Reflections in January

I can’t say that I really have much time to reflect on things right now, but things have slowed down a bit now that the newness of moving, a baby, and the holidays are over. I guess before this month we had so much going on and so many visitors that I just didn’t really “think” about  “things” too much. Reflecting on things this month has been good and bad for me. It’s been good b/c I think of all that I am thankful for, I enjoy just being with my children and husband, and I try to enjoy the simple things that are hard to when you are so busy. But on the down side this January has been a more difficult month for me. I’m always a little sad after the holidays. The cold winter month of January means this outdoor  girl can’t get out as much (especially with two young kids.) Spring is not just around the corner like it is in the later winter months. Days are short, it’s often dark outside…. It’s just not my favorite month.

 This January has been a little more difficult though. I started really missing our New England life and our friends and family there. It has really hit me that we are gone and probably will never live around Boston againL That was my home- born and raised in Bedford till I was 16 and then spent my first 6 years of marriage there. Although much has changed through the years and I definitely don’t like many of the changes, I will always look at that area as my home. I have moved around enough to know that it takes time to create a home and a life in a new place and I need to have low expectations for when I will truly feel settled here. Real friends take time to make. I look back at the friends we made during our first 6 years of marriage in MA and realize how much time and effort went into making those friends (Abigail, Sarah and Laura, Paul and Kim, Bobby and Jirina, David and Jamie- just to name a few.) And how the friendships strengthened through time. I cannot expect to create friendships like this overnight. I do miss all my friends!

Another new aspect of my life starting this year is being at home with two kids. All the numerous benefits of this outweigh any negatives- so I hesitate to even say that there are difficulties with this- but I have to be real. Not having a job as an outlet or for the adult company makes this time of year more difficult. I am new here and have limited recourses right now. The area is unfamiliar and I’m not too adventurous driving around here with two kids in the cold. So there are many days I do not go out. I always love Jon being home, but he works many evenings at home preparing lesson plans etc, so he can’t always hang out. I have not been able to get involved with a church yet- so when we do soon that will be helpful.

All this to say, I am not one to get down on my life and I really am pretty happy and content.  Here is what is getting me through and giving me joy and satisfaction….

A God whom I know is guiding me as a mother and who is there with me on the lonely days

A husband who is my best friend and is never more than 20 minutes away

Two precious faces that light up my world

A sister and niece who add so much to our lives here

Friends who are only a phone call away- even if we play phone tag for monthsJ

A goal to potty train Hannah when I knew we’d be home and indoors a lot of the month (she’s doing great!)

And a cup of coffee after a bad night sleep with two kids who are not sleeping through the night too well right now…

A Holiday for Hosting

This holiday season was definitely one to remember. We told our family that we wanted to do very little traveling this year, and they got the hint and came to usJ So, the Duncan family came and stayed with us for Thanksgiving and the Hubley family came for Christmas. It was so nice to have everyone spend the holidays at our new place and it has definitely made it feel more like home here. We enjoyed decorating for everyone and making our home ready to accommodate more than it was really meant to (but this made it feel so cozy.) Below are some highlights and pictures from the past month.

1)      Visiting Mt Vernon numerous times for its Christmas season. They had a camel, the presidentially pardoned turkey, a Gingerbread Mt Vernon, and many beautiful holiday décor. Hannah has become very articulate in her pronunciation of” Mt. Vernon” and “George Washington.” I think she is starting to think of it as her second homeJ

2)      We were visited by Secret Elves every night for 12 nights on the 12 Days of Christmas. They would come and leave gifts on our door step, ring the bell,  and leave. I would look forward every night to putting the kids to bed and then waiting for the knock on the door to see what these elves creatively put together for us that night. Each gift came with a card that explained the meaning of that night and a verse from the Bible. It was very special and a great start to our holiday season in a new place. They never did reveal themselves as we actually hoped they would. Maybe that makes it even more memorable thoughJ

3)      Listening to Hannah say her Bible verse every night before eating her “chocate” from the advent calendar. It went something like this: “Totoday Jesus has been born. He is Cwist da Lorwad.  Luke two eleden.”

4)      Packing the Duncan’s (totaling 5 adults) into our somewhat small family room, campout style, for  Thanksgiving. Making dinner in my alley kitchen and eating on three small tables put together. It was tight but so much fun and I would do it again.  They also helped up pick out our tree and decorate for Christmas before they left. This included about 5 trips to the store for decorations since we kept thinking of more things we wanted.

5)      Christmas at our house with the Hubleys. We all stayed here on Christmas Eve. Hannah slept in our room with James, Melissa’s family took Hannah’s room, Jeff was in the study, and my parents in the family room. We would probably not do this again as the kids did not sleep very well, nor their parent’s. But it was worth it when we could all sit on the top of the steps and wait for the dads to put on the lights and music before walking down together to see all the crazy amount of presents (mostly for the kids.)

6)      Two days after Christmas the Hubley family drove to Williamsburg for some more Christmas fun. We stayed at a nice hotel with a pool. Hannah loved getting swimming lessons from her Uncle Jeff. We spent the days in town visiting shops and filling up our mugs with free hot chocolate, cider, and coffee all day. We had a delicious colonial lunch in one of their beautiful taverns. But the highlight was that it snowed the day before we got there which made for beautiful pictures and a fun time for Hannah and Evie who were pulled on sleds through the colonial streets.

7)      We traveled to Akron, OH for a Christmas #2 with Jon’s family. This also included a New Years Eve celebration at his brother, Matthew’s place. Hannah was able to ring in the New Year with us and she’s been saying “Happy New Year” and talking about it ever since.

8)      We ended our holiday season by dedicating James to the Lord at Jon’s home church. It was very special to have it done by Jon’s Dad, the pastor. Since we have not settled on a home church yet, this seemed to be the most appropriate. We already recognize God’s hand in James’ life, so it was a very special time for our family.