2020

 What. A. Year. 

I know 2020 was rough for a lot of people. It definitely brought some tough times for us but overall I cannot say we had a bad year. For us, there was a lot of joy among the stress. As is my tradition, I would like to focus on the good that happened for us this year. 

In January we finally moved into our house! It was a rough few months leading up to that point but it was so good to finally be in our first home.
This photo is from our first night in the house:

We moved in not a moment too soon because I went into labor just a few days later! February was by far the best month of the year because we got to meet our sweet boy. The week after his birth was the hardest time we’ve ever experienced but in the end it was still the happiest time. It was a hard time but it was also a beautiful time. I don't remember which friend said this recently, but hard is not the same as bad.

The few months after that all kind of blur together. The spring and summer were spent trying to survive life with a newborn, work on house projects, and fix up the yard. All while avoiding coronavirus with a baby at home. A lot of people were bored during quarantine but boredom was not one of the many things we experienced. We had a fixer-upper and a baby to keep us busy!

In June I started my own sourdough starter from scratch! It might seem silly that that is noteworthy to me, but it is 2020 and I'm just trying to focus on anything good. I have enjoyed sourdough so much! It took me 6 months to really get the hang of it. It’s been a great quarantine hobby and it has brought me joy so it’s worth mentioning!

September wasn’t a great month but the wildfires are worth mentioning because they did bring some good. They weren’t a bright spot for anyone but they allowed us to open our home to our dear friends and be roommates for a few days. For those few days, helping our friends was more important than coronavirus. I would never say I am glad the wildfires happened. They were awful and they were scary. But I AM glad that we were able to spend time with our friends, even if it was under the worst circumstances. 
Here is a photo of the smoke from the fires and a photo of Ivan with his temporary roommate Jean:

The fall and winter brought Ivan’s first Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. It was a strange holiday season this year but we were so happy to celebrate these firsts with Ivan. They will always be memorable for many reasons!

Along with Ivan’s first Christmas it was also the first Christmas in our home (We had hoped to be moved in by Christmas last year but obviously that didn’t happen). It was fun to decorate and enjoy time together as a family of 3. Having a house to celebrate Christmas in is a blessing and a dream come to life.

Although it was so sad to miss out on time with extended family this year, we were given the gift of so much family time at home together. I feel like I got so much bonus time at home with Ivan and I feel blessed by that. I am hoping for more time with relatives and lots of play dates in 2021!

I don't think any of us would have a hard time listing all of the bad or stressful things that happened to us this year. I could think of several right now without even trying. But as cheesy as it might sound, I think it is important to end the year with gratitude and thankfulness. So let's overcome this awful, awful year by pouring out positivity and gratefulness for all of the good things in our lives.

Joy is the result of a thankful heart.