2016 has been a very trying year for us. Full of lots of great things for sure, but definitely a tough one. I had pretty poor health during pregnancy and it took a long time to recover some energy after V was born. My blogging lost momentum so there is hardly ANYTHING in this blog to show for everything we've been through this year. And that's ok...probably better not to dwell on it. But there are a few things I think are worth a mention. These are not necessarily highlights, just some things that I felt deserved a little nod.
SCHOOL
Rowan suddenly and surprisingly began to struggle in Pre-K and that school year ended abruptly for both boys in a lot of turmoil and drama that left us all with some demons to wrestle. I never expected to be caught up in such a ridiculous preschool situation and I never would have imagined that Rowan would have been affected so much. As parents, we send our children to school hoping, and trusting, that they will be in good hands. When Rowan began acting out at school and at home, I was confused and irritated. It got progressively worse and we didn't understand why until another parent came forward and shared instances where she had witnessed Rowan being mistreated at school by the teacher. The experience cut deep and gave us quite a bit of added anxiety over starting Kindergarten. Now, almost a year later, with a LOT of family bonding and support, we are very happy to see that those dark clouds are very much behind us. Rowan is enjoying Kindergarten, excelling academically and finding his way socially as well.
HALLOWEEN
HALLOWEEN
We always kind of throw things together for Halloween despite our best intentions. This year proved to be one of our most frantic. The boys had a last minute change of heart on costumes, leaving Cid as a Teenage Mutant Ninja Spiderman??? and Rowan as Dr. Strange, which in all its obscurity ended up being a huge homemade costume win IMHO. But besides their very representative costume choices, this Halloween was particularly special because its the first one where Rowan and Cid both actually participated in both costume preparation and pumpkin carving. The boys are growing up!
HORSES
The boys have done a lot of flip-flopping in regards to the horses. They started off excited to ride, then lost interest. It was hard to see them present negative feelings towards the horses since a BIG part of us moving out here was giving them an upbringing that included these animals. Additionally, I very much feel that having a relationship with animals, and especially horses, gets us outdoors and provides mental balance, something that all of us really could have used more of this year! I'm happy to share that finally Rowan is coming back around and beginning to see the fun in riding. As for myself, there's been very little riding. I really hope 2017 is my year to get back into it!
WEATHER
Good God! The climate here is WAY more extreme than any of us expected (keep in mind that I may or may not be using the word extreme a little loosely. I did spend my entire life up until now in California). I guess we mostly expected overcast & drizzle. Not the case. We've been barraged with super hot summers and freezing/flooding winters. I love that we HAVE seasons. I just feel like we are always two steps behind in preparation for what's in store. It's getting slightly better. Hopefully soon, we'll get the hang of it.
HOUSE/FARM PROJECTS
Its been a little over a year since we moved into our new house but with so much going on and so much TLC needed on this property, we are just starting to feel like its becoming ours. We've been working hard on house and farm projects but progress is very slow. Lest we forget the sweet little nocturne that keeps us up throughout the night and keeps our arms occupied most of the day. I'm excited to share our house projects soon, but right now, I'm cherishing time as a family and letting those other things slide.
HORSES
The boys have done a lot of flip-flopping in regards to the horses. They started off excited to ride, then lost interest. It was hard to see them present negative feelings towards the horses since a BIG part of us moving out here was giving them an upbringing that included these animals. Additionally, I very much feel that having a relationship with animals, and especially horses, gets us outdoors and provides mental balance, something that all of us really could have used more of this year! I'm happy to share that finally Rowan is coming back around and beginning to see the fun in riding. As for myself, there's been very little riding. I really hope 2017 is my year to get back into it!
WEATHER
Good God! The climate here is WAY more extreme than any of us expected (keep in mind that I may or may not be using the word extreme a little loosely. I did spend my entire life up until now in California). I guess we mostly expected overcast & drizzle. Not the case. We've been barraged with super hot summers and freezing/flooding winters. I love that we HAVE seasons. I just feel like we are always two steps behind in preparation for what's in store. It's getting slightly better. Hopefully soon, we'll get the hang of it.
Its been a little over a year since we moved into our new house but with so much going on and so much TLC needed on this property, we are just starting to feel like its becoming ours. We've been working hard on house and farm projects but progress is very slow. Lest we forget the sweet little nocturne that keeps us up throughout the night and keeps our arms occupied most of the day. I'm excited to share our house projects soon, but right now, I'm cherishing time as a family and letting those other things slide.
