Just like that 2013 came to an end. We bid our goodbyes to 2013. It was a bittersweet year for us. There are joy and sorrow in all of our days. It is life !
I was in my last trimester when 2013 marched in. I was tired of being pregnant and was counting down each minute to delivery date ! Bee wants to be like me so she walks around with a balloon that she stuffed up her shirt. Cute and freaky at the same time ! During this time, I was spent a lot of time "nesting". I (forcefully) suggested to C that I needed the many rooms in our house repainted. I also surprise him one day by telling him that I sold our dinning room set on craigslist !
In February we welcomed the birth of our 2nd daughter, Kadie Madison. A whopping 7 lb 10 ounces baby. Words cannot express how happy we are to have her in our lives, sleep deprived and all :-)
Bee celebrated her 3rd birthday ! I can't believe she's 3 and talking like a 15. She now negotiates, questions my authority, asks a million of questions, gives herself time out, shuts the door to her room, and makes up her own rules ! In between, she smiles and giggles a lot, hugs often, and always say "I love you mama". I love hugging her. I wish I can freeze those moments. The feeling of having this small child that I can still hold tight onto, that she can still fit in my arms is amazing. Her smell, her touch, her skin, her kisses, her eyes looking into my eyes. I'm in love with my daughter. I don't want her to grow up. I want time to slow down for us.
C & I became quite the home maker this year. We planted vegetables in our little garden, refurbished a sideboard and did a lot of baking (mainly me!). We picked and ate snowpea tips, peas, spinach and blueberries from our garden. We also gathered our first crop of figs ! 17 green Italian sweet-as-honey figs. They were wonderfully delicious.
As spring reaching to an end, our church closed its door and so begins the search for a new home church for us. It was a huge change with mixed emotions. Within weeks of that, my uncle passed away from a stroke. Those 2 events casted a cloud of sadness over our family. It was a tough time for us but we strive on, hanging to the Hope we know. Christ gives us strength to move on forward.
Summer came rushing in with flurries of weekends at the beach, bbqs, and picnics. We also took a short trip to the States, took both kids on their first camping trip and also spent some time on a cabin by the water. It was nice. It was time for us to rest, enjoy the beautiful nature God has bestowed on us, and reflect. This year was also our 10th anniversary. Almost 20 years since we dated. I spent most of my life time with this lone man !!!!! Wow, time flies when you're busy living.
As summer turns into fall, we get to celebrate with my 2nd cousin C, as she wed her lovely man J. It was a hot day with cold drinks being served all around. A beautiful wedding with thoughtful touches from the bride. We danced until our feet hurt while the kids passed out from all the excitement.This year I discovered that Bee has a knack for creative art ! She has quite the imagination and can express them through her drawing. She also loves to sing and dance (mostly to Katy Perry) and loves to wear dresses ! She's definitely my girl :)
As the warm golden sun extended his stay, we finally decided on a church that we can attend regularly. Things are looking up. Then C was approached for new employment opportunity and became an associate for a local firm. I'm really proud of him. It was a huge blessing because we can see the footprints of how the Lord got C to where he is. We are always grateful for all that's been given to us.Autumn welcomes the birth of our dear friends' son, Brendan. Lovebug now has a friend who's born in the same year as her.
Thanksgiving came and bought with it a cold chilly blanket. Within weeks, the town were hit with a cold snap. We woke up one morning with snow covered ground. Bee was beyond the moon happy. We were out playing, singing, and making a snow man. Lovebug was freaking out at all these white things flying around her. She tried to lick them off the ground !
Christmas came with dinners with all the usual suspects. However we got a special visit from our long time friend Aggie, who now lives in the UK. It was such a delight to have her family over and meeting her baby Ben. I like hearing Aggie talk. She has interesting insights and a straight-shooter so one can expect nothing but truthfulness from her. Quite refreshing.
I love my little family ! Love all the messiness that it comes with. Bee and Lovebug bought so much joy and "ah hah" moments to our days ! Along with them are some hair pulling frustrations too :D There's rarely a pocket of silent in our home. Bee talks all.day.long !!! Her favorite words are "I'm sad now" (when she doesn't get what she wants), "Never ever again", "I want you to hold me", "Jesus loves us", "Jesus loves everybody", "Jesus loves me so I can build house (bloks), I can swim, I can poo, I can pee" (I don't know what to make of that one but it's good to be thankful nonetheless), and her favorite line of all "That's NOT right!". This year was a learning curve for Bee. She has a new sister whom she has to share not only her parents with but also all toys ! all the while learning alphabet, counting to 20, spelling her name, cutting paper with scissor, building with bloks, drawing, interacting with peers, joining circle time at strongstart & sunday school, etc . Some days she's loving, some day she's frustrated and down right a meany. I'm glad there are more of the former than latter. Bee adjusted well with all the changes, more than I expected, and always ready to help with everything, from diaper change to bathing to carrying baby. Every now and then she asks me to give baby away !
Bee also took swimming lesson this year and passed ! She loves the pool. There's not an ounce of fear of the deep water in her. Awesomeness ! On top of all of that, she kind of came out of her shell !!! C and I heard her introduces her name, saw her plays and talks with other kids. She's much more socialable ! We can drop her off at Sunday school now :D imagine that ! it's a big milestone for us all.
As for Lovebug, she likes to scream when she's upset, happy, and sometime, just because ! She's LOUD ! She's also a super baby ! So strong and sturdy. She rolled over at 3 month, sat up at 5 and stood up at 6. She started taking baby steps at 8 months and fully walk on her own at 10 months. Amazing right ? She's so easy and chill ! I also didn't have to make baby food because she gagged when fed pureed food. She wants to eat what we're eating. I'm a bit sad that she's so independent. By year end she can feed herself, walk/run, climb on/off table, sofa and bed, and she can crawl up stairs. She loves to open cabinets and play with the water in the toilet (so unlike Kaila who has no interests in those). She's now 20 lbs ! I want to hold on to her as much as I can !
Our home is crazy noisy when the kids aren't sleeping. Isn't every home with kids noisy ? A mayhem from sunrise to sunset. But amidst the chaos, a smile, a laugh, a giggle dispersed all anxiety away. Kids have that affect on us. They push on our boundaries and broaden them in ways we thought not possible. Cliché this might sound, but my kids help me to be better person. I'm so much more patience than I've ever been. More crafty, more silly, more messy, more forbearing than I've ever been. I cherish them.
As for C and I, we gossip about our kids often when they're fast asleep ! We fought over who we think is more like us. We miss each other a lot. Some day we just stare at each other and miss having the other person to our self. We hug tight whenever we can. A touch, a glance, a kiss, a smile keeps us connected. We know it's temporary that we can't spend too much time together. A baby and a toddler is demanding ! they want to spend time with us and we need to spend time with them. Time is an expensive commodity that we're learning each day to spend wisely ! I don't know how we did it but some how we managed to find time for all as family, then as a couple, and alone time too !!! Thanks to my mom for stepping in to help here and there ! We appreciate her.
Overall, it's a good year. We're grateful for each other, for our families, and our friends. Doing life is sweeter with friends. We look forward to see what the Lord has plan for us for 2014 ! Cheers !
