Dear Friends,
On this quiet and bitterly cold New Year's Eve, I'm taking a look back at how my life changed over the past year. 2013 was quite a year for my family!
*❤*
On January 1st, I began the year unexpectedly, but joyfully, pregnant ...
And a couple of weeks later I turned 44!
With our help, Bookworm navigated his college applications (no mean feat for a homeschooler!) and anxiously awaited replies ...
MIT said no (rats!) but Boston College said yes - hooray!
Go Eagles!
We welcomed our precious Little Bear at the end of May ...
Making me the proud mother of four boys!
In early June, Bookworm made his high school (homeschool) graduation.
One down, three to go!
In late June, on what felt like the hottest summer days ever, we moved into a new home and a new town ...
Two days later we discovered our dear cat had a serious and mysterious puncture wound in his belly.
Archie miraculously survived!
One July day we attended college orientation with Bookworm - and that night I came down with mastitis only to break a toe the next morning!
Ouch!
In September we moved Bookworm into a dorm at BC ...
And Crackerjack began his first year as a (homeschooled) high schooler.
How time has flown ...
In October we sold our old house.
A bittersweet moment, happy though we are in our new home.
In November Earlybird had a frightening seizure and a new reality set in ...
We're still trying to get a handle on all that ...
In December Bill's father was diagnosed with cancer, and prepared for chemo before the end of the year.
This still doesn't seem real ... prayers are so appreciated.
By Advent, I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, but actively sought out peace and joy through mindfulness and prayer. With family and friends by our side, we had a truly wonderful Christmas.
*❤*
Our year was filled with so many changes - sometimes it was hard to keep up! But with support from those who love us, we embraced - or at least handled - all those changes.
The best change of all is that on this New Year's Eve, we are now a family of SIX rather than FIVE, and for that I am truly grateful. My greatest joy in life is in motherhood and to be honored with it one more time? To be entrusted with the care of one more precious soul? I feel like the luckiest woman alive ...
:)
My friends, the gift of another year lies ahead ... let's be grateful for our blessings, hold each other up through our challenges and rejoice in all the possibilities!
Wishing you all a very Happy & Healthy New Year ... May God's Love touch your life and fill your heart with the comfort you need and the peace you desire ...
With Much Love,
~ Dawn
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