Daphne

This post has taken a long time to write because I wanted to do justice to the year that has been so incredibly good to us.

Twenty-fourteen has been a dream. I’ve been thinking a lot about the past couple of years and how grateful we are that God has brought us to the place we’re at after the journey we’ve had.

I think I rather enjoy being in my 30’s. I feel like most of my 20’s were spent in a grind, just struggling to make it through each day. We got married not long after graduation, had my first kid at 26, and then another the year after, all the while feeling like a kid myself. Those years, I also traded a job that paid me in actual money for one that paid in googly eyes and baby kisses. You know me, I love baby kisses more than the average person but these don’t pay no bills.

And the baby part was hard too. For several years, everything was so wonderfully difficult. Why are babies so demanding?? Watching 2 tiny screamy babies alone at home all day while the husband clocked extra hours at work to help us stay afloat? I think I had almost gotten used to feeling like I was drowning half the time.

That we even managed to survive those years is a mystery to me and looking back, I have no doubt at all that God has been good to us every single day of those crazy years.

2014 has been a year where I feel like I’ve grown up. A large part of that is knowing that in this menagerie, the good parts in life and the bad parts come together in a big jumbled up box and learning how to respond to both are equally important. It’s a big lesson to learn (the sort you can only learn by living it) and I suspect I’ll be learning it for many years to come.

I think the only way to wrap up a year like this is to remember some of the very best parts.

In 2014, I met and fell in love with this little guy. Such a dreamboat.

On that note, I’ve really enjoyed being a mom of four. When I used to dream of my family way back when I was little, I always imagined a huge one. Loud, boisterous, messy, chaotic, but also full of laughter and tiny happy faces. I used to take it for granted that my kids were safe and healthy but with more kids, I started becoming more aware of how blessed we are to have these four babies. Sure, it’s scary to have my heart beating in four little pieces outside my chest but I look at them at the end of every day and all I can think of is “so worth it.”

In 2014, Truett graduated from preschool. Today was his last day of school. He brought thank you gifts for his teachers, hugged all his friends really tight and bade them farewell. As he left and got into the car, he said, “this is the saddest day of my life.”

In 2 days, he will be off to Primary School like a big boy. I’m feeling the jitters like it’s my first day of school and I know he’s a little nervous too but this kid has got such a great attitude it just makes me proud. He looked at the mountain of textbooks we bought the other day and he’s actually excited to be learning new things in Primary 1.

Truett the baby was all kinds of cute but I’m really loving Truett the big kid. He’s got a wicked sense of humour and he’s turning out to be an incredible big brother. He’s not like the typical extroverted leader sort but he’s got a calm, quiet air of confidence that the other 3 kids respond so well to.

In 2014, we finally stopped having to swim furiously just to not drown, and we were able to enjoy the journey a little bit more. We visited some beautiful places, made some new friends, rode on a seaplane, sat by the edge of the Indian Ocean to watch the sunrise, hung out with the 12 apostles along the Great Ocean Road, tasted the best yakitori in my life, experienced a new disney park, held hands a lot and just watched our babies grow.

It’s been a year I’ll remember with much fondness but I’m also excited for a new year filled with new experiences. I hope yours will be amazing.

See you guys in the new year!