2017 Family Recap

2017 has come and gone. Before the memories pass us by, I’ve complied a list of our favorites for the blog. Above anything else, 2017 was a year of many changes (both expected and unexpected) for us. Our verse for the year was Ephesians 4:1-3 - “I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." We had been on hands and knees asking for direction the year previous, and although we thought we knew what God was up to, he never ceases to surprise us and direct our steps to places where we need to rely on him fully. We thought that 2017 would include a time of separation for our family, but instead, it has brought a move that included us all and made us a closer family unit than before. We are so grateful.

January –

January brought the tiniest amount of snow in Little Rock, the 100^th day of school for Joshua, and surgery for Micah to get his tonsils and adenoids removed along with tubes placed in his ears.

February –

February brought the Father/Daughter sweetheart dance, tonsillectomy complications and a return trip to the hospital for Micah for emergency surgery to correct the problem, sweet Kirsten reading to Joshua’s kindergarten class, and Valentine’s Day fun.

March –

March brought the start of the spring soccer season for Joshua, Micah’s 2^nd Birthday, Micah’s new glasses, and celebrating World Down Syndrome Day!

April –

April brought fun spring break activities, the start of t-ball season for Caleb, Easter, and career week at Caleb’s school. Jeremy and Caleb look nothing alike in that last one…

May –

May brought a fun Mother/Son night at the ballpark for Joshua and I, celebrating Kirsten turning 8, packing boxes together as a family, Micah practicing his standing skills, and end of school activities.

June –

June brought a trip to Grandpa and Grandma’s in Pennsylvania which never disappoints, celebrating Caleb’s 5^th Birthday (he really does bring the party wherever he goes), and more and more and more boxes.

July –

July brought fun in the sun at Nana and Papa’s house in Florida, hanging out with cousins, and finding out that we were all moving to Montgomery, Alabama! It was also a month of many hotel stays, saying goodbye to fantastic friends that we miss so very much (so, so hard), and moving this giant truck packed as full as it could go into another state (with the help of my fantastic In-Laws).

August –

August brought the first day at the kids’ new schools, Micah practicing his walking skills, and an impromptu first visit from the tooth fairy for Caleb after a traumatic front tooth injury. 

September –

September brought a fun mini-vacation to Gulf Shores, the start of fall soccer for Joshua and Caleb and their faithful Saturday morning fan club, and a very silly Micah man.

October –

October brought the start of homeschooling our oldest after a rough start at a new school, a fun and rainy visit to the Georgia mountains for apple picking and hiking, celebrating Joshua’s 7^th Birthday at Lego Land in Atlanta, and of course, Halloween. This year they mostly picked their own costumes, and we had a knight on his noble steed defending the fairy princess from the terrifying dragon (or something like that).

November –

November brought homeschool bonding for Kirsten and I, kid of the week at school for Joshua, and Thanksgiving with some of our favorite people!

December –

December brought snow to Alabama (we’re still in shock), a surprise visit from Nana to help out after a bad season of sickness, ice skating lessons for Kirsten, gingerbread men (a Christmas season must have), a trip to Grandpa and Grandma’s house for Christmas including even more snow, and a trip to Boomer, NC at a cabin with my side of the family for more New Years fun. 

Not included in the pictures is the flu that struck three out of four kiddos at the tail end of our trip, the stop in Little Rock for doctor’s appointments (Micah is still seeing the majority of his specialty doctors in LR), or the broken heat when we got back to Alabama. We really know how to end a year! That said, January has started pleasantly with a fixed heater and a toasty house to enjoy even more Alabama snowfall! Our lives can certainly be chaotic with four small kiddos, special needs, and a military career, but it can also be a ton of fun. We are also immensely grateful for the help that our families provide! Hillary wasn’t wrong when she said that it takes a village!

We always try to find a verse to pray throughout our year, and this years verse is 2 Peter 3:9 – “The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” Although this verse is specifically talking about the return of Jesus Christ, it struck us deep about trusting God’s timing. Like I said at the beginning of this blog, we thought that we knew what God’s plan was for 2017. We bought acres of land that we hoped to build on in Arkansas, and I planned to start a business. Those dreams were ones that we felt sure of God’s leading on, and it’s not easy for me to be patient as God directs our lives in other ways before seeing those dreams come to fruition. But I know that God is good and does everything for his glory and our good. We trust that his timing is the best timing and his plans are the best plans. This verse is such a good reminder! In the meantime, we are enjoying our year in Alabama, being together as a family, homeschooling a kiddo, and are looking forward to what our next steps will be in 2018!