Another year in the books!

I haven't posted in a while so I have a lot of fun family updates.  First, Johnny finished his doctoral program and is now a doctor of engineering!  We are all very proud of him and looking forward to having more free time!  He's now trying to convince me to get a doctorate of education, but I haven't been convinced yet.  The idea of more school is not exactly appealing after the tough Fall I had with such a heavy work load.  I'm very happy to have such a busy project load, but I also look forward to a little less stress going into 2018!

Fall was filled with many activities including a music recital for Veteran's Day at the Morningside House in Leesburg.  Both kids are taking music lessons from Jessica and Reagan started taking voice lessons.  Both sang with their cousin Jacqueline (who also takes voice lessons from Jessica) and had a great time handing out cupcakes and talking with the residents at the retirement home after the recital.  One of the men was 99 years old!  And everyone liked the performance so much that all of Jessica's students were invited back in December for a Christmas recital and sing along!  And this time both sang solos!  So proud of them for having the courage to do that in front of so many people!

Both kids have also been participating in an after school running program twice a week for two months for an hour. The training ended with a 5K that all Loudoun County Elementary Schools ran together.  Running with the Stars was a lot of fun and I'm really proud of both of them for finishing the race.  They ran with several friends including their friend Hailey.

We followed tradition this year and decided to cut down our Christmas tree at Snickersgap Tree Farm in Bluemont.  As tradition holds, they fought over who got to drag the tree down the hill.  We still haven't perfected how they can share that task, but perhaps next year we'll craft a plan on the way there.  It has become a fun tradition that always ends with Reagan and I putting on the ornaments while the boys watch TV.  And this year we added a new tradition of ordering Chinese food after for dinner.  Sounds like a great tradition to me!

Reagan also got to attend The Nutcracker's Russian ballet this year at George Mason's Center for the Performing Arts! Johnny's dad bought tickets for her and her cousin Leah to go for the first time!  Her mom and I went along with Pop and Nana.  I wasn't sure if Reagan would stay engaged for two hours.  I took the kids to the Nutcracker three years ago at a local high school but that's nothing like the Russian ballet!  Reagan was truly mesmerized.  It was so fun seeing the amazement in her eyes.  Pop even bought tickets to have her picture with a ballerina and take home a nutcracker ornament.  I know she will cherish that for the rest of her life.  So much fun to expose her to culture at an early age.

We started the Christmas season with breakfast with Santa at River Creek Country Club with Johnny's family. The kids get very excited about our elves visiting each day, Fred and Rose.  But Reagan had to be convinced to sit on Santa's lap for the first time this year.  She claimed he wasn't the "real" Santa.  I know our years are numbered for the magic to still be alive...I never realized how quickly that is lost until I had children.

The good news is that they have younger cousins on one side so they can continue to "play along" even when they don't believe.  It is so different when they are the youngest versus their older cousins who get to carry on that magic so much longer!  Having kids has definitely brought the magic back for me over the last 8 years and I hope we can keep it alive a few more years!

We also surprised the kids with a trip to Hersey PA!  This has also become a December tradition.  We usually go to the hockey game the weekend of the Bear Toss where everyone brings stuffed bears and throw them onto the ice after the first goal of the game. All the bears are donated to the local children's hospital.  Unfortunately that game is the first weekend in December and we weren't sure when Johnny would be defending his dissertation so we decided to get tickets later in December.

We secretly packed the kids bags and when we got in the car we told them we were running errands (they didn't see us load the bags).  We got a reservation at the Hershey Lodge for the first time since the new water park opened.  We spent the afternoon at the waterpark and then headed to the hockey game.  We were able to see Cocoa again!  It was a great game and Reagan asked lots and lots of questions about the rules and what the players were doing.  Not only that, Cole was on the jumbotron for the Fan of the Game!  Cole and I also took a walk around the stadium to meet the service dogs.  It was really nice driving the short distance to the hotel and being able to go the waterpark the next morning.

We had a fun Christmas this year celebrating with my family at my mom and dad's with the traditional quiche, fruit soup and tea ring.  Then we had Johnny's family over this year and hosted Christmas at our house.  The kids had a great time and always love having people over.  Reagan's big ask of Santa this year was to have her room repainted and get new comforter and Cole simply wanted a new transformer.  The first time I asked what he wanted for Christmas he said, "I don't really need anything mom."  Then when I pushed he said, "Well, now that I think about it, can Santa bring me a flying hover board so I can fly around the world?" Santa didnt' bring that so we think they were back ordered. Santa also brought a new Nintendo Switch and a basketball hoop. The kids were thrilled!


We closed out the year taking the kids skiing the week after Christmas.  We haven't done that in three years so it was fun seeing them out on the slopes again.  Both really enjoyed their lesson with Two Top Adaptive Ski School at Whitetail Ski Resort and were begging to stay longer.  That was amazing given it was only 9 degrees the day we went!!  We will definitely try to take them again this season. Although Reagan asked if she can skip the lesson next time and just "go down the hill really fast."  God help us when she gets her driver's license!!

We were proud of both kids for going on the full lift (not the bunny slopes) during their lessons.  The true test will be getting Johnny and I back on the slopes.  I don't think I've been skiing since we got married 11 years ago!  Unfortunately we've been a little busy with kids, doctor's appointments and this thing called life and work.  But it's exciting thinking that the kids are now getting to the age that some of these activities will be easier for us to do as a family.  Looking forward to the future, that's for sure!

As we close out the year, I think back to the year before and acknowledge how far we have come. Last year we had 25 doctors appointments, one surgery and about 70 therapy appointments (Reagan wasn't off the wait list until May after going to Kennedy Krieger's Constraint Camp).   This year we only had 11 doctors appointments and 48 therapy appointments (not including the dentist or orthodontist) and the second year in a row with NO hospitalizations!  I looked back at my blog post at the end of 2012 and we had 108 appointments that year!  We feel so blessed that life is becoming more normal and we hope to beat our record of 2 years without any hospitalizations in 2018.

As I think about our year, I can't help but think about the loss of my God son Evan.  He truly had a sweet spirit and was very special to me and to our family.  The four kids got along so well and we always enjoyed our play dates.  This picture was taken the week before he was called to Heaven in August.  His loss was a reminder to cherish each day.  To hold every moment as sacred.  To always say I love you.  And never wait for tomorrow as it may not come.  Evan's loss left a hole in my heart comparable only to losing my own child. This poem says it well...

I thought of you with love today 
but that is nothing new.
I thought about you yesterday 
and the day before that too.
I think of you in silence 
and often speak your name
All I have are memories 
and your picture in a frame.
Your memory is my keepsake 
with which I will never part.
God has you in his keeping 
and I have you in my heart.

I hope that all our friends and family have a happy new year.  I pray for health and peace for all.  Yet I know there will be loss and there will be pain, so I pray you each have the strength to face what you must and that you embrace each day with all your heart and soul. God bless!