2019...New Year, Same Amount of Fun

Hello! Hello!

I know, I know...I promised more updates over the fall, annnnddd that didn't happen. It has been quiet around here, and I am so very sorry. I just saw that August was my last blog update. AUGUST?! Holy cow! Time sure does fly! So here is your long awaited update for those of you who actually read them.

It is 2019...when and how did that happen? I can't believe how quickly 2018 flew by us. We are doing well and enjoying life. I'm not going to lie, we are quite exhausted all the time because we are busy nearly every hour of every single day, but that's okay. We are just busy living.

September through December are our favorite months around here; fall is nothing short of amazing and Christmas is magical. So we spent our autumn going on adventures and making memories. We had Aunt Haley's (Vince's sister) wedding in September, and Everly was one of the flower girls. ADORABLE!!! We went to the apple orchards twice, the sunflower fields twice, and the pumpkin patch twice. We ate pumpkin, s'mores, and cinnamon ice cream (YUMMY!), drank hot chocolate, ate pumpkin pie (pumpkin everything honestly), went to football games, and enjoyed Thanksgiving with family. Everly was the cutest witch ever for Halloween, and of course we carved pumpkins! We took our sweet girl trick-or-treating for the very first time, and I don't know who had more fun...me or her! :)

Everly had her 18 month check-up in November. She is growing and progressing right on track. She was 33.5 inches tall and 23.2 pounds wearing 24 months and 2T clothing. She finally started talking and communicating more consistently in December and babbles ALL THE TIME. She still loves many different foods, but broccoli is one of her faves, along with cheese, chips, crackers, and basically anything crunchy and considered a "snack." She enjoys Taco Bell, any Mexican place, and any Japanese and Chinese restaurant. She also really enjoys onion rings, blueberries, apples, bananas, peppers, pita bread, hummus, fish, mac n' cheese, oatmeal, and carrots. Overall, she is flourishing and growing perfectly!

This Christmas season, we enjoyed our time with family and friends. We had a couple parties and a few Christmas get-togethers. We were busy every weekend between basketball games and Christmas fun. But I would not change a thing. She LOVED opening gifts this year! She kept saying "Whoa" when she would open something new. SO. CUTE. Everly also enjoyed making sugar cookies for the very first time...she loved eating them even more. ;) For New Year's Eve, we went low-key, like we normally do. We went to eat with my side of the family at Olive Garden and then spent some time with Vince's mom and sister and brother-in-law at home playing games and watching Rockin' Eve. My kind of night.

A little Christmas dress photo shoot for a small shop...

Now here we are...January of 2019. Everly is still talking up a storm, but her new favorite sayings are "uh, oh" and "go." She is now 24 pounds exactly and 34 inches tall. Daddy celebrated his 35th birthday. We have finally had some snow to play in. How fun was that!!! And basketball is on the down-hill side of the schedule. We are over halfway finished with the season, which is also hard to believe. My cheerleaders are gearing up for their Regional competition in a couple weeks, and we are all getting a little tired of the cold weather, even though it hasn't been that cold yet this year.

As for me, I have been completely wrapped up in making 2019 an amazing year! I am still jogging and working out when I can, eating well on most days, and drinking more water. I am writing as often as I can, but it has been slow going. I am reading when I can because it makes me happy. I go out with my girlfriends any chance I get. And I am focusing on being the healthiest and happiest version of me I can be this year. One of my goals is to update the blog once a month, so fingers crossed I can keep to it. Life is short, so do what makes you happy.

One last update on the adoption front, our agency shared amazing news recently...they have fought the good fight and WON in their battle against the Department of State!!!!! They have been reaccredited and are working on getting their programs back and up and running. The Japan program is still there and for that I am so very thankful! It looks much different than when we brought our sweet girl home, but at least there is still a route for Japanese adoption. I am hopeful the path will get easier as time progresses, but only time will tell. I have made some pretty amazing friends along this journey, and I hope they know how much I appreciate each and every one of them. I have a few friends hoping to bring home little ones from Korea and Japan this year. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. The adoption journey is not for the faint at heart, and things can change so quickly. I am looking forward to celebrating with them as they bring home little ones this year!

Until next time, I hope you are all enjoying your winter wherever you may be. I hope to have a new update in February...talk to you soon! :)

For her 18 month photo shoot in November, Sadie made an appearance; we were inspired by Little Red Riding Hood!