Hard to believe another year has come and gone and from the looks of FB friends.....we are getting "old"...I saw that many opted to stay home and go to bed early instead of looking for something fun to do till way past midnight...although I was a little sad we missed the Tanglewood run!
2013 brought many changes for us as a family....Bryson turned 7 and Britan turned 2....and Brooks and I both grew another year wiser ;)
Bryson celebrated on a Disney Cruise!
Britan celebrated with Hello Kitty :)
My career took a surprising (now I realize much needed) turn......I am grateful everyday for the opportunity that I was presented with way back on July 11th.....I gave up the job at West High to "see" where this new opportunity would lead me.....and I am thankful that there are no regrets! I have met many new friends and learned lots of new things over the past few months and I am excited for what the future holds next......
Bryson started 2nd grade at a new school...it wasn't the perfect start that I had envisioned, but it continues to get better everyday! He loves his teacher and he is adjusting to not having mom there everyday.....but he and I both definitely look forward to Wednesdays....we like to have Wednesday afternoon "dates"...just the 2 of us :) He continues to amaze me with how smart he is....I do believe he will be an engineer one day....considering he put together his 1200 pieces lego technics car in less than 15 hours the other day!! He has also continued his focus on soccer...he has played in some way or another since last February....doing some foot skills training's this winter....I do believe he is starting to love the game as his daddy had hoped would happen!!
Brooks is working on his 13th (I think thats right) year for the county! He became one of the WISA Directors in August and has really focused on building the soccer program for young kids in the West Iredell area....along with helping with the high school teams and coaching Bryson's team to an undefeated season :)
And then there is "sassy pants".....I have this amazing 2 year old that makes me laugh a million times a day! This little firecracker is full of herself and full of life! She started preschool this year and has adjusted VERY well to the school routine and made several new friends along the way. Her hair is finally starting to GROW...it is still thin and fine (sadly this comes from her mother), but it is able to go into a pony or pig tails...whenever she "allows" me to do so. Her language as emerged over the past month or so...and there is NO stopping her now! She is a little priss that loves to dress, wear bows and play with babies....and she likes her brother's boy toys too!!!
Our house had a major impact on our life this past year as well....I do recall the 1st week of summer break when the tree fell in the front yard and we had no power for a few days in the 90 degree heat...and then there is the major reno that just took place in my FABULOUS new kitchen...most know this, but the old kitchen was the one that my grandparents built in the 70s and it was the last room in the house that we hadnt touched since we bought it from my dad in 08...it was a long time coming, but staring at it now, it was well worth the wait....and thankfully my husband has the same drive as I do and we successfully gutted, reconstructed walls, and installed everything brand new in 21 days! AND we are both still alive to tell about it :)
Over all we had a GREAT year.....many memories made and lots of changes that turned out great in the end...So as we look ahead for the new year and pondering some resolutions....we will keep them simple and mostly the same....
1) As a family we will continue to make priceless, precious memories and take lots of pics to be able to reflect on the fun we have....
2) We just rejoined the Y, so perhaps I can run again considering its been awhile....but most importantly we have already been in the pool this weekend!
3) Continue the 20 minute chores to maintain organization and a "tiddy" house....I have missed these during the kitchen process and look forward to setting the timer Monday night and dusting!
4) Stay on the budget track that we began almost 2 years ago...which means cooking at home more than I have lately!!!
5) I will make a point to blog more than last year....13 posts shouldnt be too hard to beat!
6) We will continue to live by and strive for this motto: "the harder you work, the more you earn"
7) We will continue to attend the Cove Church weekly and grow spiritually!
We are a very blessed family and we are grateful everyday for the opportunities that we have to give our kids a great, safe, happy, (mostly sheltered) life!!
We are very thankful for our loving families and our close friends that share this Derting Life with us!!
Much love, Alysha
