How do I describe the past 2 YEARS in one blog!? I can kick myself right now for not getting to write my end of year blog for 2015! (we were a bit busy moving last Christmas...(see blessing #1.) So many tough things happened. So many wonderful things happened. But these are the highlights:
Top Blessings of 2015-2016:
Our new home. I had a strong desire through the whole year of 2015 to move from our home in West Fort Worth to live closer to Central Fort Worth, where most of our life takes place (work, church, school , museums, zoos, friends.) The Lord opened the door in October 2015 by allowing us to sell our old home for a huge profit and to purchase a new home for far less than the asking price (this was a miracle in the crazy real estate market at the time!) We were able to put some of our profits into updating a very important part of our new home: the Kitchen! We moved in December of last year just before our kitchen renovations were finished. (Hence no blog last year) Many of our neighbors have turned into good friends as we go for walks, playdates, and ladies nights together. Though, Brodie still misses our old neighbors. (Hi Frank!) The best part of our neighborhood is the trails! Our home backs up to a little nature preserve leading to the Trinity trails. It really is the most beautiful "backyard."
Our Boys. They continue to be best buddies and occasionally worst enemies. Our days are full of energy: wrestling, legos, bike rides, crayons, and library books. S turned 5 this year and is an eager learner. He began to read and loves math-just like his Daddy-He especially thinks it is cool to count to 100. Dr. Suess books are his favorite. He is fond of his art class at school and choir class at church. PE though is probably his favorite along with his soccer class. The youngest has a huge imagination and can make all inanimate objects come to life and carry on conversations. He loves being close to Mommy and always asks for a "Huggy." His little hands love playing in his collection of marbles, jewels, acorns, pennies, and other tiny things.
Improving Health. The difference in my health from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2016 is nothing short of a miracle. I went from have debilitating uncontrollable panic attacks to now being set free from them! There is still a part of me that feels that anxiety deep down, but the difference is now that my body and brain have learned to overcome it. Praise the Lord! You can read more about my journey here: Anxiety. I feel like I should have a college degree in health and nutrition from all that I have learned these past two years! Everything from healing the gut, balancing blood sugar, detoxing, building the immune system, dealing with food sensitivities, balancing hormones, making bone broths galore, eating the right ratio of carbs, fats, proteins and the importance of clean eating. It has been quite a journey, but a very empowering one to learn about all God has given us in His creation to take care of our health!
A Blossoming Career. Mr. H celebrated his 10 year anniversary at his Engineering Firm. He has found much favor with his Bosses, coworkers, and clients. In fact the clients like him so much, he has taken a lot of business trips to go and win their hearts (and pocket books ;) He traveled to South Korea, Hawaii, New York, Pennsylvania, Arizona and most often, California. He really enjoys the work he does but mostly loves building friendships with his co-workers.
A Niche in Schooling. We have found a great balance between learning at home, learning in a classroom setting, learning in the community, and basically learning through life itself! We spent one school year involved in a home-school Co-op where the boys were in a preK class where I was their teacher part of the time. It was a lot of fun and we made some good friends.This school year, we decided we needed a little more time away from each other and I needed some extra free time to work on Adoption Paperwork. Our oldest started Kindergarten this year at a part time private school and absolutely LOVES it! Our youngest attends zoo preschool once a week. Twice a week we do more structured learning activities at home with our curriculum, "My Father's World." We also take advantage of monthly classes at the Kimbell Art museum and Botanic Gardens. I love getting to use my teaching skills on my own kids and be present to see those light bulbs constantly going off in their heads! Here is a peek into our home-school world: Homeschool
Our Church Family. The above photo was taken at Kids Kamp. The best week of the summer for the kiddos! The Children's ministry is solid and teaches straight through the Bible, story by story each Sunday. Our marriage was strengthened through a hard-core 16 week marriage class-which was more like group marriage counseling. Our hearts were encouraged each time we met with our Bible Study small group and my Mom's group. This year B was also nominated as a deacon and has been able to serve the church in this way which is a perfect fit for him!
Our Extended Family. We are blessed to live only an hour away from both sides of our family. We drive to the Dallas side often (and they come to the west side) for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. Our family also makes the occasional trip for baby sitting and appreciated unannounced visits(thanks Papa Bear). We have two little boy cousins who my boys absolutely adore and it is so fun to see them play (and go wild) together! In 2015 we took our first big airplane trip to an all inclusive resort in Florida. In 2016 we took our first big road trip to Missouri to spend time with my in-laws at a YMCA camp. We love our family and their love and support!
Our Future. Throughout the last two years the idea of adoption had been jumping around our hearts and our conversations. This summer, we finally felt the Lord telling us to go ahead and make that leap of Faith! We are applying to adopt a child (younger then age 5) from Taiwan. It is about a 2 year process and we are super excited! You can read here for more details: Adoption FAQ.
We are thankful for all that 2015 and 2016 brought to us. We are excited to see what God does in 2017! Stay tuned!
