I can hardly believe that another year has come and gone. So much, and so little has happened in 2014. As I just started updating my blog again and I didn't get around to mailing out Christmas cards, I wanted to take a moment and write down some of the happenings of 2014 and my thoughts for a new year.
While it seems like we just stumbled along this year many things did happen.
Sean
- turned 7 this year - started counting down to his 8th birthday - just a few days after he turned 7!
- started loosing teeth and growing new teeth - often he grew a new one before the old fell out!
- became a huge lego lover this year! Especially Star Wars legos
- He is so aware of his surroundings and will try to control all of it if we let him! Trying to keep him focused on being a kid this year. He wants so much to be helpful. He is quick to say sorry when he has done something wrong.
- Worked on Speech therapy this year. Reached a couple of milestones - finally able to say k and g sounds. Now working on S/SH/TH sounds.
- Took swimming lessons and though it was a slow start for him and he was afraid to go underwater or even swim without holding his nose. Then suddenly one day he just went under and is now swimming like a fish!
- Made a new friend, Carter, in the ward who loves legos just as much as he does. Continuing to make friends from homeschool park days.
- Learned many new board games and card games including family favorites - Monopoly, Phase 10, Skipbo, 10 dice.
- One highlight of his year was spending a week with his cousin Adam at a family reunion in Colorado. He discovered Minecraft during that week and is now a big fan. He still talks about his time with Adam over 6 months later!
Ryan
- turned 4 this year!
- He continues to want to do everything himself. We are getting better at finding a balance between what he can do and what we still need to help with.
- He loves to make messes and is getting better at cleaning them up.
- He loves to play with his brother Sean!
- He doesn't seem to have any toys he can't live without, but his favorites seem to be Hot Wheels and any toy figure he can carry around.
- He took swim lessons. He loves the water and while he still is a little shy about swimming by himself, he loves to jump into the water from the side of the pool!
- He is starting to love reading with Mom or Dad. His words after a good book - "again, again!"
- He loves to sing and does so every day. He loves to take a familiar tune (either a primary song or a Christmas song) and put in his own words. Lately the song of choice is follow the prophet. One funny variation was "Daddy's a goof ball" to the tune of "Follow the Prophet".
- He is growing leaps and bounds. He is so tall that most people think is 6 yrs old. In just the last 6 months he gained about 3-4 inches and about 10 pounds. His feet are now bigger than Sean's.
- He loves to cuddle! We have figured out that as long as his "hugger" is full, he is pretty happy and satisfied. Some days we need more hugs "I need 40,000 hugs" to fill him up.
- He finally potty trained! We had been trying a while and it just wasn't working - so I gave up and finally decided we didn't want to spend the money on pull-ups any more so we told him they were gone. I gave him heads up and within a couple of days he was mostly potty training and in two weeks was fully potty trained. He loves being a big boy!
Valarie
- I started teaching piano lessons. It was strange to start again, but I am finally getting my bearings again.
- I continued to take my 5 pillar class. I have one semester left and while it has been very challenging at times to even get there, I am glad I am associating with great women and learning so much.
- I am continuing to do energy session for family and for clients. I love seeing the healing that takes place!
- Have a lot of stops and start with the schooling process, but slowly finding a balance. Not easy to balance school, piano, energy work, household and all the other things I want to throw in there.
- Experimented with baking this year. Family favorites included cheese crackers, wheat thin crackers and english muffins.
- I had a couple of callings this year - Visiting Teaching Coordinator and Ward Organist.
- I got to participate in two Christmas programs this year - one for the Stake and one for the ward. I got to sing, play the piano and organ for both. I also have been active in the ward choir and am one of the few accompanists in the ward so I play a lot. I have enjoyed using my talents this year.
Steve
- Staying strong through continued job challenges this year. Started out the year unemployed and was able to get a part time job with a construction company doing safety, which was new to him (he had received his masters in safety the year before and this was the first opportunity to use it). That was not an easy job, but he learned daily how to apply his education to the construction world.
- When that job came to an end, he quickly took the first job that became available - Selling cars at Honda. Not his first choice, but he has learned so much!
- He is learning that he can do many things he never thought he could through these challenges this past year.
- He is the favorite with the boys and they are always requesting daddy time and wrestle time!
- He has had a couple of callings in the ward this year also - He was Gospel Doctrine teacher for most of the year, then was called to be the Scout Committee Chair. Unfortunately shortly after that he took the job with Honda and is unable to make it to church - so he currently doesn't have a calling.
- He has been wonderful this year supporting me in all the crazy things I have been doing!
- He is looking forward to the new year and in securing a better job - one more interesting and more directly related to his education and experience.
2015 - I am looking forward to this new year and all that we can accomplish. My goals are to improve our home and schedule and schooling so it is not so stop and go. Steve and I are looking forward to improved outlook for jobs and income and a hope that these financial struggles we have had over the past two years can be at an end. We learned so much last year about enduring and also accepting service and love from others. Also how we can continue to give despite having so little. I also learned that we can live off of so little and we don't need "things". My goal for the new year is to purge our household of things we no longer use or need. Sean is looking forward to his birthday and we are already starting to prepare him for baptism. Ryan is looking forward to days of fun and play! Here's to a great new year!
RICHARDS REGISTER - All about life, love and family
No comments:
Post a Comment