New Year's Letter

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! I wanted to send out a Christmas letter this year but didn't get around to it on time. Oh well! This will have to suffice. What a year it has been! As I reflect back on everything that has happened this year, I am filled with gratitude and amazement.

Nathan left Wal-Mart and got a new job at America's Car-Mart home office this spring. This has been a huge change for our family, and a really great change! We do miss our 10% discount and gym membership; otherwise, the move has been really great for us. Being at a smaller company, Nate gets more exposure and opportunities to experience different types of technology. He is learning a ton and enjoying being challenged. I enjoy that he comes home less stressed and depressed!

The girls and I took a three week vacation to Utah this summer to visit our family. We loved spending time with everyone and had so many adventures while we were there. It was the longest Nate and I have ever been apart but somehow we survived.

Ah, the joys of summer!

Lydia holding cousin Carter

While in Utah, I found out some surprising news and was able to relay that to Nate through video chat; we're having another baby!!!! I say surprising not because I don't know where babies come from, but because we were so blessed not to have to go through fertility treatments this time around. We didn't know if we'd even be able to have another baby, so we're thrilled that we will be welcoming a baby girl into our family this February!

Wearing one of my own creations and showing off the belly at 34 weeks and 2 days. 

We'd been considering buying another house because my sewing business/the girls' toy room had taken over our living room. When we found out about the baby, that sent us over the edge. We found a beautiful home in Rogers (the next town over) for a great price that we just couldn't pass up. Fortunately, we were able to sell our old home within a week of being on the market. We have been extremely busy this fall doing some updates to our new home including new carpet, hardwood, granite and butcher block counter tops, backsplash, and appliances. Nate has done a lot of the work himself. It has been stressful, but he is pretty proud of his work! The house is still very much a work in progress but we love it! It's a great location close to Nathan's work, and we love having a bit more space.

Our beautiful, new home

We experienced two enjoyable trips to Seattle to see Nate's family this year. Once was for a camping trip on Moses Lake and the other for Christmas! On both trips we were privileged to see "the mountain" multiple days out of each week we were there.  It has become a running joke as Nate's whole family always points out to me when Mt. Rainier is visible since we always seem to have good weather when we visit.  On cloudy days, the mountain is not in sight.

Loving on their Anna and Elsa dolls from Grandma

My Etsy shop has kept me busy this year. It's been really fun to learn new skills and see my creations come to life. I plan to close the shop for a nice long maternity break. I hope to be able to open it again, but I'm sure it will take some time to adjust to caring for three small children. Did I mention we're going to have 3 kids under the age of 2 1/2?!?!?!?!

I absolutely LOVE my new sewing space!

The girls are growing up so fast that I can hardly keep up. They amaze me with the new things they learn every day. It's so fun to be able to actually have a conversation with them now. I'll admit, being a stay at home mom can be lonely and you end up talking to yourself a lot, so it's been nice to be able to talk to the girls now! They are sweet, funny, smart, crazy girls!

We have been blessed beyond measure! We are grateful for everyone who has been a part of our lives this year. We look forward with joy (and terror!) to Baby A joining our family in just a few short weeks.