The Wild and Sweet of 2020 - A Yearly Review

My favorite blog of the year will likely always be THIS one. I love taking a look back on the year and all the ways our family has grown and all we have experienced. It's always such a great reminder of God's faithfulness to us! I started sharing these the year before we had Bryleigh, so this will be my EIGHTH one to write, and hands down it's definitely the craziest.

As we wrap up this year, it would be so easy to focus on what SHOULD have happened, all that we missed out on. Similar to the ESPN fan-favorite "Not Top 10" segment, I could write a whole post on our Not Top 10 from 2020: NOT going on our Disney trip, NO big 1st birthday celebration bash, NO Rangers games, NO football games, NO summer library trips, NO Labor Day beach trip, NO kindergarten graduation, NO concerts in the summer (or any other time...), NO big family holiday get-togethers, NO end of the year celebration fun or last days of school...

While it is so easy to focus on all we wish 2020 could have been, there are so many things 2020 actually was...and that is where I choose to leave my focus. As I started to make our top 20 list (because 20TWENTY...), I realized there was SO MUCH MORE than 20. It's certainly all about perspective, and God gave us some incredible gifts. So without further ado, here's the HAMMONS TOP 20 of 2020!

20. As I've shared before, the BIG moments of a year might not always be the BEST moments, and this year we had our fair share of those - disappointments and heartbreak. This year, our family said goodbye to our MawMaw (my dad's mom) and to Cliffie (Brad's grandpa). We are thankful for the hope we have in Jesus and that we know they are celebrating with Him today, fully healed, fully whole, never more alive!

19. We started 2020 in the cutest way...our B girl got GLASSES!! She had been tested at her 4 year appointment, but we chalked up the colossal failure to her anxiety. She did a terrible job on her preschool eye check as well, but we just hadn't made the time to get her in with a doctor before the note came home from kindergarten...requesting a doctor's note signed back. Sister has been dealing with some major vision trouble, and we hoped it would help with some balance and headache issues, but so far she hasn't had any luck there. But goodness, she's just the cutest thing in her little pink ("cupcake") spectacles!

18. In February, back when our world (read: in the states...) was still normal and large social gatherings weren't frowned upon... our B-girl and B-dad headed out on a double date with our neighbor besties to the father-daughter dance at Bryleigh's school. They had the best time!

17. Right before getting out for Spring Break (you know...the one that didn't end...), Bryleigh's kinder friends were able to take a field trip to the zoo! It was both of our first times to the Fort Worth Zoo, and we had the best time hanging out with all her buddies and their mommas. I am SO SO thankful that she got this bit of normal!

16. If you think your never-ending Spring Break of 2020 was eventful...we potty trained a toddler who likely has OCD and is way too smart for his own good. There were nude days. There were potties in multiple rooms of our home. There were movie sessions on his little white throne. But all in all, our little guy did great and was able to enroll in preschool as a potty trained 3 year old!

15. With so much time at home, we had time to get a little more settled. When you sell your house last minute, live out of storage for a few months, do a bit of home improvements, and move in with weeks to spare before having a baby...you tend to take care of the basics and let the rest go. We kicked off 2020 with a new fireplace mantle from Pappy's Next Project and we're wrapping up the year with some new shelves. We got some new furniture for our media room/office where we spent hours together! This house certainly feels like home these days!

14. When the world shut down, Post Oak Academy opened up (twice). We did our best to have a routine to our day. We did our best to keep up with any and all work Bryleigh's kindergarten class received. And we did our best to keep Will somewhat entertained while sister had school work going on. We ended kindergarten in our dining room and we started first grade upstairs in Bryleigh's room. There were youtube videos with dancing fun, coloring activities, and so many books read. Listening to your child learn to read is like nothing I ever imagined.

13. Our first holiday to celebrate in quarantine is one of our favorites. We like to combine celebrating St Patricks Day and Brad's birthday and just make it 48 hours of fun...and this year was no different! We made the best of the stay-at-home situation and turned life at The Post as green as we could, including green milkshakes that left the kids begging for more!

12. The next holiday quickly followed with Easter, and this one was TOUGH. As Christians, it's certainly such a special time for our family and there are normally a few things we do to celebrate, but this year, we weren't even able to attend church. Our church did an incredible job and making the most of such a difficult situation. It was during a time when virtual services were still so new and most businesses were still shut down. It really was such a sweet time for our family with a Seder Meal on Thursday, a Good Friday service with Bryleigh, and a full day of celebrating on Easter Sunday - complete with watching church online, a crock pot roast and banana puddings all around, easter baskets, confetti eggs, and an indoor glow in the dark Easter egg hunt!

11. 2020 was a big year for Bryleigh. She wrapped up kindergarten - an adventure we never dreamed she'd conquer the way she did - and went on to first grade. Watching (and listening to) her learn to read has been one of the greatest joys of 2020. It is so fun to listen to her read and watch her look up at us for celebration as she tackles the tougher words. It's given us a taste of what it will be like over the years to work with her and cheer her on as she faces all life has to offer, and I'm here for it!

10. Friendships have carried us through 2020. We are so grateful for the love of our friends, for making the effort to still have time together - whether on zoom, socially distanced in person, or small in-home gatherings, we have cherished every single minute with so many that God has put in our lives. Hours of laughs followed by the sweetest words of encouragement and surprise parties followed by a blessing basket after some of the scariest days we've faced. We never dreamed when we started this year that so much of it would revolve around the unknowns and health of our kids, ourselves, personal issues we have struggled and fought through, and beyond, but we had a circle behind us that was there every step of the way. I'm looking back on 2020, beyond thankful, and looking forward to 2021 knowing there are more memories to be made, laughs to be had, and encouragement to be given!

9. The highlight of 2020 and being quarantined at home was definitely having the best neighbors on the planet. Bryleigh and Will's next-door-besties spent countless hours outside at the fence, talking and playing. There was some property damage done at one point, but all in the name of good fun and better communication. The kids might call it problem-solving skills! The fence has since been completely replaced, but they're still finding ways to enjoy time outside together. We are so excited to watch these friendships over the years and are so thankful for the safe-space they always have to come home to in each other.

8. We had a trip planned to Disney. We still have a trip planned to Disney. We are hopeful we will get to take it, but we didn't sit around and mope - we made a plan!! We booked a lakeside condo in Conroe and had a Conroe-cation with the cousins, and everyone was happy about it! There were many rounds of cards, some little league baseball, and really yummy food. There was also a coca-cola puzzle that never got finished, a whole lot of laughs, and memories to cherish no matter where we ended up!

7. I'm a sucker for a cozy cabin, a pretty view, and some really good food - so our anniversary trip to San Marcos was absolutely perfect. 5 months into a pandemic, wrapping up a summer that seemed like it might not ever end, and 3 stir crazy kids - it was so nice to get away with Brad and enjoy time just us. We ate our way through the entire weekend, and I'm still dreaming about the garlic knots from the pizza place we randomly stopped at. We can't wait to go back to the cabin in the woods someday!

6. This was a big year for Brad. He celebrated TEN years with his company. He's moved from project to project and role to role, but he's kept his feet planted firm and he's whole-heartedly followed the Lord in obedience, staying every time the Lord said stay. And it was worth it. Brad received a well-earned promotion this year, and he also received the Shining Star award for all his efforts. We are so so proud of him, and so thankful for how hard he works to provide for our family. We are also thankful for all the time he's been at home with us, dating back to before the pandemic even hit!!

5. Bryleigh turned 6. These end of year blogs are always a little funny because our girl's birthday is right at the new year - meaning I chat about her turning 6 when she's so close to 7 now. At the time, it was big and new and exciting, but now, so is 7!! It is an absolute JOY to watch this girl grow and see all God has created her to be. I've loved watching all 6 had in store for her. (We actually celebrated in 2019 with a combined birthday, so she's more than ready for her 2021 party. Check back in a year for that update!) Bryleigh celebrated 6 at school with her classmates, Carson and I took her lunch, and Will was waiting on her arrival at the bus stop with presents for her at home. I think she had a great day!!

4. William turned 4. I had to continually remind myself all year that William was ONLY three years old. So much of the times he seems so much closer to Bryleigh than he is. We love listen to his sweet conversations and hearing as much as we can that he shares with us! But in 2020, he officially turned 4 and he was so excited about it! We had a front yard s'mores party for him right in our front yard where we were able to celebrate with some of our friends and family.

3. Carson turned 1. Carson's 1st birthday was April 29th, right at the beginning of the state-mandated shut down, so we were home and unable to have friends or family over to celebrate with us. While it wasn't anything like we pictured, we did our best to make the most of the situation and celebrate our precious little rookie...baseball style! We decorated, had ballpark food, zoomed everyone we could, and played with his new toys all day! He had the best time!!

2. To be honest...I always fill this little list out as the year goes and I think about the excitement of the holidays to come. I'm not sure when I first started the Top 20, but I wrote "diagnosis" on there because I was just so sure that we would have one for Carson by the end of this year. Just like so many times I thought we were about to have one for Bryleigh. We are closing out a year of more doctors appointments and tests than I can count and we still have no clear answers for either of them. It's not at all how the year began or how we expected it to go, but God has carried us every scary step of the way! He has provided us with incredible friends and family that have prayed for us, loved on us, and encouraged us. So while it wasn't a great part to 2020, it was definitely a major part of it, and it definitely drew us even closer to God.

(Will came in at the 11th hour and added to the fun, so he gets his picture included too - this was our first trip to the ER as parents in 7 years, so we take it as a win!)

1. Time. One of the greatest things to come out of 2020 was the TIME we got to spend together. It absolutely made life more difficult at times, more frustrating, more sad...but the time we got to spend together is something we will never take fore granted! There was LOTS of extra time with Brad home because of no traveling. There was extra time with Bryleigh getting to watch her learn and understanding how we best work together. There was time for art projects and card games, home cooked meals and dance parties...so many dance parties. (Our kids are officially country music fans, and we are SO proud!) The time with Bryleigh reading books each night is something I will hold so dear in my heart for the rest of my life.

...Meet The Ham Fam 2020 Quaranteam...

First up, we have BRADLEY KYLE. Lovingly referred to as B-Dad around our house. While this year didn't have quite the normal excitement of a usual year with football games and cross-country travel, it was still a really good year for him! We are so thankful for all the time we had with him at home with us, and we are celebrating his promotion to Manager this year along with an award he received for his hard work. Highlight of the year:

Next up, we have big sister BRYLEIGH RENEE. In the last year, this girl has continued to blow us away as she has learned to read, loved her brothers well, and danced and created her way through a pandemic. She rocked virtual school and waited patiently for the day she got to go back and meet her new teacher and new classmates. She has taken everything in stride and never once complained about missing out on different things or being home so much more. I have loved all my extra time with her! Highlight of the year:

Middle of the line and middle of the kids, we have WILLIAM BRADLEY. William is a force to be reckoned with, lovingly referred to as our wild one, and frequently makes me do mental math to figure out how old he really is. He has kept us laughing through the pandemic...and kept us pressing into Jesus. His strong will and debating skills are going to take him for in life! Will wrapped up his ECC 2's class and has moved up to the 3's this year. Highlight of the year:

We can't forget littlest brother, CARSON MERRITT. He's proven to be tiny and mighty! Our little guy spent lots and lots of the last year in therapy and doctors offices. He's got some work ahead of him, but he has proven to be quite the fighter, both with his physical strength and his mental. We are praying that 2021 holds answers for him and lots of growth, but I can honestly say the progress he's shown over the last year has been such a joy to watch! Highlight of the year: Early morning Teen Beach marathons with mommy or daddy when I was awake before everyone else.

Momma. Me. CARRIE ALLISON. I was able to start and finish this year with weddings...and a whole lot of life (and growth) was lived in between! I've learned so much about life and myself this year. I've learned more about who God is and who I am in Him. I've learned about letting go and hanging on. I've learned about trusting in the Lord and His plans for me. I've learned about honoring Him in all ways, always. Highlight of the year: Spending SO much time with my family: watching Carson grow, listening to ALL the William stories, reading with Bryleigh at nights, and my getaway trip with Brad!

Our 2019 Top 10 and The Last 10 Tops

It's officially time for my favorite blog of the year - our "Best 9" - looking back at all our family has experienced over the past year.  So here's to our Best 9 in 2019...except you're getting a bonus this go around since it was our 10th wedding anniversary! (Hard to believe we've been married for a decade.) So here's our TOP 10...

9. Final Globe Life Trip - This year, our family did what we have done EVERY summer for years and years...we loaded up and headed out to the Ballpark to watch our Texas Rangers.  Only this year, we did it at Globe Life Park for the very last time.  While the kids and Brad made a few trips this summer, Carson and I only made one very special trip.  Carson's first trip to see the Rangers HAD to take place at Globe Life, so we packed up all the necessities and met our family for a very special 4th of July game, celebrating Pappy's birthday.  I wouldn't have changed a single thing about my last game in that stadium.  We watched the fireworks from Six Flags on our way to the car, and it was just the perfect ending to Carson's First Fourth!!

8. Baylor/OU Games (and all the other sports we're used to!) - Somehow, Baylor and OU ended up having to play TWO times this year, and I'm sure hoping this is not a normal thing...although if it means Baylor fighting it out for the Big 12 Championship, I'll take it!  Brad was able to head to Norman for a game this season as well as watching the Big 12 Championship at Cowboy Stadium, and we all went to Waco for 2 Baylor games...one of them being extremely hot, but also SO much fun!!  Baylor/OU was complete with ESPN's Game Day, tailgating with family, and the Bear Walk to see our very favorite Marigold and the rest of the Baylor Bears.  It was an incredible day, even though the majority of us didn't care for the outcome.  There were also plenty of Cowboys games attended by Brad and LOTS of Nationals watching on TV.  This was our first summer to not see them in person for a while, but we're excited to see them this summer when they come to the NEW ballpark in Arlington!! Watching them win the World Series was definitely a highlight for me this year!

7. Holidays - The holidays are definitely a family favorite for all of us, but having Carson here to experience all those firsts again made it even more special.  From Halloween with our Peter Pan clan to Thanksgiving in Aubrey with the Hammons Crew to the Christmas season and ALL the fun we got to enjoy together as a family...the 2019 holidays will always be some of my favorite memories!!  (Note: Any Christmas that ends with a big Disney reveal is absolutely going to the top of Christmas morning memories!)

6. Will is 3! - Our middle little turned THREE years old this year, and some days it feels a little bit more like he should be 5 or 6!  He makes us so proud...and so tired!  From the second he wakes up to the second his head hits the pillow (for nap AND bedtime), he is talking, and moving, and asking questions, and NEVER slowing down.  It's SO hard to believe that this time last year we were expecting to face a few months of speech therapy to get him talking. He had finished feeding therapy and we just wanted a break...well, during that break, his language TOOK OFF!! And it hasn't slowed down since.  He amazes us every single day and we are so excited to watch all the ways he will grow and learn over the next year.  This year, he started his second year at ECC, played his first season of BlastBall, and mastered the art of sliding on his belly down the stairs! (It's the fastest way down when someone is at the front door, for the record.)

5. Bryleigh is 5! - Phew.  Our biggest little turned FIVE years old this year.  That one hit us hard.  We are just so proud of her and all the growth we have seen in her.  We know that, for whatever reason, God didn't hand her the straightest, easiest road, but she handles it all so well and with such brave grace.  She misses out on a lot things, but she never lets on that she is anything but happy!  She finds so much love and laughter in everything she does, and she is the sweetest little artist you will ever see! We love to watch her create and dream, and I pray that is something that never goes away. I am excited for the new adventures God has for her as we kick of 2020 and she turns six!

4. Bryleigh goes to kinder! - Not only did our girl turn five this year, but she also started Kindergarten.  There were days I would literally cry myself to sleep because I had no idea how God was going to get us here.  I had no idea how I'd be able to hand off my sick baby to a school I knew nothing about.  I had no idea how I'd be able to trust people that knew nothing about Bryleigh's past.  I had no idea WHERE my baby was going to go to school, and as every day ticked by, it just seemed more and more impossible.  I just had no idea.  But this story will ALWAYS be one that I remember and cling to when I need to be reminded of God's faithfulness.  She is THRIVING at her school, making friends, learning to read, experiencing the life the way that she should be, and she has a teacher that makes sure she is included in every activity - even if that means us running a sugar free bar up to the school with 15 minutes to spare!!

3. Hawaii trip - We have been so blessed to take some awesome trips over the last several years, some with our family and some just the two of us, but this years trip was especially special!! Brad and I have always wanted to visit Hawaii together...and now we can't wait to take our family back to visit sometime!  We fell in love with Maui.  Everyday was an adventure and the food was out of this world.  We drove the road to Hana, saw waterfalls, took a sunset cruise out on the ocean, attended a magic show, did a lot of shopping, relaxed by the beach, enjoyed the best massage EVER, and ate...a lot.

2. Post Oak Court house - We celebrated Christmas 2018 in the sweetest way, spending the entire day in our home without the slightest idea it would be our last Christmas at our very first house, the one that we built.  But a few short days later, we would find (and fall in love with) the Arcadia house, list our house, lose the Arcadia house, and then miraculously find, purchase, and renovate the Post Oak house...all while we lived with my parents at their newly purchased Blue Quail house.  Life was CRAZY, but we wouldn't change one single thing because it brought us to the BEST neighborhood with some incredible friends and it placed Bryleigh in the best possible kindergarten class possible. Yet again, another story of God's goodness and faithfulness that I will never tire of telling and I will never, ever get over!!  It took a while, but this is home!

1. Carson Merritt! - Our littlest little made his debut on April 29, completing our family of 5 in the sweetest way possible. (Completing for now, Brad...here's to hoping and praying adoption is in our cards down the road a bit!) We weren't surprised by him, but there have been lots of surprises from him, like his littler size (compared to the other two babes we had!!) and his big blue eyes!! His rookie year has been one for the books with so many great experiences...and a whole lot of sleepless nights.

10. Bonus, 10 years married! - This year was super special as we celebrated TEN years married!! Sometimes it's hard to believe we've been married for an entire decade, but then looking back, we've crammed a whole lot of life (and moves!!) into those ten years, both good and bad.  God has been so faithful at each and every step, and we are looking forward to all God has in store for the next 10 years!!

And on that note...in celebration of closing out an entire decade AND having been married for a decade, here's our TOP 10 over the last TEN years!!

2010 - Married life and JOBS! In 2010, we settled in to married life, celebrating our first anniversary, and settled into the adult world.  A few months before getting married, I was laid off, and a few months after getting married, Brad was laid off.  It took us some time, but we both settled in to jobs that we loved, and they eventually allowed us to build and purchase our very first home.

2011 - Brad's Graduation/CG job Brad worked so hard at being the leader and provider for our family, and in 2011 we celebrated both his graduation AND his new job with Carlisle and Gallagher...which became NTT Data, where he still works today! I am so proud of how hard he works, and I'm so thankful for how much he loves his job.  It has blessed us in countless ways over the years and pray it will for years to come.

2012 - First house We had the best time building our first home in 2012.  We picked out the lot, chose the floor plan, and then walked through designing the house with a team at the builders design center.  That home will always be so special to us for SO many reasons.  We loved everything about it...we just happened to outgrow it a little bit!!  But it sure was nice to settle in and stop moving every.single.year!!!

2013 - Pregnant I remember telling Brad in 2011 I was ready to start trying for our first little one...and I remember him slightly freaking out thinking we'd be parents, like, the following day!  He calmed down and then the waiting game began...and then it wasn't so much of a game anymore.  But after TWENTY TWO months of trying for a precious babe, we finally saw that positive pregnancy test and our worlds have literally never been the same!

2014 - Bryleigh Renee. We kicked off 2014 in the best way possible...Bryleigh Renee Hammons.

2015 - Glory Baby.  Not every bit over the last decade has been joyful.  We have faced our fair share of grief and heart ache, and some of the toughest moments of the decade happened in March of 2015 when we found out we were pregnant with our second child, and almost as quickly found out that sweet little babe was already with Jesus.  I never met that baby, but their LIFE taught me more than almost any other person I've met.

2016 - William Bradley. By the way this blog makes things look, we went from trying for 2 years to get pregnant, to positive tests back to back to back...but that's not really how things went.  We tried for 18 months to get pregnant after deciding we were ready to make Bryleigh a big sister to getting pregnant with Will.  Having a miscarriage in between and things taking a while again made our third positive pregnancy test a bittersweet celebration.  And the fact that Will's due date was a year after the due date of our Glory Baby was just the sweetest God-wink ever.

2017 - Wild, Brave days 2017 wasn't the year that life got hard, but it was the year we got ACTUAL answers as to what was wrecking our lives.  2017 was the year we met Dr. Heather, the year we began to really understand what was going on in Bryleigh's body, and the year that we began sugar-free-living!  The days were wild and brave and SO hard, but SO SO good.

2018 - Travel! (LA and DC) If you would have told me at the beginning of this decade that TRAVEL would be on the list of things we would experienced a lot of, I would have told you that you were crazy, but thanks to Brad's job, we were able to do LOTS of traveling...including New York City a few times, DC a few times, and St Thomas with his family, but in 2018 we took our longest trip (since our honeymoon) to LA, including a stop at Harry Potter world, and we added a work trip with Brad to Baltimore and DC.  I am so thankful for all of the places I've gotten to see and experience with Brad and look forward to what the next 10 years will have for us and our family... First up: a road trip to Disney World!!  Don't tell Bryleigh, but we're making a pit stop at the beach along the way!  It's at the top of her bucket list.

2019 - Carson Merritt. And oh what a way to wrap up the wildest decade of our lives, by adding one more brave, wild little one to the bunch! We thought we were done. God had other plans.  I've shared all about that on other blog posts, but here, I'll just say I'm forever grateful that God asked us if we trusted Him, and I'm forever grateful that we said YES!