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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

::The year that was 2013::

I was certainly not an avid blogger the past year, and thus failed to document many of the bigger moments in our lives. Consider this the trip down memory lane to summarize those life experiences we shared this past year. 

Here is my look back at the year that was 2013. 

January::We celebrated New Year's from home for the first time since high school. My grandfather's funeral was on New Year's Eve and it was a time that we relished in family and greatly anticipated the New Year and all that 2013 had to offer. Scout took her first real steps in January and we celebrated Steve's 31st birthday.



February::Cutter turned 3 and Scout turned 1. We celebrated with a Mickey Mouse party and a Gold, glitter soiree for our babies. Nothing brought us more joy than these two this past year, and marking their birthdays so famously was an honor for me as their mother. 



March::I ushered in the month with yet another kidney stone, and then St. Patrick's Day was upon us in our Irish glory. Easter was earlier than usual, but we celebrated all the same with an Easter egg hunt, dying eggs, and a family celebration that brought us all together at my grandmother's. We all donned our finest and Scout's dress remains one of my favorite splurges of the year.


April::Sunshine! We were so thankful for the warmer temperatures and to finally get outside and really play again. We took a trip to the zoo, took updated family pictures with our favorite photographer, and welcomed new babies into the family -- our baby chicks! Spring never felt more new and encouraging.




 
May::My Uncle was married and the whole family was there to celebrate with him. I had suspicions I may be pregnant and two days later it was confirmed. We were preparing to welcome another little Longenecker and we were so happy with this blessing. I celebrated Mother's Day knowing that our baby was growing inside of me already.
 


June::Steve and I celebrated six years of marriage to one another with a date night that of course included a trip to Target. The kids and I spent countless hours outside relishing in all of the wonderful sunshine, room to run, and imaginations to run wild. Cutter especially loved celebrating at our town's Memorial Day Parade; the firetrucks were a gift from above for my fireman lover.


July::Summer continued and we celebrated the fourth in style at home with sparklers and good old fashioned yard wrestling. Deck picnics for lunch became our staple and we literally basked in the glory of no schedules and days with nothing planned but outdoor fun; running through sprinklers, taking adventures in the woods, walks with no planned destination, and countless hours in the sandbox and on the swing set.


August::We celebrated my mom's birthday with a trip to the Strasburg railroad, Scout's personality continued to emerge and amaze me at every turn, I introduced the kids to my high school past-time (field hockey), and we found out that we were having another little girl!



September::Vacation month! We spent a week in the Outer Banks with my extended family and it was well worth the wait of the summer. We came back and jumped right into the frenzy as Cutter started his first year of preschool. 


October::Cutter had his first field trip to the pumpkin patch and I happily chaperoned him as he chose the perfect pumpkin. We celebrated Halloween at our church and I made the kid's costumes, an owl and a fox. We celebrated a friend's birthday party as a family entourage, The Woodland Creatures of Woodland Drive. 
 

November::I ushered in my 31st year and celebrated at home with just the four of us. Cutter and Scout helped to make my cake with me and it was deliciously divine, we all agreed. Cutter had a Thanksgiving feast at school that we were able to attend, and then we celebrated Thanksgiving with family on more than one occasion. Pregnant and good food=a deadly combination.



December::The last month of the year and I feel like we have packed so much into it. We picked out our tree from the tree farm, had significant snow that stayed until just before Christmas and made the month seem magical, celebrated Christmas a grand total of eight different times, and prepared for the arrival of the newest Longenecker. This year has been good to us and we're eager for what God has planned for our family in 2014. I've never been one for resolutions necessarily but I can tell you I am purposing to be much more intentional with my family. Life is short, it's a blip on our radar as we seek to live for all glory in the eternal Kingdom. I can think of no greater joy to bring to my family than to intentionally seek Him more and live for Him in all that I do - including my role as mother and wife.


 


Happy New Year! Welcome to 2014!




















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