Goodbye 2018

We're in the last week of 2018 and you can always count on a handful of things to happen with certainty around this time every year. 

1) I wonder with genuine shock where the year went. I know 365 days have passed, just like most every other year, but since becoming a parent it feels like it's only been three or four months since last Christmas and I'm not sure where the other eight months went.

2) I try to remember exactly the last time I ate a vegetable or drank something that wasn't coffee or wine.

3) I pause to reflect on what exactly happened that made the year fly by in such a blur. 

2017 was a much easier year to sum up than 2018. It was a year of big changes. It was the year Ez started school, our first year in Sacramento, and Joe's first year working from home. We went on four Disney trips, including our first family trip to Disney World. 2017 was a GOOD year, and I remember saying that 2018 would have big shoes to fill. I know this is the part where I'm supposed to say 2018 exceeded my expectations. 

It didn't. 

Now that the dust has settled a bit, I can say that 2018 was a year of hard work. It was a year that a lot of my friends and family dealt with major health issues, received awful news, and we had an unexpected death in our family. 

Joe got a crazy throat infection that lasted on and off for three and a half months and included a few Urgent Care trips, two ER visits, one ambulance ride, a whole lot of blood, and, eventually, the removal of his tonsils. Both Ez and Declan were diagnosed with autism, and that lead to a whole lot of paperwork, meetings, assessments, administrative craziness, health insurance battles, and a schedule that went from fairly laid back to extremely regimented and intense (we're talking two to three dropoffs between 8 am and noon, Monday through Friday). "Crazy" is the first word that comes to mind when I think of 2018. 

But some years just can't be summed up with one word, or one sentence even. 

2018 was the year that we learned more than ever that as a family we can lean on each other and depend on each other when we're at our weakest. In between the doctor visits and paperwork and phone calls, we spent more intentional time than ever as a family. We blasted Happy and Imagine Dragons and we danced and ran circles through the house. We splashed in the river on hot summer days, swung in our hammock on warm evenings, visited every pumpkin patch within a thirty mile radius, walked to our neighborhood playgrounds nearly nightly, and enjoyed each other's company to the max. Ez and I journeyed across the country and to Europe. My sisters and I were reunited for the first time since my wedding in 2016. Decky got lots of one on one time with Daddy and Grandma. It was the year of bird watching and Muppet Babies and a resurgence in Cars popularity. 

Good is not the first word I think of when it comes to 2018, but it's been good where it matters. We live in a place that we love. We didn't move (always a big deal in our little family). And, most important, we have each other. 

We learned that hard times can make us stronger, both individually and as a family. Joe took his health scare and turned it around into motivation to become healthier than ever. Ez started ABA in the summer and his progress, especially in communication, felt tremendous and instantaneous. Decky started ABA just this month and I have complete faith that he'll grow in leaps and bounds over the next few months.  I learned that I can be a fighter when I need to, something that is normally so far beyond my personality type, and something that will probably come in handy time and again as the boys and I navigate all the school decisions that we'll face in the coming years. 

So we're heading into 2019 full of gratitude for the big things that mean so much, the little things that have turned into cherished memories, and faith that all the work we've put into 2018 will flourish in 2019.

Cheers to surviving 2018, and cheers to health, happiness, and the realization of your wildest dreams in 2019 🎉

On that note, I'll leave you with this little reminder that time moves way too fast - one whole year of the Craig Bros growing up, bonding, fighting, and adventuring together:

New Year's Eve

Too late to recap New Year's Eve? Thankfully prompt blog posts was NOT one of my resolutions this year 😋 You may have noticed that blogging frequency took a dip last year, and as much as I love preserving our family memories, I also want to find the balance of being present while making said memories. Balance is one of those tricky things that remains a constant work in progress and I may never master it, but, in the meantime, you can still expect to hear about our little family adventures, just maybe not in the most timely manner. Thank you for following along anyway!

This was our first New Year's in Sacramento, and we were excited to find out that the local art museum hosts a Noon Year's Eve celebration, complete with a countdown, a ball drop, a kid DJ, craft tables, and lots and lots of bubbles - all at the kid-friendly hour of noon. Pretty much all the New Year's necessities, and the kids were loving every minute of it. 

After a few hours of partying we headed to Trader Joe's, also known as, "the place with the little carts" for dinner supplies. Ez never fails to let us know, in a disappointed voice, if we're going shopping at the store without the little carts. So, despite the dangers to everyone's knee caps, letting him swerve push the cart through the aisles is a must. 

Between the party and the shopping both boys were completely worn out and we let them take nice long naps, partly so they could stay up for New Year's, but mostly so I could watch When Harry Met Sally in peace. It's one of my yearly movies and I couldn't head into 2018 without watching it at least once. 

I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.

Hands down one of the best romantic comedies EVER. 

Then came the sad part of the night, taking down our tree. We tried to make it cheery by toasting the tree to a great Christmas beforehand, but Ez and I still miss our sparkly tree. It was even sadder seeing it sit in the street for nearly two weeks until they finally picked it up today. RIP christmas tree. You were good to us. 🌲

We all managed to make it to midnight, with a few minutes to spare, and watch the ball drop in Times Square followed by attacking each other with those party blower noisemaker things. 

On Monday we woke up bright and not so early to go hiking and enjoy our 60 degree weather. Sorry east coasters...

And so we ushered in 2018 in a nice, mellow, family-friendly way, which is my favorite kind of New Year's. Wishing you all the best this year!

Happy 2018!

The week between Christmas and New Year always shifts toward reflection and organization, and "oh my God, I ate way too many cookies." For some reason I got it in my head to organize ALL our videos into a "short" compilation highlight reel of our year. Naively I thought it would take maybe a day...annnnd here we are, one week later and I've managed to narrow it down to nine minutes. But the alternative was letting all those great little moments fade into forgotten Dropbox files sooo......time well spent?

2017 was a good one for our family. There were a few big changes (hello moving, potty training, and preschool) that came along with their share of growing pains, but there were no ER visits this year, and thanks to my newly lowered parental expectations, it was a good year. 😉

All joking aside, it really was a good year for us. This was Joe's first full year of working from home, which has been a huge blessing and allowed us to spend so much quality family time together. We're coming up on our one year Sacramento-versary and we're loving this town of ours more than ever. Unlike our last place, we've got a backyard now which makes me wonder how we ever survived before without one. Ez's first few months as a student brought on challenges we didn't see coming, and we'll be dealing with those more in 2018, but his growth this year has been astounding and I'm so, so proud of him.

We visited beaches, snowy mountains, Reno, Tahoe, and, of course, Disney. Four trips in the span of seven months, to be exact, including our first to D I S N E Y  W O R L D - don't worry, future posts are coming. We enjoyed lots of visits with family and friends and this year was the perfect balance of work and fun, growth and stability. If 2018 continues down the same path we'll be perfectly happy. 

Just for fun, here's a little comparison of Ez in January vs. December

and Declan, mean mugging as usual:

Wishing you all health, love, adventure, and laughter in our next trip around the sun. 

2016 in Numbers

Maybe it's because we ended the year with a stomach bug, but I feel really really ready to leave 2016 in the past and move onto 2017. In between scrubbing the carpet and endless loads of laundry Joe and I managed to do a bit of recollecting on the past year, all the fun, the unforgettable, and the stuff I hope to forget sooner than later. I'm looking at you Declan and your near-death experiences.

2016 will go down in Craig history as the first year since becoming parents that Joe and I managed an overnight getaway - not once, not twice, but FOUR times. Why we waited so long I'll never know. It was also the first year since we've lived together that we didn't move at least once. Apparently we're a very nomadic family. My five sisters and I were all in the same place at the same time for the first time in fifteen years. That's big news right there. 

On the other end of the spectrum 2016 marks the first year since becoming parents that we had to make a trip to the ER thanks to Declan and his bff the black widow. (Thankfully he wasn't actually bitten, but better safe than sorry). Declan also had to be heimliched by Joe when he nearly choked on a grilled cheese. At this rate I'll have a full head of gray hair by 2018. 

We traveled, we day tripped, we explored, and we adventured. We binge watched House of Cards, Game of Thrones, This is Us, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Ez played soccer for the first time and my tiniest little baby took his first steps. We spent lots of quality time with family and I hope one day Ez and Declan realize just how lucky they are to have such a loving and supportive network surrounding them. 

And, possibly most noteworthy of all, Joe and I got MARRIED!!! It was a day I'll never forget, and for that plus many other reasons 2016 will always hold a special place in my heart. 

That being said, I'm so ready for 2017. We don't have any grand plans for the year, but to quote Anne Shirley:

 I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does. It has a fascination of its own, that bend. I wonder how the road beyond it goes--what there is of green glory and soft, checkered light and shadows--what new landscapes--what new beauties--what curves and hills and valleys further on.

Hoping you all find delightful surprises beyond the bends in your roads. Happy New Year!

Our New Years

Happy 2016!

As can be expected with two young kids, we had a pretty low key NYE. We went out for lunch, ran a few errands, ordered pizza, and had a Star Wars marathon. Joe, Ez, and I somehow managed to stay up till midnight to watch the ball drop and then we watched the fireworks over the SF bay (on TV). After they were finished Ez said "goodbye Disneyland" because in his mind that's the only place they do fireworks. He surprises me daily with the stuff he remembers and the connections he makes. 

We spent New Years Day walking around a nearby Redwood forest. It was too pretty for words and even though it was an impromptu visit and freezing cold it turned out to be the best way to ring in 2016. 

Over the weekend we dropped the kids off with my family so Joe and I could go see Star Wars. It did not disappoint and I have a feeling we'll watch it again the second they release it on dvd. Afterward we went out to eat with my family and discovered two things. 1) Declan loves bell pepper strips. 2) If my mom orders a burger there better be cheese on it. ;) Jk! Love you mom!

After having lots of visitors and Joe home for the past two weeks it's back to business as usual around here. The forecast this week says rain and I'm looking forward to staying warm and cozy indoors, getting the house back in order, and getting into our normal routine. 

As far as New Year's resolutions go, I haven't really come up with anything yet. Last year I said I would be intentional with my time and I don't think I did a great job of sticking with that. I spent a couple months lethargically pregnant and lazy, and then I spent another couple of months in a fog trying to figure out the best way to get through the day with a toddler and a newborn. And when I say "best" I'm referring to whatever causes the least amount of tears and the most amount of sleep for everyone involved. Still trying to figure that out. I'm not saying it wasn't a great year, because it was one of my best ones yet, and tied only with the year Ez was born, but there was a good amount of survival mode and it's hard to even remember resolutions yet alone stick with them when you're woken up every two hours like clockwork every.single.night. 

So I'm thinking this year I'll just wing it, continue trying to be intentional with my time, and see what happens without any major resolutions. I'm excited to hear what you all have planned for 2016. Who knows, maybe I'll get some good ideas and jump on the resolution bandwagon midmonth. Better late than never, right??