise birthday party (something I've always wanted!). It was a wonderful evening and he's earned brownie points for life!
We spent August with days at the spray park, visiting Kinsmen park and hiking at Beaver Creek, going school supplies shopping, watching the Olympics (Cassidy is hooked!), reaping the harvest from our little garden,
Also in August, I booked plane tickets for us to fly to Texas to visit my grandparents in December! We made a paper chain countdown and had so much fun counting down the days!
-September brought another big change to our lives- Cassidy started kindergarten! She goes every other day for full days and she absolutely loves it! She gets on the bus at 8:13 and I pick her up at the bus stop at 3:37. She has learned so much in these past 4 months. She went from showing no interest in writing/drawing to wanting to write all the time. She has started levelled reading and is starting to learn how to put words together. I especially love hearing all the songs and poems she learns. She attends a Christian school and especially over the holiday season, we loved that she was coming home singing songs about Jesus instead of Santa. She and I are both looking forward to the rest of the year!
Levi still comes 2-3 days a week and we love having him! Avi especially enjoys when Cassidy is in school and she gets Levi all to herself. They will play downstairs for hours together. They are the best of friends. We've really missed him over the Christmas break!
I also started up piano lessons again in September. I have 12 students and they are all wonderful. I'm having a great year with them so far.
-In October we were hit with an early snow but thankfully it didn't last too long. I hosted my family for Thanksgiving and the next day we said goodbye to my grandparents when they left for Texas. At the end of the month Cassidy's class put on a circus at school. It was so cute! The girls dressed up as a princess and Minnie Mouse for Halloween and had fun trick or treating and going to Fun Night at Cassidy's school.
-November was good to us weather wise! We had very unusually warm weather for a couple weeks. John and I celebrated our 6th anniversary with an evening out. I can't believe it's been 6 years and yet it feels like it's been forever at the same time. Mom, Leesa and I went on a quick day trip to Edmonton to join Jill and her family for wedding dress shopping! We had so much fun! We also decorated our house for Christmas!
-December was a busy month, as per usual. The first half of the month was filled with family gatherings, Christmas baking and trying to squeeze in as many of our favorite Christmas traditions as we could before...
we left on our big holiday! This trip was by far the highlight of 2016, even though we had a few bumps along the way. Avi got sick the day before we left and by the time we landed in San Antonio she was very sick. We immeadiately found a clinic to get her checked out at. The doctor said it was just viral but the next 2 days went by without much improvement. She didn't eat hardly anything and it was a struggle to get her to stay hydrated. She slept for almost 2 days straight. Many people were praying for her, back home and in Texas and she thankfully started to improve our 3rd day there. We were able to enjoy the rest of the holiday with her feeling almost 100%.
It was such a relaxing holiday! Grandma and Grandpa were so good to us and let us nap every afternoon and sleep in in the mornings. We enjoyed meals out and yummy home cooked meals as well. Cassidy loved making friends with the other volunteers on campus and especially enjoyed the sewing room. We had a beach day, visited a flea market, went to a lights display and enjoyed many low key days hanging out on campus and playing at the park. John and I both feel very refreshed and not at all exhausted. Definitely the mark of a successful holiday!
Now that we are home, we are celebrating Christmas with our families. We were at my parents yesterday and this afternoon will head to John's parents. We feel so incredibly blessed to have two wonderful families that we love to be with. And of course, above all, we are so grateful to Jesus for choosing to come as a baby and to live out His mission on earth and ultimately give His life just so we could have life. May we never let the magnitude of that sacrifice be lost on us.
God's richest blessings on you all we enter in to a new year. I can't wait to see what 2017 holds!
