The past few months have gone by in a blur – despite making an intentional effort to keep our schedules as open as possible, the holiday season was as busy as always. We skipped a few traditions in the spirit of enjoying the moment and while the season went fast we were able to enjoy it – we celebrated with extended family the weekend before and were able to spend a quiet Christmas Day at home just the 4 of us.

2018 did not start out well for us. Lack of sleep, car troubles, injury (ice and stairs), budget issues (we always spend too much over the holidays), lingering whooping cough for Dayton, JO volleyball drama, challenging teenage emotions… and the last round of challenges – a freak double salivary gland infection for me coinciding with my brother Sean going into heart failure. Aaaack. Miraculously, Sean went from discussions of removing life support to expectations of a full recovery within a few hours. We survived visits from extended family (all of my siblings in one day). My infection has cleared. Dayton’s whooping cough seems to be gone. Teenage emotions are currently under control, JO volleyball season is under way and the girls are having fun, and tomorrow “they” are forecasting 40 degrees. Things are looking up!