I was feeling kind of badly about the fact that we didn't get a Christmas card and letter sent out this year. Especially with how blessed we have been this year, I didn't want to miss out on writing a recap of our year for our records. Then I realized that I didn't need to mail or hand-deliver every "card" in order to send our Christmas best wishes and greetings. The internet is just one more thing for which we should be grateful!
This year has had a lot of ups and a few downs. Overall though, I cannot honestly look back on this year with anything but a grateful heart and feelings of happiness. Miles got a really good promotion at the start of this year to Director of Mobile Development. This promotion not only gave him an almost 50% increase in salary, but has also afforded him a lot of good opportunities for travel and networking. This year he traveled to The Philippines, New York City, Florida, Georgia, Connecticut, London, and San Francisco! He has been involved in some interesting new technology and developments. We are especially grateful for his job, knowing that so many are struggling and searching for good employment. In his free time (when he's able to get any of that) he enjoys working on side-projects for his personal business, playing video games, spending time with Owen, and pampering his wife.
I have been busy as a full-time, stay-at-home, Mom. I love every minute of it (well...most minutes) and I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with Owen as he grows, learns and develops his skills. Earlier this year I realized I had let my social work license lapse, which caused me some anxiety and grief. I was able to renew it and have spent some time working on maintaining current CEU's (continuing education units). It has been enjoyable attending conferences and other clinical presentations. For the most part, my days are filled with chasing after a very busy toddler, attending play dates, running errands (when I have the car for the day), and honing my skills as a wife and mother. This is most definitely a work in progress and I am positive it will continue throughout my whole life.
Owen continues to be the light of our lives. He is such a sweet, mellow, little boy. He started attending nursery a couple of months ago, and has been the joy of all the teachers. Each week they rave about how sweet and laid-back he is. He "goes with the flow" and "never cries when someone else takes his toys." He has a tender heart and huge sense of humor. He is constantly making us laugh with his silly antics. Currently, he loves to be a "nakey snake" (which is what we call him when he runs around in his diaper) and will pull at his clothes and say, "nay-nay" in request to run around naked. He is very active and loves to climb, throw, ride, or run. He loves being outside regardless of the temperature, and would probably live out there if I didn't worry about his nose, fingers and toes falling off due to frost-bite. He is talking up a storm and continues to surprise us daily. He is an absolute joy.
Miles and I have had some fun adventures this year. We decided to start looking into buying a second (larger) home. We searched for a few months and found a beautiful home. Within days of closing, we discovered some structural damage to the home that caused us concern and we decided to back out from our offer. It was a blow to us, as we were eagerly anticipating a new home and move. However, we are hopeful that something better will come along.
Around this same time, Miles and I were able to go to London for ten days! My Mom came to Utah to watch Owen for us so we could have the time alone. It was an amazing trip and was so enjoyable to have time for the two of us.
Earlier this year, we decided that we would try for a second baby. We got some unexpected news about our fertility that led us to believe we might be able to conceive without doing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). We tried some other (less costly) options for a few months, which did not work out. However, during this time, Miles's company changed insurance due to a merger they did in June. His new insurance covers infertility treatment and specifically IVF. We are now starting with a new round of IVF which is almost 100% covered by his insurance. What an amazing blessing that we didn't move forward with it in August!
We truly have been blessed and are so grateful that God knows each of us and looks out for us individually.
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