2013 Recap

Last year I may have gone a tiny bit overboard with the 2012 recap so this year I'm going to try really hard to just pick one or two things for each month.

January:

E turned 1! Since then he's learned to crawl, walk, sing, dance, understand his parents, purposefully not listen to his parents, throw tantrums, and talk--sort of. We're still working on that last one.

February:

It warmed up enough around here for us to go out and enjoy a little bit of nature. We spent some time at a few of our favorite parks (and I usually had a hot chocolate near by because it wasn't that warm).

March:

Spring in Western Washington is gorgeous. We couldn't help but go on a few family hikes when the sun came out. And when it didn't come out we hung out at home enjoying our little guy.

April:

April, April, April. What to say about April. It was finally warm enough for us to hang out at our favorite beach. We made a quick trip to Jerome to see Grandma and Grandpa Newman when they got home from their mission and we also had a positive pregnancy test. I thought it was a great birthday present. Looking back, April was a bittersweet month. Although, definitely more sweet than bitter while we were living it.

May:

Directly related to the bittersweetness of April--May was just bitter for me. Although I was able to learn a lot about myself and the things I'm capable of enduring with the Lord's support, I would never wish a miscarriage on anyone. And now I know that life can go on after something like that. In fact, it doesn't just go on, it's just as beautiful as it was before!

June:

June was a perfect whirlwind of fun. We had lots and lots of family come to visit, we were able to go camping (and E was amazing!), and, most importantly, Ben graduated Pharmacy School!

July:

Another favorite month was July. We were able to spend a lot of time with Ben's family at the Newman Family Reunion and just reuniting with E's cousins before Jay's wedding.

August:

A wedding is always a wonderful thing. I love the beginning of a couple's story, it's full of possibilities. Not to mention how excited we were so excited to welcome Leslie into the family. And, while I thought August could only go downhill from such a fun beginning it finished off with a bang as well when Tim and Fran came for a visit! And, most importantly, Ben started his job with Sea Mar!

September:

I'm suddenly realizing I had a lot of favorite months this past year and September was no exception. We met up with friends from our old ward--some who had moved to Oregon and some who still lived in Seattle--for a weekend getaway. My only complaint: It wasn't long enough! The other good news of September is that Ben and I found out we were expecting another baby. I was especially anxious for that first appointment but I couldn't help but be excited as well.

October:

Our October was a pretty typical October. There was corn mazes, pumpkin patches, costumes and candy.

November:

After several months of commuting and getting his pharmacy ready to open, Ben was finally able to open his pharmacy doors to customers! He, thankfully, really loves his job. And, since Ben's pharmacy had just opened, E and I made a trip to Utah san Ben mid-November to get some family time in before the holidays.

December:

Candy canes, Santa, Christmas trees, lights ... The weather might've been way colder than we're used to, but that didn't stop us from celebrating. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

E couldn't wait for his dad to put together his car so he figured out a way to make it work on his own.

It was definitely a good year. We can't wait to see what 2014 has in store.