Hello 2015

I am going to follow suit with my sister over at Duty of the Moment and do a recap of 2014, because right now it seems like I would have a lot of catching up to do about the daily things, so I will save that stuff for when I return from the Dominican Republic (3 days!)

2014, you were a challenging year full of joy, sorrow, and lots of growth!

January:

Judging from pictures, it seems like we really spent a lot of time indoors! Oh...yes, the month I became a hermit! Kyle left for Police College at the beginning of the month and left me all alone from Sunday afternoons to Friday nights. It was a necessary separation and I think it really made me realize that I can handle things on my own, although it is really nice having the guy around. It was hard to face the fact there was 5 more months of this, and I tended to stay home after work and read a lot or watch Downton Abbey. A very exciting existence. Is it Friday yet?

February:

 February! The month where I got to go to Toronto to visit my beloved twin and her husband and unborn future cutest kid of all time! That first picture  is aforementioned child kicking my hand. Basically this trip was a lot of Amanda and I shopping, coffee-ing, reading, and visiting while my mom and grandma did a lot of packing and cooking. We were moving them back to the homeland, and got to help them. Okay I helped a bit...but you don't know my mother and her mother...you just get out of the way. I got to meet some of the dear friends that they met in Toronto who became their family. The baby in the picture is their God daughter Elizabeth, crazy to think that she was the age Anna is now! I'm sure they'll be pen pals one day.

March:

In March we found out we were pregnant! Even a faint line is a line! Very happy, Kyle got home the day I took the test and I told him, it was wonderful and exciting! Five short days later it came to an end and I was opened up to how to really find joy in sorrow, although I was completely devastated initially, I was able to find a lot of peace. I may write more about this in another blog post.

April:

Easter month! The only picture I could find was of the delicious Easter bread that I made and which I plan on making again as a tradition. So good. Also Easter Saturday brought with it great joy! I took a pregnancy test and exactly one month after our miscarriage I was pregnant again! What a great time to celebrate the joy of new life, especially being at home so my side of the family could hear the news in person!

May:

The month in which I got my husband back! Hallelujah! And let's just all take a moment to look at my lovely hair...why oh why did I get rid of it! Maybe by summer it will be back. Kyle graduated and looked very handsome while doing so. It was a great weekend! Plus I survived him being gone, despite starting to have morning sickness! Is that a bump? I'm probably trying too hard haha. 

June:

This month brought some of the hardest things I've ever had to do, at 11.5 weeks of pregnancy we lost our second baby. Hard to put it into words so I will save it for it's own post in the future. I was truly opened up to some of the reality of Motherhood. It was painful, it was real, it was raw, but it was full of hope that God will not abandon us and that souls are very eternal. A soul is a soul no matter how much time you are gifted with it. As it goes, with death comes new life, and although it was difficult timing, three days later sweet little Anna Grace was born and oh, how I love her. I'm so glad she's here.

July:

Anna took her first trip to Alberta and we got to join! It was so much fun, we stayed in Waterton and had some great memories made. Anna was so tiny! I went fishing with Kevin and Kyle, but mostly tanned. Then on the way home we took Anna to McDonalds. Also July was the month Anna was baptized and I get to be her God-mama.

August:

The month in which two of my dreams came true. Dream one: we bought a house! After 3 days and 15 houses we went with one of our favourites from the first day. We got it well below the asking price which brought an awesome house in an awesome location to below our budget! Yay! Thank you St.Joseph! Dream two: We got to see Walk Off the Earth at the fair and they were everything awesome I expected them to be live. It was just unreal!! 

September:

September was spent enjoying having a house and a back yard. Also Kyle got to use one of his wedding presents for the first time, which he was quite pleased about after having so patiently waited.

October:

Kyle and I celebrated our first Anniversary with a mini photo shoot compliments of Kyle's sister Krista, which Kyle was entirely enthusiastic about, and a nice dinner at Bottega. Mmmm Italian. Kyle was also the sole pumpkin carver in our family this month! Then my dad, Amanda, Matt, and Anna came to stay! We had a wonderful time going to the Farmers market, out for coffee, and yummy Thai food (even though I was supposed to pick a Korean restaurant..oops next time Dad!) To end off a perfect weekend I decided to take a pregnancy test and got to share in person with some of my family that I was pregnant. My dad said he almost cried, which is so touching because the chances of him being here in person for such news isn't that common because of his schedule and we don't see him very often. It was very special to me!

The bunny is Anna's and the bear a gift for Baby from Auntie Amanda and Uncle Matt

November:

The month of no pictures because I basically turned into a zombie! I really wasn't feeling too good! Oh and this was the month that my mom and Kyle painted almost the entire main floor while I sat on the couch! I found one picture of the updated kitchen. Don't worry it's not usually that tidy.

December:

Oh love of my heart!

December was such a wonderful month! We got to see our baby for the first time! It was such a blessed relief for me to see that little heart beat and that little "seal" as Kyle called it, all nestled inside safe and sound. 

Then we went on trip one of two to Alberta to visit, go to Ikea, and watch Lane play hockey (they won). The Ikea trip wasn't as wonderful as I'd hoped (considering I threw up twice while we were there), but I still was in love with everything and I'm determined to get Kyle to love it if he'll ever agree to give it another chance. We also stopped in Banff for a morning and strolled and had Beaver Tails and coffee. 

We then went home for four days so Kyle could work. Kyle also picked out a very "full" looking tree which when unwrapped became huge, but we still loved it, plus we have a house so it really could have taken up half the living room and we still would have beamed at it. Oh, cozy Christmas time!

We came back to Alberta for a few short days full of family, food, cute nieces, and tiny baby bumps. It was so lovely and I wish it could have lasted ten more days! However Christmas at Kyle's family's is always an awesome time also full of family, and food, only the food never stops coming for about a week. I have not eaten as much baking in this whole previous year as I did the week of Christmas. I think I suffered withdrawal. Actually. 

We ended off the year by playing some Catch Phrase with Kyle's family and then hitting the hay by 11 because Kyle worked the next morning. It was perfect.

2015. I think it's going to be a grand year.