I have loved sharing our life with friends and family on our
blog over the past few years, and one of my favorite posts each year is our
“Year in Review.” This year was full of
blessings from God coupled with His mercy and grace through some tougher
times. It’s always so amazing to look
back and see how God continually took care of us along the way. So without further ado, here’s our Top 15 in
2015…
15. Celebrating Bryleigh. We kicked off 2015 celebrating our sweet
little girl at her 1st birthday party. We had so much fun making new memories,
starting traditions, and celebrating her life with friends and family. It was truly wonderful to top off her first
year of life with a Onederland birthday party, complete with Christmas trees,
snowflakes, and Hopkins County Stew. I am thankful for a beautiful baby girl that
reminds me of God’s miracles and great love every single day and thankful to be celebrating her
sweet little life to kick off 2016.
14. Growing Pains. Bryleigh's 1st birthday also meant the dreaded Well Check visit. These had been pretty routine for us during B's first year. She was meeting all her milestones and doing great with all of the recommended vaccines, but her One-Year well check ended up leading to some follow up appointments regarding her size and a year-long question that we still don't really have answers for. (Bryleigh's growth had fallen from 95-99 percentile down to the 60's.) We followed up a few times as her growth started to level out and our pediatrician was sure Bryleigh was just getting settled in to a new percentile. (Let's face it, if you have been around Bryleigh, you know she is very happy and healthy!!) However, over the summer, Bryleigh began to have some other health issues that have left us with more questions that answers at this point. We've spent a lot of money on diapers, a lot of time at Cook's, and ZERO (almost) time researching related issues on the Internet. I am thankful that we have incredible doctors we are working with, modern technology and medicine at our disposal, and most of all, that we serve the ultimate Healer. I am thankful that although 2016 will have more follow ups, God is with us and knows every detail about Bryleigh's body. (And insurance. I'm thankful for insurance.)
13. Getaways.
Last year, we focused a whole lot on “Bryleigh’s First,” from her
first smile, to her first steps and everything in between, but we celebrated a
big FIRST this year ourselves…our first night away! Mimi and Pappy came and stayed with our
little Miss while we headed to Dallas for a Valentine’s dinner and a night at
the Ritz, followed by brunch at Crossroads Diner. It was the perfect getaway for us (for me),
and Brad was still able to spend some time with Bryleigh while he was home over
the weekend. (We LOVE celebrating the
holidays…all of them, both together and as a family.) I am
thankful for family that steps in to help out with our little one, and I am
thankful for a husband that takes time for us and makes me feel so
special. I’m thankful for all the
moment’s he’ll steal away for us in 2016.
12. No More Years. Not only do we like to celebrate holidays in
our family, we just like to CELEBRATE in general. So when my mom retired after teaching at
Sulphur Springs ISD for 25 years, we had to celebrate in a big way. I was so glad to be able to be with my mom
for her last week before her Endless Summer began, and I loved being able to
pull off some fun surprises for her, along with my brother and dad. There were parties at her school, a dinner
with family and friends, and a surprise trip from my brother and his
family. There were also a few “prizes”
along the way! I am so thankful that God provided my mom with a career that she loved
and was so gifted in but also allowed her to be home with my brother and I any
time we were out of school. I’m also
very thankful that 2016 will bring lots of new exciting things with mom’s new
freedom in her time, she’s already making the most of it!
11. New Car (New Freedom). After 2.5 years of only having one car, we decided to make a BIG purchase and get a family car! We celebrated paying OFF Brad's car in February, and went two months without a car payment. Now that is something to celebrate!! New cars are always fun, but when schedules are as crazy as ours, with early morning/late night trips to and from the airport, adding a second car was SUCH a blessing for us. We made the whole "One-Car" thing work for us, but it has been so nice to have the freedom a second car allows for. (And we finished up the night we purchased our car in the closet due to tornado warnings...something we won't ever forget!) I am thankful for the Lord's provision for our family over the years and for all He will provide in 2016.
10. Snow Days. Not only did we spend quite a few moments in the closet this spring due to tornado warnings, but we also enjoyed several snow days! Thankfully, Daddy was even home to enjoy a few of them with us, and he had a few of his own in North Carolina. We made a lot of memories in our little back yard on Velvet Antler this year, and the snow days were some of my favorite ones. Our little girl's love for the outdoors completely blossomed over 2015. What we did not love was driving to one of Bryleigh's follow up doctor's appointment in blizzard-like weather, turning our 10-15 minute drive in to almost an hour, and the ride home was even longer! And you better believe we made snow ice cream. ;) I am thankful for unbelievably fun memories with our little family (and for the two of them that are along for the ride every step of the way). I am so thankful for all of the memories we will make in 2016.
9. Living for the Weekends (Still). I never knew that my husband could be gone Sunday/Monday through Thursday and I would be okay. It used to terrify me, but somehow, we've made it work for our little family. Although we would LOVE more time together and a little bit easier schedule, we definitely make the most of our time together and it has taught us to appreciate each other more. I am thankful that God has sustained us during this season of our lives and all the time we've spent apart, and I'm thankful that He has gone before us in 2016 to make the days apart quick and the time together very special!
8. Our Teams. We obviously love sports, and cheering on our teams always brings a little more joy. We were able to cheer on the Rangers at the Ballpark some great games including Opening Sunday, Josh Hamilton's comeback, Cole Hamel's first start, and the Rangers WINNING the AL West. Brad has enjoyed going to the Cowboy's games with his dad all season, and I even got to go to one with him! There hasn't been much to cheer for their, but we love them anyways! ;) And one of our favorite games of the season was traveling all the way to DC to see Bryce Harper and the Nats!! I am thankful for all the things Brad and I have in common, including our love for sports, but I'm thankful that on years like this one (FULL of disappoints), we know life is so much more than our teams winning a few games. I'm really thankful that 2016 is a new year with a few less quarterback injuries (we're looking at you - cowboys, bears, and broncos).
7. Will Run for Chocolate. The number 1 reason I started running was to run in the Dallas Hot Chocolate 5k with my momma! It was well worth it and such a fun experience. I'm proud to be a runner (although I'm not much of one these days), and I look forward to all the miles I'll put on my Asics in 2016. I'm thankful that my mom has taken her health and staying in shape seriously and the impact it has made on me, as well as the memories we've made sharing in all kinds of experiences. I'm thankful for the 2016 Hot Chocolate and all the other miles we'll run together in the days ahead.
6. Bryleigh Girl's First (round 2). Just because Bryleigh's first year is behind us doesn't mean our lives aren't full of "Firsts" on a regular basis. Our sweet little trooper, who is always along for the ride, went on her first flight and had the flu for the first (and hopefully last) time this year. She's also sported her first ponytail, attended her first, and second Rangers games, and she's tried a whole lot of foods for the first time (including chocolate chip cookies and ice cream)! She took her first trip to the zoo and her first trip to Waco, Baylor's campus, and the Bear Pit. The biggest first this year - STEPS. We celebrated a new year with our new little walker, and she hasn't slowed down since!! I am thankful for the firsts we celebrated in 2015 and the ones to come in 2016!
5. Glory Baby. I've mentioned before that the "top moments" aren't necessarily the "best moments" from the previous year but rather the ones that have shaped our family the most, and losing our precious little baby is definitely something we won't ever forget - nor is it "just a moment." I wrote back in April when I shared the news that for the first time in my blogging history I "didn't have the words," and that maybe at some point I would...well, I still don't I've learned a lot over the past 8 months, and I've learned more about finding JOY than I really bargained for at the beginning of this year, but I just still don't have the words...So I'll leave you with some pictures of that time instead ;) I am thankful that we serve a God who heals our broken hearts, and I am thankful that He will minister to us in 2016 through all the highs and lows that come our way. I am thankful that He has far better plans for our family than we do ourselves.
4. 2015 Holidays. As I mentioned early, we like to celebrate EVERYTHING in this family, so we make the most of all the holidays. The older Bryleigh gets, the more she understands, and the more she gets in to all the celebrating as well. By the end of Christmas she was singing the songs, opening her presents, and getting excited over all the lights. I am so looking forward to making more memories with her, and the rest of our family, in 2016. I am so thankful for all the memories God allowed us to create in 2015 and thankful for the ones ahead of us in 2016.
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| But I will hope continually and will praise you yet more and more. Ps 71: 14 |
3. BCinDC. Brad and I celebrated SIX years of marriage this year, and we decided to take a little anniversary trip. It was our first time to be away for more than one night, so we decided to go over a weekend. We also used it as an opportunity to check some items off our bucket list - including a trip to DC, two ballparks, and crab cakes at Jimmy's Famous Seafood. We loved our time away, just the two of us, and we truly fell in love with the city. We still have days where we miss being there, and we can't wait to go back again soon. We LOVED getting to see this years NL MVP, Bryce Harper, who played in MVP fashion - great base running, great fielding, and to top it all off, a home run!! I am thankful for 6 years of life with my husband and for the "Lucky Number 7" ahead of us!
2. MPBCBinNYC. My absolute most favorite place on the planet is New York City. I'm normally ready to go back "next time" before we even leave "this time," and this trip was no different! This year, we got to do a lot of things we had never done before, including the Central Park Zoo, Serendipity 3, ice skating at Rockefeller Center, and a trip to Eloise in the Plaza. Of course there were a few repeats like Shake Shack, Ellen's Stardust Diner, and the best view of The City - Top of the Rock. We won't talk about the fact that Bryleigh got the FLU the day before we left. She was such a trooper and loved her first trip to The City!! I am so thankful that God allowed us to go on this memorable trip this year and for the countless ways He took care of us while we were there, and I am thankful for the unexpected blessings for 2016 He has coming our way.
1. Family Fun. We have the BEST family in the world. Bryleigh is blessed with 2 amazing aunts, the coolest uncle, the funnest cousins, and the most incredible grandparents. She is surrounded by love, as every little girl should be. There are obviously a million (and that's probably not much of an exaggeration) pictures I could have filled this collage with below from all the memories we made this year. We were blessed with lots of time over the past year with our families, and we are looking forward to all the time together in 2016! I am so thankful for the incredible family God has blessed us with and the memories we made this year, and I am thankful for all He has in store for our family in 2016.
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