A year in review:

As 2014 draws to a close, let's do a recap on what may have been the most monumental year of my life thus far:

Tillie celebrated her sixth birthday in style.

We found out baby Sever was a boy.

We finally bought a house.

We moved.

We decorated a nursery.

We had a baby.

We started our cloth diaper journey (and fell in love).

I reignited my passion for sewing.

We celebrated our first Halloween with our baby Yoda.

Other items of note:

1. We did lots of home improvements.
2. We officially became adults with the purchase of our first washer, dryer, and fridge.
3. We got to introduce M to all his family members.
4. M tried solids for the first time (and hated them).
5. I took a 3 month vacation from work this summer to hang out with a newborn.
6. Andrew got a promotion and sort of killed it in the freelance department.
7. M experienced his first Christmas.

We have had such a great year, it's hard to imagine anything ever topping it. Here's to 2015 and all the adventures it's sure to bring!

Finally:

This is a story of childhood yearning.

When I was a kid, I got a board game called Oops and Downs for my birthday (or maybe it was Christmas). It was super fun and I loved playing it. Sort of like a 3D version of chutes and ladders, it featured a tiered board and playing pieces with holes so that when they went down the little "chutes", they made a whistling sound. Very entertaining. One day, I left it out under an open window and it rained (during the rainy season in Panama, so we're talking torrential rain). The game got soaked and I didn't discover it until much later. Needless to say, the board had pretty much disintegrated (as cardboard tends to do). We were unable to salvage it and all that was left were little plastic firemen and tubes.

The years went on and we were never able to replace it. Apparently, it was just a small, unpopular game that quietly disappeared into thin air. I searched for it for years. I couldn't even remember the name of it but I always thought of it and regretted my reckless actions that led to its untimely demise. Maybe it's because I only got to enjoy it for a brief time before it was destroyed. Maybe it's because it met such a violent end. I couldn't stop thinking of it.

In all the years I was looking for it, Google never gave me anything. My searching was in vain. And then one day, something turned up: a small image of a playing piece. I recognized it immediately. I disappeared down a rabbit hole and miraculously, tracked it down. I found one copy. Just one. And though it may have been more than I would usually spend on a little children's board game from the 90's, I pounced. I had searched for it for years and finally had it in my possession.

I know it's just a bunch of plastic and cardboard but somehow, I feel like a hole has been filled. I feel, in a small way, justified. I can stop looking. I can have a do over. It will be around for M to play and enjoy like I did. And you better believe I won't be leaving it out near any open windows.

Happy weekend:

Happy Friday! What a great week this has been. We've been off work for a few days already and we still have a glorious weekend before us. I love this time of year for about a million reasons but one of them is the break from work.

What are you doing this weekend? Big plans with the family? We are planning on holing up at home and doing absolutely nothing. We may not even get out of our pajamas the entire time. Yay, Christmas!

Have a great, relaxing, comfortable weekend!

Merry Christmas:

Merry Christmas, everyone! Hope your day is full of warm moments with family and friends. 'Tis the season, after all.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday, friends! What are you up to this weekend? Can you believe it's the last weekend before Christmas? I'm feeling the pressure because I haven't gotten everything done so I'll be scrambling around trying to wrap up things. Also, my dad's birthday is Sunday (happy birthday, dad!) so we'll be taking time to celebrate with him. It's tradition for us to go see a movie for his birthday and eat a ton of candy and for the past few years we've watched the Hobbit movies so we're excited to see the final installment this weekend. Also, eating lots of cake is on the agenda.

Here's what's going on with us:

1. The two missing Order members are in town for Christmas and I am looking forward to having the circle of my oldest and dearest friends complete. I love getting to spend time with the three of them. It's like being wrapped up in a hug. Those girls are my family.
2. M tried solids this week! We skipped the cereal and went right to vegetables. We made him some sweet potatoes and he was not a fan.
3. I've been working on our Christmas stockings for the past couple days and almost have them complete. Can't wait to share!
4. M cut his first teeth this week! You can barely see them but stick your finger in his mouth and sure enough, you can feel two little bumps. It's impossibly cute. Such a big boy!
5. We just ordered our Christmas cards this week and they finally arrived yesterday. Yes, I know we kind of dropped the ball with the whole time management thing this holiday season, but we're going to be busting our butts to get those out this weekend.

Have a great weekend, everyone! Make that yuletide gay!

Traditions:

I've been nostalgic all my life so naturally, we're big on traditions in our house. The holiday season is when most of our traditions take place. I have such warm memories of my childhood Christmases and I want to focus on making my family's memories just as wonderful. So, we've continued some of my childhood traditions and created some of our own. My favorite? Having a picnic dinner in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve in our pajamas and playing a new board game. 

I've been on the hunt for this year's board game for a while and I'm down to three different options, all equally great but different:

Quirkle ($23) looks fun and easy to play. It seems similar to Rummikub (a game we already know and love) and would be a good game for adults and children to play together. I also think it can get a little cutthroat, depending on who you're playing with, which is always fun. 

Diplomacy ($28) looks like it would be a lot of fun to play but it's one of those games that takes a whole day to play so everyone has to be into it and clear their schedules. Sort of a commitment. And I don't think this game would appeal to small children. Bonus: I just found out you can play it online for free here!

Pandemic ($31) is definitely one that I want to try. It's a co-operative game so instead of working to screw over the other players, you work together. I find that refreshing after games like Monopoly (which I'm not allowed to play anymore due to the fights that ensue). The whole point of the game is to contain and cure diseases before they take over the world. Seems a little weird and well, medical, but also unique and fun. Like diplomacy though, I think this is a game for adults so kids might get bored with this one.

Happy weekend:

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Happy Friday! Hooray for the weekend! This week has been so stressful, I'm very glad to see it end.

What are you doing with your weekend? Any fun plans? We will be taking M to see Santa for the first time and I have a Christmas party to attend. Andrew has some work to finish and I have a few sewing projects to wrap up. Other than that, we are looking forward to relaxing and maybe sneaking in a nap or two.

Hope your weekend is great! XO!