Last Day of 2014

The kids and I spent the day cozy in our warm home, watched the Fiesta Bowl (Go Boise!!) and ate pizza and pie...and cookies. 

So, we rounded out this super fast year pretty well, and I will cherish all the cutsie things my little ones did, and how far we came with Marlo in a short time. 

To name a few things this year has held for her:

Sleeping at night without screaming bloody murder at some point during the wee hours of sleep time.

Potty Training, and then finally figuring out that poop in the toilet is a very good thing.  Hallelujah!

She can count to 20, sometimes she skips 17.

She can recognize letters and knows their sounds, knows her name starts with M, and how to write an M.

She has her Daddy on an even shorter leash than she ever has, and gives him the what for if things are going awry.  ;)  

Sharing her bedroom with her baby brother, and being very, very, kaewat (quiet) in the morning so she doesn't wake him. 

And last but not least, a very scary bout with pneumonia that landed her in the pediatic ICU for 10 days. 

Asher's accomplishments:

Being adorable

Walking

Starting to talk

Destroying the house in no time at all

Sleeping in his sisters room

Making us laugh

He's pretty hilarious.  :)

Our oldest daughter left for college this fall.  Our oldest son started his senior year of high school, and our youngest teenage daughter started her sophomore year of high school.  We acquired two Volkswagen buses that Marlo claims as her own, and we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary with a trip to Cancun.  It was a good year, and yet, it was a very hard year as well.  There have been a lot of growing pains in many avenues, and we are still learning to deal with our grief after 4.5 years...it hasn't always been sunshine and roses, folks.  We are only human and having a hard time still.  We still hold onto hope, and press on daily with as much purpose as we can when life is taking us a million different directions.

So, as I sit still for a moment,  I reflect on a year that had ups and downs and laughter and tears.  Mostly though, I am hoping for more laughter and a lot less tears in 2015. 

Hoping the New Year brings you much health and happiness.