2013!!

Looking back at this year there are two big moments that stand out, two weeks that were some of the most emotional of my life but for very different reasons.

The first is, obviously, getting Luke.  It was 9 days from when we found out about him in NYC until he came home with him.  It still blows my mind to look back at that time and how quickly it all happened.  One Tuesday we left for New York, the next Tuesday we signed papers to become a family of 3.  My golly, it still gives me chills and makes me tear up.

The second was a much much sadder occasion, losing my Grandma in October.  Those were some very emotional days.  It was really tough saying goodbye to her and I still think of her all the time.  Her picture is on our fridge and I see her daily, miss her constantly.  It still really hurts that she's gone and still doesn't seem real that I won't see her again until heaven.

Ok, well I should probably write about Luke more before the tears really start. We started this year not knowing what to expect on the baby front.  Our lives were pretty quiet and calm those first months of the year.  I was only working part-time and spent a lot of time at home, baking, cleaning, reorganizing.  We went to a wedding, won trivia night, and planned our NYC trip. 

Then everything changed.  We become parents, we got our baby.  It was a whirlwind of a few days.  We brought Luke home so proud and yet pretty clueless.  We figured it out eventually but those first few weeks had a lot of late nights, late mornings (getting out of the house before noon was a huge accomplishment), problems napping, and tears from both Luke and I.  We went to a lot of doctor appointments and dealt with his monitor (I don't miss that thing at all!!!)

I do miss this little baby who could fall asleep anytime, anywhere.  I don't think we felt it at the time but I look back at pictures like these and think "Wow, we look like parents."

Summer came which brought lake trips, my baby sister's high school graduation, Luke's baptism, and drive-in trips (Luke's been more times (4) than a lot of adults I know...hehem...my sisters).  Luke met his great-grandparents (something that now brings tears to my eyes).  July brought my sister's wedding (makes me sad I only have one sister left to get married because sister weddings are so much fun!!), FINALIZATION (!!!!!), and my big 3-0.  August was our first family vacation, Matt started biking to work, and we ran the Color Me Rad.

because I feel like I can put in 1 picture of just the two of us

September brought an end to the summer lake season , we sold our jeep making us a one car household, and participated in the Fort 4 Fitness.

Through it all Luke kept growing and had surgery (something I don't really care to remember).  He started rolling over in June, getting up on his hands and knees in September.  He got on a regular napping schedule in August and is on close to the same schedule still today (most of the time, on good days).  We visited my Grandparents in September, the last time I would see my Grandma. 

October had one of the weirdest and emotional weeks of my life.  I've written quite a bit about her passing and don't need to rehash it all again.  It was a very sad time but also wonderful the way the family all came together.  Her funeral was the day after Matt's 30th birthday and we ended up spending most of his birthday at the funeral home and then the hotel where my whole family stayed the night between.  Matt was wonderful about giving up his birthday so we could be with my family.  I will always hold dear my memories of our days spent saying goodbye as well as my many memories of Grandma here with us.
 

Ok, moving on because the tears are seriously dangerous.  We did Ohio visits in October, Luke started crawling and then became the cutest monkey ever for Halloween.  In November he started pulling up to a stand, the day before Thanksgiving actually.  He loved Thanksgiving turkey, baguettes, and smearing mashed potatoes (not sure any of it ended up in his mouth).

he enjoys eating a lot more than this picture lets on

December was full of Christmas - prepping, baking, decorating, and celebrating.  It was a wonderful wonderful month.

It's been a wonderful year.  Busy in some ways but also blissfully calm in others.  So many of the past few years blend together because life was pretty much the same for us: married, working about the same hours, vacations, lake trips, drive-in trips, family things, staying up late, doing whatever we wanted on the weekends.  Now so much of this year stands out because of Luke - how old he was, what he was doing developmentally.  He changed our whole lives, in mostly good ways (any parent will probably look back longingly on days with endless sleep).  We make less money but our lives are richer. 

the day after signing, Luke was 12 days old

Christmas celebration, Luke almost 9 months

I knew having a baby would change everything but it did it in ways different than I expected.  He makes me laugh every day and watching him problem solve is pretty much my favorite thing ever.  This year had a lot of tears and sorrow but also much joy.  God willing, we have many many years ahead of us as a family of more than 2.  It makes me excited for the future, for watching Luke grow and change and learn new things.  Even turning 30 wasn't too bad when I had these 2 guys to celebrate with.

my 30th birthday

This may have been the best year of my life.  But I'm always willing to have it topped.

Happy New Year!! 

I hope you can look back on 2013 with joy and a smile, while looking forward to what lies ahead. =)  And thanks for sticking with me and my rambling thoughts all this time.  I find myself semi-interesting at times and I'm touched that others do too.

2012 recap