Happy 2020, friends! I hope your year is off to a great
start, and that you’re not falling too hard into the typical January post-holiday
hangover slump that I find myself fighting every year. I’ve taken lots of time off from this space to
fit in everything else that’s been going on around here, and it’s certainly been
a lot, which makes for the weeks afterwards even harder once all of the anticipation
and hype is all said and done. January is such a good time to sit back and reflect
on the last month of magic that really got kicked into high gear for us on the
19th of December—my first day of vacation, and the first full day with
my sister being home. Our time together is limited to only a few times a year,
so as soon as it starts, we really make the most of it.
First, we went to Phipps Botanical Gardens to see their
winter light show—a stroll through a winter wonderland that we try to squeeze
in every year. I love looking back at the pictures of how the boys have grown,
and how much more into the whole thing they are now that they’re a little bit
older.
The next day, we traveled to Matt’s hometown, sister in tow,
for some time with nana & papa and the boys’ aunt, uncle, and cousins, who are
6, 5, 4, and 3 in age. I swear it gets more fun every year to see them all together
now that they’re full steam ahead, independent, and imagining up their own games that keeps them busy way past their bedtimes. The grown ups get a chance
to eat, drink, and relax with minimal kid chasing these days; that is, of
course until March, when baby sister comes along.
We then set home to host Christmas Eve, my most favorite
day, at our house, which was kicked off with morning saunas, traditional rice porridge,
bloody marys and appetizers as we all waited for Santa. August got his hands on
a gift or two ahead of schedule, now that he can read his name (forgot about
that), so the boys really spent the whole day slowly opening gifts after their breakfast.
Santa came, the boys sang to him, hugged him, and sat on his lap for some
pictures (August’s first moments of Santa acceptance), and opened their most
wished for toys. Oskar wanted Darth Vadar’s LEGO castle, and August wanted
(another set of) Batman walkie talkies, which were delivered to two little boys
who were somehow, and apparently, on the nice list this year. We made dinner, ate
too much, and watched Christmas movies until the boys fell asleep on the couch.
Once they were carried to bed, we played board games as long as I could keep my
pregnant eyes open, and finally went to bed ourselves, hearts full.
Christmas Day is always slow, with a few more little things
found in stockings, morning mass, and lots and lots of left overs. The boys played
with all of their new toys, and we tried our best to manage the explosion in
our living room from the day before, while, at the same time, not really caring
and letting it all just go.
The days that followed were filled with sister yoga, after
Christmas shopping, and a Kennywood lights show on their closing night. We’ve
never gone post-Christmas before, but tickets were super discounted, crowds
were thinned out, and we lucked out with the best weather ever. We'll be doing it this way from here on out.
We then hosted NYE with the best neighbors and my mom and sister. The kids ran around and played while the adults chatted and made
drinks, and once enough of said drinks were had by those of us not pregnant, a huge Nerf
Gun battle erupted between the “grown ups” and kids. We’re still finding darts
this many weeks later.
Matt surprised me on New Years Day with a brunch and movie
date—really, just a ploy to get me out of the house for my sister and mom to
throw a surprise sprinkle shower for me. I came back to a house full of people
that I love and got so many beautiful things for our baby girl, who previously
had about 2 onesies. We’re going to renovate our upstairs at the end of this
month, laying hardwood floors throughout, painting, and installing new white trim
and crown molding, and once that’s all done, I’ll be working on her nursery and
organizing all of the adorable and teeny tiny clothes that she’ll be wearing in
just a few short months. No matter what anyone says, girl clothes are exponentially cuter.
A few days later, we went wedding dress shopping for my
sister, who happened to find the perfect one. I still remember the day I got my
dress (10 years ago now), and I loved being able to be together to find hers, too. Here’s to wedding season, 2021!
Finally, we hosted one last holiday hurrah—a Secret Santa
for my friends and their kiddos, who have grown up along side of our boys since
day 1. We’ve grown to 10 (almost 11) kids in 5.5 years, so Secret Santa was the
perfect way to have them exchange small gifts between each other. I love a
loud, crazy, busy house, and the days we’re all together never fail to disappoint.
Now, it’s back to work and back to school, decorations are
down, the days are gray, and my sister flew home until July. I always find
myself getting uninspired, unmotivated, and in a huge funk this time of year.
There’s always a big low after the December high, but I’m trying to think ahead
and list out some 2020 resolutions. So far, they look like this:
1. Get outside every day, which I hope I can keep up after the
baby gets here. Whenever I work from home, I take a lunch time walk that
really is so good for me, physically and mentally.
2. I’d love to take the boys and baby on a family trip this
summer, even though it will be smaller scale and less time than our usual
European adventures.
3. I want to really focus on the present. This will be our last
baby, and I’m lucky enough to be able to take a 6 month leave with her and our boys. I was
in survival mode for a long time after August was born, and I feel like his
first year is a total blur, each day spent simply making it to the next. Newborns are never easy, but doing my best to appreciate all of the milestones is what I'm really trying to focus on, so that I can hold on to those moments for years to come.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2020. I can't wait to see what these twelve months have in store.
Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2020. I can't wait to see what these twelve months have in store.
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