We never made it completely public, but we were matched with a birth mom in September of this year; she was due November 20. For three months we planned, prepared, and waited for the baby girl she was having. Thanksgiving was spent on the edge of our seats, as she still had not delivered. She had wavered the whole time, never fully committing to the adoption, and in the end she decided to keep her baby.
Even though we had steeled ourselves to the possibility, we still really felt the blow. After a miscarriage in 2010, losing the twins in 2011, and then beginning the adoption process that same year, we have been ready and waiting for an addition to our family for quite some time. We were waiting to take our family Christmas picture with our new baby, and when that fell through, we didn't quite have the heart to send out Christmas cards with just the three of us.
But we still had an incredible year. We had many blessings and adventures. So, instead of sending Christmas cards, I decided to give a little recap of our year on our blog. Hopefully, we will reach most of our family and friends that way!
January
Justin and I made igneous rocks (a.k.a. lollipops!)
February
heart pancakes for Valentine's Day
March
my brother Jonathan, Eme, and the kids visited from Minnesota
we got new chicks
we made significant progress on our patio project
April
We had showers that brought not only rainbows...
...but also flowers
May
Dave's 3 month sabbatical began, and we went to Disneyland!
we finished our patio
and Justin graduated from Kindergarten
June
We left on our 7 week adventure driving to Minnesota
Justin turned 6! (in Minnesota)...
...we spent time around Lake Superior...
...saw Gooseberry Falls...
...went strawberry picking with cousins...
...opened a rock shop at Grandpa's house...
...and had lots of time at the cabin.
July
We finished up in Minnesota and drove back through Glacier National Park
We also stopped at Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota
August
Justin started 1st Grade
We also endured many smoky days due to the Rim Fire, which was about 1 1/2 hours from us
September
We had a bumper tomato crop
Justin played and Dave coached another soccer season
and we started a new batch of wine
October
We painted the guest room
and had our first fire of the season
November
We celebrated Thanksgiving at our house with Dave's parents
and visited Big Trees State Park
December
We visited the snow in the mountains
and enjoyed a visit from my parents, who helped us with our lemon harvest
We spent Christmas in Reno with Dave's parents and sister's family from Texas.
There it is! We had a pretty eventful year (although not as eventful we were hoping in terms of expanding our family). We continue to feel blessed and thankful for all the wonderful gifts God has graciously bestowed upon us. God's blessings and peace to you! Merry Christmas (late) and Happy New Year (early)!
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