Has it really been that long since I blogged? :) Let's just say life has gone 90 miles an hour and hasn't really slowed down. Here's my recap of 2013 (as much as I can remember). So buckle up and hang on.
At the beginning of 2013, Randy was working for Grand Homes as a builder. I was enjoying being a stay at home mommy. I started attending a new MOPS group and was helping with the women's ministry at church. The girls and I stayed busy having fun at home, play dates with friends and some fun field trips.
Avery turned 3 in May. Her
vocabulary really started to grow and she entered the "why?' phase.
"Cause why, mommy?" "Why's that, mommy?" I know I am paying for my
raisings. My parents love to tell stories of how I used to be 20
questions when I was her age. lol! She has been potty trained since last
fall and has done really well with it. Now we just have to work on the
thumb. She still prefers her thumb at night, when shy or tired. She
loves coloring, playing babies with Claire, playing dress up with her
princess dresses, putting puzzles together, reading her books, and
having playdates with her friends. She is a total Daddy's girl, but
gives Mommy special cuddles in the mornings. :) We spent
our summer days at the splash pad, the pool with friends, going to the
movies with her BFF Zoe and playing with Claire.
Claire turned 1 in December. She started walking right after
Thanksgiving and hasn't stopped since. She has one speed - fast. She is a
total Mommy/Daddy's girl. Meaning if its just Mommy home, she is
attached to my hip. If Daddy is home, she's his. She does everything to
the fullest. She gives the best lovins' and throws the best fits. She loves her big sister and tries to do everything Avery does. Even if she isn't big enough yet. :) She enjoyed spending the summer in the pool with her BFF Sydney and trying to keep up with the big girls. She does talk, surprisingly more than I thought she would since Avery is always talking for her.
Randy started a new job with John Houston Custom Homes in June. He is a builder with them and is loving his new job and responsibilities. He is based in Burleson. Before this new job opportunity, he had been with Grand Homes for 3 years. Its weird to blog about but he was unemployed for 7 weeks. 7 weeks we never thought we would ever experience. Those 7 weeks were a blessing in disguise. 7 weeks of learning to trust completely in a new way on God. For everything.
I started working out and running during the summer. A dear friend, Tanna, does a boot camp each summer. I haven't been able to make any of them in the past years because I was either working, pregnant, or had a newborn. This year I got to go! It was so out of my comfort zone but I loved it and am so thankful for it. Let's just say after turning 30 I can tell my metabolism isn't what it was 5 years ago. Plus having the encouragement and motivation from friends makes all the difference. The bootcamp girls decided to do the Jailbreak Run together in September. Basically it is a 5k with obstacles. Like I said before, out of my comfort zone, but I signed up. And it was so worth it! To get ready I started doing the Couch to 5k training program. 2 weeks after I started running, Randy decided to join me. :) Its so much better running with someone than alone. We actually started to enjoy it. It was a fun family thing to do together. We would take turns pushing the girls in our double stroller.
When school started, I started keeping a friend's little boy, Keaton. He and Avery are the same age so it was fun to have a boy around. He loves our girls and they love him too. Our days were full with chiropractor visits, MOPS meetings, picking Keaton up from school, play dates, and gymnastics. We signed Avery up for gymnastics in September. If you have ever seen her play around, you might notice how limber she is. We literally can fold her up in half! So we enrolled her and she loves it! She's the smallest one in her class. But she keeps up!
We got a big surprise in October. We found out I was pregnant! A surprise, but totally welcomed. We were nervous, excited, scared, and thankful all at the same time. We told our family and close friends and decided to wait until Thanksgiving to tell our extended family and everyone else. I can't tell you how nervous, yet excited I was. We planned a fun photo shoot with our dear Tiffany to take family pictures and some cute announcement ones. Everything was going well. I couldn't see the midwife until after 10 weeks. Randy and I had signed up to run a 5k the Saturday before Thanksgiving. We ran well. That night I woke up and realized I was spotting. Nothing to be worried about. I figured I had just overdone it. I took it easy all day Sunday but it didn't stop. I was able to get an appointment with our midwives on Monday. We went in for a sonogram and then to see the midwife. She didn't have good news. Our precious baby didn't have a heartbeat. We were heartbroken. I felt guilty. Had I caused it? Did I over do it with training/running? Our midwife assured me it wasn't anything I had done. That I was doing what I was supposed to - staying healthy and active. In spite of our sad hearts, we knew God had a plan and purpose for our precious babe. We didn't get to meet him/her on this side of life, but we know we will in heaven. Our family and friends surrounded us with love and support in the following weeks. Bringing meals, letting our girls come over so I could rest, checking on us daily, praying for us and just loving us as we healed. Just like we wouldn't have chosen unemployment, we wouldn't have chosen to lose our baby. But in spite of the hurt we felt, we know God is in control and we trust his plan.
We wrapped up 2013 celebrating Christmas with family and friends. Our girls are so blessed to have three sets of grandparents, several aunts and uncles and many friends who love them dearly. They had a wonderful Christmas. We did too. We ended the year feeling thankful for all the blessings from the year.
Thank you for sticking with my recap to the end.
These two songs capture my thoughts for 2013. I hope you are blessed by them.
Blessings by Laura Story
I am by Crowder
