Another year is coming to a close and 2020 was a nice, normal, non eventful year....
SAID NO ONE EVER.
In all seriousness, how do I even begin to recap this year? It's crazy to think that we are living out a truly historic time that will be written up in history books for decades to come. There has been so much negativity and division this year that I want to focus on the good moments in 2020. I can truly say that for our family, this year brought more good things than bad and for that I am grateful.
Highlights from 2020:
- the lockdown from March till June: this seems like a funny thing to list as a highlight but it honestly was my favorite time from this year. I ended up losing all my daycare families and became a homeschool mom. The girls and I spent every day together for two whole months, just the 3 of us, doing school, playing games and being creative with our time. It wasn't all roses, of course. Homeschooling was hard and I learned, as I had suspected, that the girls thrive in the school setting and homeschooling was not for them. But we did it, and we all learned a lot! Avi learned how to read, Cassidy made great strides in her spelling and mental math and I had so much fun learning alongside them. We really bonded during this time. I hadn't had this much one on one time with them since they were babies and it was really special.
Also, as a family this was such a special time. We spent the evenings either having family game night or family movie night. After the girls went to bed, John and I fell into a very comfortable routine. He played his computer game, I worked on a puzzle and we had The Office on in the background. We also got creative with at home date nights and made our own fancy meals together or ordered in from local restaurants. Our marriage really thrived this year. We hardly even had a disagreement and we really flourished with all the extended time spent together.
All in all, a forced slowdown was exactly what we didn't know we needed. We were pretty busy pre-Covid and something that I'm taking away from all of this is that a slower lifestyle suits us much better. We were more engergized and more easygoing and relaxed. It was a very wonderful spring.
- Summer was another highlight. I started working again but just had a few families back. I worked straight through the summer and we had lots of fun playing outside and going on little adventures around Warman. We got to escape to the lake for a weekend, the girls and I took a trip to Sylvan Lake and the girls went with my parents to a cabin for a few days. It was a nice mix of adventure and relaxation.
- John and I celebrated our 10th anniversary in November. We had been planning on an all inclusive vacation to Mexico (thankfully we had not booked anything yet) and that trip being cancelled was the biggest disappointment of the year. Instead, we had a weekend staycation at a downtown hotel in Saskatoon and it was the most wonderful little getaway. We truly felt like tourist in our own city and being in our own city, we mostly just relaxed and recharged. We are still planning on that big vacation as soon as the quarantine period is lifted!
Other highlights:
- Aviannah and Cassidy turned 6 and 9 in March and finished Kindergarten and Grade 3 in June. They were able to return to school in September and both have amazing teachers and are really thriving being back in the school setting!
- We learned in August that Eric and Jill are having a baby in April 2021! We are all SO excited! This baby is going to be so loved!
- We finished our home study and officially got on the waiting list for our adoption in July. We pray every day that our 3rd child will come home soon! Here's hoping 2021 is finally the year we get to add to our family again.
Blessings from 2020:
- John never lost his job throughout the pandemic. Even though I did lose my job, I was able to collect CERB for two months. Financially, we remained stable and for that we are so grateful
-Health: I was super sick for the first 2 months of the year, right up until we learned about Covid. Looking back, I wonder if it was Covid that I had? Who knows. Since March, we've all stayed healthy. We had a mild cold at the end of August but other then that, we've been blessed with great health. Since starting daycare again in full force in September, we've had no sickness come through the house which is such a miracle! I'm praying this continues as we enter into the cold months of January and February.
-My daycare is busier then ever! All my families eventually came back and I have a few new ones starting in the new year. They are the most wonderful people to work for and I can't even believe that I get paid for spending my days with these fantastic little people.
-Our extended families are all happy and healthy as well.
I've saved the biggest highlight for last. If you follow me on social media, you'll know we undertook a major house renovation this year. It turned into a way bigger project then we originally intended. It all started with a desire to make our front door usable, and turned into a major overhaul inside and out. Once you start, it's hard to stop!! On the outside, we've literally changed everything. New siding, new windows and doors, new shingles, new exterior lights, plugs, mailbox and house numbers. On the inside, new paint on the main floor, new flooring in the living room and hallway, new furniture, new casings and baseboards, new light switch plates and plugs and new window seat. We contracted out the outdoor work but John has taken on all the indoor renos himself. He did a fantastic job and we are so pleased with our house. It feels like a brand new house! We plan to stay here for the foreseeable future and it's been such a gift turning this into our dream home.
This year has definitely had it's hard moments. We are all feeling quite weary and drained from the toll this pandemic has taken on everything. Mentally, it has been quite exhausting and anxiety has crept up in me personally in some ways I haven't experienced in a long time. The fear and divisiveness this has all caused is so disheartening. I honestly have no idea what to expect in 2021, and I'm glad we don't know. God knows, and He is a good good Father, and that's all I need going into this next year. We are leaving 2020 stronger then when we came in, closer as a family unit and stronger and more resilient as people. So goodbye 2020 and hello 2021!
Much love to you all.
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