Is this fall yet? Because it has been entirely too hot lately.

This month was a weird one.

Lots of speech therapy for Little Man, a plethora of doctor appointments for myself, and some random use or lose leave for the Mister made for a hectic, yet lazy few weeks.

We started off with some more splash pad time and some art.

We found 2 stray pups running the neighborhood over the following weekend. We didn’t want to call animal control but it was so hot and we didn’t want them getting hit by a car.

Neither one had a microchip so they were held for 3 days and then put up for adoption. Thankfully, both were adopted within a week of being listed as available.

The next weekend, we went to another Lowe’s DIY Kids Workshop and made a muscle car.

Our last few weeks were filled with new experiences. My friend Liz rescued 2 quarter horses about two years ago and we finally got to go to the barn to meet them and see some of their roomies. Funnily enough, I didn’t take photos with them. 🙈

Little Man was not too sure about them at first but by the time we left, he was a regular cowboy.

This last week was full of hanging out with the Mister while he went disc golfing, so the big kid playground was a must for the monkey.

We cheered on the Huskers while they were in Ireland.

We finished off the month with a bunch of appointments for me about my blood pressure.

When I changed my medication, I started having some infrequent heart palpitations and since the new meds didn’t have a beta blocker, my heart rate (which has been higher than normal for awhile) was fast.

After a bunch of referrals, I had an EKG, an ECHO done on my heart, and a CT of my kidneys. I will be getting a Holter monitor placed the first week of September to make sure we’re not missing anything. I also met with Women’s Health to find a birth control that works without increasing my stroke/heart attack risks (thanks blood pressure).

So far, the CT has come back within normal, functional parameters. I am waiting on the findings from the cardiologist to be reviewed by my doctor (who is a brand new PCM to me — haven’t even met him).

It’s been a very frustrating process, but I think we have finally found a medication combination that works for the time being. I am anxious to hear the results/get a plan in place so the Mister and I can start planning our time-line for baby #2.

No plans now in that department, other than “in the next year”. We really have had a hell of a 2022 thus far with everything that’s gone on. Losing Audie really set the stage and it’s been one difficult time after another.

But we are still moving forward. We remembered our bub by attending Barks & Brews for the first time without him. We weren’t sure how Indie would do with her first solo outing, but she surprised us.

Miss Indie was awesome. Unfortunately it was entirely too hot to be out and about for very long. She had to stop by each booth for a big drink. Still, she wasn’t a nervous wreck and even made a couple friends. All in all, she did outstanding so we’re proud of our girl.

September is going to kick off with a couple of new adventures.

Little Man and the Mister will be adding a new DIY workshop to their weekends, this time at Home Depot! They’ll still go to Lowe’s like they have been, but they’ll add the Home Depot workshop as they fall on different weekends.

We are also attending the Middle Tennessee Highland Games this year. Since the Mister is Scottish, we are excited to go experience it, even if it’s not in Scotland. Hopefully a kilt will be involved.

The Trail of Tears Pow Wow is also that same weekend, so we haven’t decided if we’ll go to that as well.

We shall have to see.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

It’s practically fall, y’all!

Good grief I feel like this year is moving at hyper speed.

July was hot. The whole month was pretty heavily Little Man-centered in the adventuring aspect.

We kicked off the month celebrating the oldest pack member Jack’s 12th birthday.

This little fuzzbutt brings us so much joy and there’s no signs of slowing down yet.

Then we decided to go see the fireworks on post (which we never do). They had a music show from Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band. Despite the heat it was a pretty great time. Little Man did really well with it too.

Little Man also started speech therapy this month. His SLP thinks he is just a late talker, so we are thankful for his progress thus far. He really enjoys his sessions and his therapist says he is doing really well.

Mid-month, Little Man and the Mister finally got to attend a Lowe’s DIY Kids’ Workshop in person.

Little Man absolutely loved it. They are already signed up for the next one.

Later, we went for blizzards on Miracle Treat Day at DQ.

The end of the month, we had visitors!

Grandma and Grandpa Waid were finally able to visit. Little Man was a little shy at first but it wasn’t long before he had them wrapped around his finger (like everyone else!).

We went fall clothes shopping, antiquing, and even attended the county fair.

It was a nice visit. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait so long before the next one.

August looks like it will be a bit slower, but I have a hunch it will fly by as well.

No major plans yet, but the Mister is taking some leave so we’ll see what comes about.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

Holy busy month, Batman.

The official start to summer came barreling in and hasn’t slowed down since.

We kicked off the month celebrating Taz’s 8th birthday. I’m still in awe that she’s 8 and has changed so much.

My Gramps and Grammys celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary and the rehab center threw them a little personal party.

Then we celebrated Little Man’s 2nd birthday! It definitely doesn’t feel like he should be 2 already.

Little Man also had his 2 year check up and his last scheduled vaccine until school (minus the flu shot he gets every year). He now weighs 26.8lbs and is 34 inches tall.

His doctor this visit did an excellent job making me feel like the worst mom ever because he’s not saying 50 words yet and he has been sleeping in our bed. I was unimpressed with her bedside manner, to say the least. But, we did get a referral to a speech therapist for an evaluation, just to make sure there isn’t anything developmentally going on.

Thankfully that visit went smoothly and the therapist thinks he’s just a late talker. We will start going to therapy twice a week in July. Hopefully after a few sessions, we’ll have the tools to help him gain more words and use them more regularly. He has picked up a few words this month (within days of getting evaluated) and uses them like he should.

Of course my parents came to visit and helped us celebrate with a back yard party the following weekend.

We had a John Deere themed party this year as he’s obsessed with his tractors.

After his party, we were invited to a pool party as a last hurrah for our friends the Hozas. Sadly (for us) they moved to Georgia so our usual plans of boating at the end of June/early July have been thwarted. We really miss them and hope they have the best of luck in their new place!

Later, we didn’t do much to celebrate Father’s Day, but we did squeeze in a Daddy and Me photo shoot as a benefit for a local soldier/dad battling leukemia.

Those two really hammed it up and had a great time in their Ninja Turtle RSVLTS.

The weather has been extremely hot and dry, so a good chunk of the month has been spent playing in the water.

The rest of the month was a bunch of appointments for myself, Indie, and the Mister with not much room for anything else.

The Mister had his formal hearing with the medical board. He was found fit for duty, so we are thankful for that! The only downside is that now he can receive orders to move again and is deployable. We are hoping to stick it out here so our next move will be our last, but as ever, it’s just a wait and see.

It’s just nice to have an answer and not be in a constant state of limbo. Now it’ll just be the normal state of hurry up and wait. Haha.

July is looking like it’ll be another toned down month. We’re reworking our budget so there won’t be room for many extra excursions for awhile. Plus, gas prices are sky-high so we don’t need to be out all over the place. We’ll be doing enough running around the next few weeks anyway with Little Man’s speech therapy sessions, in addition to working on getting him used to his own bed again. Hoping for a smooth transition and that he’ll take to therapy without much hardship (he’s so dang smart, I think he’ll be fine!).

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

Another one bites the dust for 2022. Gracious, the year is half over already.

This month has been just about as busy as they come.

We started off with a Mommy & Me photo shoot (though technically that happened on the last day of April).

The photos, as always, were great. We had a lot of fun in the more urban setting. As confident as I felt, I hate to say I’m not thrilled with my appearance. *sigh* The skirt did some funky things to my shape and my cute rope-style belt didn’t sit properly, nor did my bangs cooperate. But! I am pleased with the overall quality (as if I could be upset with our fabulous photographer!).

My Gramps had his big surgery on 6 May. It was a very extensive surgery that lasted about 8 hours. It was a tough week or two with some scary setbacks. Thankfully, he is on the road to recovery and as of this writing, he is doing well. He’s been transferred closer to home for his rehab and is doing much, much better.

Meanwhile, back in Tennessee…

The first weekend of the month, we participated (as we usually do) in Free Comic Book Day at our local comic shop. We ended up needing to pick up our monthly pull box so it was far from a cheap day.

The Mister had staff duty on Mother’s Day so celebrating didn’t happen. While I don’t particularly mind not celebrating things like that, it’s still frustrating to not feel a little appreciated that day. Can’t even say we celebrated another day because we didn’t. That’s just how it goes sometimes. I got to hang out with Little Man, though, so that’s all I needed.

Then, we took Little Man to see his second in theater movie — Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. He did fantastic (mostly because I think he slept through half of it). He actually sat still and watched the film, even pointing to things on screen.

The Mister had more staff duty so Little Man and I hung out one on one a bunch this month. We made the most of it with lots of outside time.

On the 24th, the Mister and I celebrated our 9th anniversary. We went to Outback for dinner to celebrate actually being in the same place for it (I think this is only the 2nd or 3rd anniversary we’ve spent physically together).

I spent the rest of the month deep cleaning most of the upstairs rooms in the house. I’d gotten really behind with my toddler tornado following me and we were anticipating company from the in-laws. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it last minute, but hey! Now my house is a little more manageable. There’s still a lot left to do but I don’t feel so overwhelmed about it now.

Speaking of being overwhelmed…I finally received one of what I’m calling my “grief purchases” from Audie’s passing. On the day we took him to the vet, I ordered a custom stuffed animal that was promised to look like him. The original took about 8 weeks to receive. I was disappointed to see the face was wrong and the eyes were damaged/the wrong color.

So, I took the chance to have the company remake it while they were fixing the damaged eyes, as it was going to take 6-8 weeks anyway. Boy, was it worth the wait!

I couldn’t be happier with the way the remake came out. I cried seeing it. It’s brought me a lot of comfort and closure.

We finished off the month with a four day weekend for Memorial Day. The Mister completed the “Murph Challenge” with his unit in honor of the men and women of the armed forces that have lost their lives in defense of our freedom.

In other news…

Little Man is set to get his 2 year vaccines after his birthday. How do I have a nearly 2 year old?! He’s grown up so much, so quickly. We just finished breastfeeding over the last week. He’s not happy with it, but it’s an important step. Next we’ll work on sleeping in his own room and talking more.

He is saying some words, but he doesn’t like to repeat them on demand. I’m sure we’ll hear about it when we go to his appointment. Until then, I’m not worrying. His needs are met and that’s fine with me. He’s too busy for words!

June is going to be a busy month. Little Man’s 2nd birthday/party and the Mister’s formal hearing for his med board decision are just two of the highlights. My parents will be visiting for the birthday party so we’re excited for that. While I’m not ready to have a 2 year old, I’m excited to see where the next months take us.

Until then,

Cheers!

– A. xoxo

Another month down for 2022. This year just keeps marching on and I am being left in the dust.

We celebrated Hina’s 9th birthday on the 1st. How is she 9?!

Then we got Little Man’s Easter photos done.

We spent the rest of the day at the park with Indie, enjoying the nice day after going to one of our favorite pubs for brunch.

We took a couple of weeks of leave to go to Nebraska, just in time for Easter and my 34th birthday. We didn’t do much to celebrate, but we had quite a few excursions and the break was much needed. We loaded up the whole menagerie in the Dart and made the drive home.

We started off our whirlwind trip with an afternoon at the lake. It wasn’t quite warm enough to be there, but splashing around is always a good time.

This was followed by some frustrating shopping for family photos (which we haven’t had in about 10 years). With 3 girls with very different tastes in the family, we couldn’t make up our minds.

We finally (literally the day before) decided on black, grey, and red. I thought we looked pretty cute!

We had a big meal on Easter with my mom’s side of the family. It was one of the biggest turn outs in recent years. I loved seeing everyone and catching up, so much so that I barely took any photos.

The Easter Bunny even found us in Nebraska. We put off the egg hunt until the tail end of our trip.

The weather was all over the place in true Midwest form. One day was a beautiful 65°, the next was windy and 45°, followed by rain, followed by almost 90°. On the chilly days we filled our time with visits and local food.

My aunt and uncle came to visit for a day from Iowa and they brought along (my) Grandad’s wife Bernadine. Can’t describe how wonderful it was to visit and for everyone to finally meet Little Man in person.

We got some health news for my Gramps last month (but I wasn’t allowed to mention it then), so I am so thankful we were able to spend some much needed time with him and Grammys during our leave over Easter.

My cousin Scott took Little Man on his first tractor ride.

We had a nice visit on the farm. Though the years keep going by, it’s nice to have a place that always feels like home.

We wrapped up our visit with a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Despite all the construction going on, it felt like we’d come full circle since the Mister and I had our first date there and now we’re able to bring our first born.

As always, it was really difficult to leave for Tennessee. It really didn’t feel like we were back home for 2 weeks.

We spent the final week of the month trying to settle back into our home routine. Lots of yard work, laundry, and a more regular bedtime.

Poor Indie got very sick for a day (we think it was from the pest company spraying). She couldn’t keep anything down and was generally miserable. Thankfully, it seems to have been a 24 hour bug and she is back to her normal, Velcro self.

Little Man and I did a really fun Mommy and Me photoshoot on the very last day of the month. Can’t wait to share the photos once we get them back. We’ve never done just the two of us and I’m usually the one taking them, so it will be extra special.

I have a feeling May will either fly by or drag on. We have several things that could happen then, including a possible visit from the in-laws and Gramps’s big surgery (we are keeping our thoughts and prayers positive for an easy, uneventful recovery).

There’s also Mother’s Day, Free Comic Book Day, our 9th anniversary, and Memorial Day, as well as potlucks and hail and farewells. We’ll likely keep ourselves fairly busy as always.

Until then,

Cheers!

– A. xoxo

Good grief. March blew in full speed ahead and suddenly, it’s practically April.

We had a very busy month, despite not doing much in the adventuring department.

We kicked off the month with an unplanned trip to Nashville for Hattie B’s Hot Chicken with my cousin and her kids. They tagged along for a last minute business trip and wanted to meet Little Man. We’d been meaning to try Hattie B’s for years anyway, so it was a no brainer!

He wasn’t too sure about meeting his distant cousins (and those French fries were super distracting), but it was a nice visit — though short!

The weather finally started to feel like spring, so we spent a lot of time outside at the beginning of the month.

My parents came down for their Spring Break, which meant even more time outside and our sole day excursion.

It was awesome having them here. Indie was thrilled to have Maddie and Charlie (but mostly Maddie) to play with. It was bittersweet, since Maddie and Audie were best friends. She looked for him the second she came in the door, which broke my heart.

Little Man adores spending time with his Nana and Grandad. Nana has him outside playing all day and Grandad will play Stinky Feet and tickle him.

We trekked out to Fort Defiance for a very quick outing. It was another one of those been meaning to go but just never did trips.

There wasn’t much to the interpretive center, but we did learn a few things we didn’t know and Dad was able to count it as some diversity credit and professional development credit (yay history!).

After a week of having my parents here, we had to let them go back home. Little Man was not impressed.

We did, however, get to have a little get together with the Hozas before everyone went back to their normal routines. It was great to catch up.

The last couple of weeks have been slower since it’s back to being chilly again. We’ve spent a lot more time inside and the house is definitely starting to look that way.

We did have a few nice days between chilly ones where we planted some lavender (ok, a lot of lavender) in our planters and moved some tulip and narcissus bulbs. Had to replace one of the azalea bushes too since it didn’t take root last fall.

We also finally got a bird bath and new hummingbird feeders (since I forgot to bring them in before it froze and all of them cracked/shattered…oops).

Basically, we’re doing some spring clean up outside. I think we found some different pavers that we like better for the front, so hopefully we can get some landscaping finished. My hope, in addition to that, is to create a memorial bed with a flowering tree or bush in one corner of the back yard, once we get it cleared out, for Audie (since this was his home too).

I have a lot of irises that we took out of the front yard that will be planted back there, as well as some tulips and all the volunteer narcissus that the squirrels keep putting in the lawn. I think once we get it going, it’ll be a fabulous tribute to my sweet bub. Spring is so close and I’m itching for some outside time to play in the dirt.

In other news: remember my kidney function scare a few months ago? I had my labs redone to refill my blood pressure medication and everything came back normal, so we are quite thankful to have dodged that bullet. One less thing going on for me to stress over.

The Mister got his official ratings back for his med board. He has been found unfit for duty and the Army will only give him 20% of what he’s making now–with a bunch of modifications based on his years of service and Army math– if he doesn’t appeal the decision (obviously he will appeal it so the board can have another look and so he can squeeze out a bit more time as he’s now over the 18 year mark). The “good” news is that the VA found his injury to be worth 100%, so he would continue to have his benefits through them as well as a monthly disability check.

All that really means for us family-wise is that we are still in limbo while they work through the red tape and delve into all of his options (there are still ways he can extend his service until retirement at 20, despite their findings). The VA percentages might also change as he continues the process. It’s all a lot of information I don’t quite understand, so Little Man and I just continue on with our day to day activities while not really having a set plan for the not-so-distant future.

Despite all the Army stuff, we are looking forward to a few things next month, including Little Man’s spring/Easter photos and a long overdue visit to Nebraska. We’re taking about 2 weeks so we can spend some time with everyone without having to sprint through the visit.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

Excuse me, 2022, why are you in such a hurry?

February brought a small bit of relief into a pretty bleak start to the new year. While we –especially me–are still mourning our sweet Audie boy, we have started adjusting to our new normal and signs of spring are popping up, despite the cold temperatures the last couple of weeks.

We kicked off this month with Little Man’s Valentine’s photos. He was a little shy this shoot and had to be coaxed into smiling.

I decided to cut and color my hair. I haven’t colored my hair in 11+ years so it was time to give it a shot again. I really love how it came out.

We celebrated Valentine’s Day with dinner out.

Then miss Independence celebrated her 3rd birthday on the 15th.

We rounded out the month with a long weekend in the Smoky Mountains. We actually took a weekend (a whole weekend!) away, mostly in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

On the first day, we checked out Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies and Dolly Parton’s Stampede show/dinner.

Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies

Dolly Parton’s Stampede

The next day, we had to sit through a timeshare presentation for a few hours (otherwise, this vacation wouldn’t have happened). But were able to salvage some of the day by riding the ski lift to the Skybridge in Gatlinburg at Skylift Park.

Thankfully, the weather warmed up for our last day and a half so we were able to squeeze every last bit out of them.

Our last full day was spent at the Titanic Museum exhibit, checking out the shops at The Island, and going up the other side of the mountains to Anakeesta.

Titanic Museum

Photos weren’t allowed inside, except in one room. It was truly a neat experience with recreations of the Grand Staircase (to scale!) and the halls/decks. We were given passenger cards and at the end of the tour, we were able to see if our person survived. It was a very somber experience that would have been perfect, had it not been for a rowdy family in front of us with no manners. Nothing annoys me more than disrespectful parents/kids when it comes go museum-like settings.

Anakeesta

We took off that Monday for home, but not before taking some old time photos and taking Little Man gem mining (he loves rocks so he had a blast).

Old Time Photos

Gem Mining

Now, I know this isn’t the most authentic experience, but for Little Man, it was perfect. He is all about rocks and helping, so this was a win-win.

Because we spent a little more for a larger bucket, we also received a free one carat cut Smoky Mountain topaz (semi-precious gemstone).

We could have used our coupon toward cutting/polishing one of the gemstones we found, but it was an overnight thing and we were needing instant gratification at that point.

We found a bunch of amethyst, rose quartz, and topaz pieces as well as an emerald, some garnet, citrine, sapphires, ruby, labradorite, and a ton of cool geodes/minerals. We’ll definitely go again if Little Man still enjoys it.

We got home in time for a short work week, a potluck, and another round of staff duty to finish off the month.

March has already promised to be a fun-filled month so we are looking forward to it.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo

It’s been nearly 3 weeks since I lost you.

The house just isn’t the same. I still instinctively look for you when I enter a room as the last year with you taught us to get in as many ear scratches and sloppy kisses as we could.

I miss your excited bark and that happy little trot you did to greet us every time we came home.

It didn’t matter if we were only gone 10 minutes or that it was only your dad coming home from work.

I miss seeing you sit in the sun, stubbornly refusing to come inside because you simply hadn’t had enough of it’s warmth.

I miss the way you’d spin in circles when you were playing, sneezing and carrying on.

The quiet times when we’d just sit together.

But mostly I just miss you.

Your dad won’t say much but he misses you too.

As do your siblings.

This was the first photo I ever saw of you.

You were so tiny.

Bringing you home, we had no idea what we were in for. You were a ball of energy!

Since then, you had so many adventures. From the beaches of Oahu, to Nebraska, to North Carolina, to Tennesee.

You thought everyone should be your friend. And almost everyone was.

There was always plenty of time for sleep and snuggles too.

I hope you knew how much I loved you. It absolutely broke my heart to have to lose you. If I could have saved you, I would have without hesitation. It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made.

You had such a life, my nugget. And I’m forever thankful to have been your mama. I can’t wait to see you on the other side.

– A. xoxo

Good grief, what a start to the new year!

We didn’t do much this month but it feels like it’s been a long one.  We had plans to go to Gatlinburg over the long MLK weekend, but the weather took a turn and we decided to shoot for Presidents Day weekend next month instead.

We’ve all been sick sick sick this month. It started as chills and fevers and turned into coughs and fatigue. I lost my sense of smell and taste about a week into being ill.

The boys seemed to get over it quickly (thank goodness!) but I’m still recovering. It’s miserable and still hanging on almost 2 weeks later.

We got some devastating news mid month which has added even more exhaustion to my recovery. Audie had some bloody diarrhea so we went to the vet. X rays were done and there was what appeared to be another mass on his liver.

He was extremely anemic and the mass was inoperable. He looked like he had aged years in a matter of weeks since his annual visit.

Doc gave him a few weeks and we opted to keep him comfortable until the time came. My poor bub beat the odds for so long, but it just wasn’t enough.

We had to let him go on the 25th. He went downhill so quickly. The cancer was spreading and he was swelling up, having trouble breathing. It was really hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. I miss him so much.

The whole house is so strange without him. Indie is struggling as much as the rest of us. The sadness comes in waves. I know we did the right thing but it’s so hard. He really was our family.

I wanted to spend more time reminiscing on Audie, but I can’t bring myself to dwell on it yet. It’s still too raw and I am still too exhausted to put everything he deserves into words. I really miss my sweet bub with all my heart.

We’ve been so consumed with sickness and grief this month, we are looking forward to the next chapter.

Until then,

Cheers!

– A. xoxo

And so we close out another crazy year. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to process how it’s already over.

December did not disappoint in being jam packed with things to do.

We kicked off the month with Little Man getting a pretty nasty cold. It felt like it’d never end! I can handle just about any gross bodily discharge, but toddler snot is the worst. Poor kid ran a low grade fever and had either nasal congestion or a faucet for a nose. It was a long few days, especially when I started having a similar issue with my sinus draining and an annoying scratchy throat.

But despite the little bug, we managed to get some things accomplished.

First, the doggos had their annual photos with Santa. Audie, as always, was a rockstar, while Indie…well…was difficult. She definitely  needs so socialization work as she was an anxious mess. We managed to get some photos of them though. Even if they’re not the best.

Then, it was Little Man’s turn. He was not impressed this year! We knew it was going to be iffy but he didn’t even give Santa a chance (despite him being the same Santa as last year). As laid back as he usually is for photos, he was not having it this year.

We did try get a cute one without tears but otherwise, STRANGER DANGER!

The following week, we had his 18 month check up. He weighed in at 24.8lbs and was 32inches tall. He’s hitting/exceeding all of his milestones except for language. He babbles all the time and expects us to understand him, so it’s coming soon, just not quite there yet.

That weekend, some pretty nasty storms came through. Sadly, a good chunk of Kentucky was destroyed and people lost their lives. As a Midwesterner, I forget that most folks around here aren’t prepared for tornadoes and houses are not built with basements. Thankfully, they passed north of us and we were still able to get out to explore without much damage.

We stopped by the German Christmas Market at a local Lutheran church and had all kinds of yummy food. Little Man surprised the baker by inhaling the lebkuchen cookie sample without hesitation.

We also made the short trek to Bowling Green, KY to visit The Reindeer Farm.

The following week was much calmer. It was nearly 70°, which I will take for December any day of the week. We didn’t do much, other than appointments for the dogs and Hina. Annual vaccines and a lump check for Audie, bordetella vaccine for Indie, and Hina had her thyroid bloodwork done.

Doc was thrilled to see how well Audie was doing. He had a fabulous report, though he does have a broken tooth and will need some bloodwork done just to check him out further. We’ll likely get his dental done after we file our tax returns.

The rest of the month was spent cleaning and prepping for my parents to visit.

We had a nice Christmas at home, just us and the fur kids. We did our yearly matching jammies photos.

And Little Man got so many great presents from Santa.

We decided to try to see a movie as a family of 3 for the first time. Little Man actually did great and only got cranky at the very end.

We got a few days with Nana and Grandad.  We do so miss them! We are so glad they were able to visit while the weather was nice.

We decided to keep the holiday spirit going after Christmas and took everyone to the Clarksville Speedway for the drive through Christmas Lights.

Little Man even got to try our his forward facing carseat for the night. He will be back rear facing again until he outgrows his other seat (at 30lbs).

This year has been a crazy ride. Though we didn’t go on many of our typical adventures, we made a lot of precious memories and are truly experiencing all the wonderful new dynamics of being a growing family of 3.

Personally, I can’t believe it’s almost 2022 and soon we’ll have a 2 year old. We’ve had so many new and different experiences this year and next year is promising to be just as exciting.

With all of the ups and downs, I can’t wait to see what 2022 brings.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo