This year felt like one of the “big ones.” The ones that contain bigger shifts and more milestones. I look back with special sense of gratitude for all that our Lord has done for us and worked in us. As we wrap up this special year I wanted to take a moment to reflect on some of the highlights.
*Warning: This is a very long post and I mostly like to document our lives in ways like this for the sake of my own memory. I decided to also share for the benefit of friends and family who would appreciate an update into our daily life.
Littles get Big
My brain is still struggling to keep up with the growth that each of the kids seems to have done this year. Many inches taller, many new skills learned and many new memories made.
Miles
Miles grew so tall he’s almost caught up to mom. His height shot up about a foot and his voice dropped down about an octave. If there was a trophy for most growth this year, I think it’s safe to say that that Miles would be in the lead.
Miles played baseball over the summer as part of a community league and was placed with a great team who went on to win the big game. He also enjoys hanging with his cousins, gaming with friends, and teaching himself how to play the piano. He turned 12, started 6th grade, and started wearing Steven’s hand-me-downs. Dang, people. Where did my baby go?!
Finn
Finn really settled into his big kid status this year. He loves to read Dogman books and play Roblox with friends. He enjoys math and creating and solving challenges with his friends and siblings.
In the spring he had strabismus surgery on the muscles of his eyes to help correct amblyopia. We praise God for a successful surgery with overwhelmingly positive results so far. Our prayers going forward are that the correction will remain permanent and not require another surgery down the line and that his vision will remain good enough that he won’t require glasses in the future.
Remi
Remi took on every creative challenge she could get her hands on (that I would allow her to attempt, lol). She loves to help me with all of my projects while also singing and dancing around the house. She loves to make up songs and sing them at home, in the car, and generally providing the background music to our life. She is extra social and enjoys hanging with her cousins and her friends.
Remi is now in 1st grade and likes school, especially art. Her art teacher praised her talents and said she might be featured in the spring art showcase at school. She’ll be turning 7 in a couple months.
Aramis
Aramis completed his first full trip around the sun, going from 3 months old to 15 months old in 2024. In the competition for who grew the most this year, he’s definitely giving Miles a run for the trophy.
Aramis loves his siblings sooo much (and they adore him right back). He loves peek-a-boo, sitting/lounging in chairs like a little king, throwing balls, reading books, pushing toy cars, and generally doing all the adorable things big babies like to do. Oh, and eat! He LOVES to eat. Anything, everything, all of it, and as much of it in one bite as possible.
Steven
Steven has been hitting the gym daily, which has been his habit for the last 2+ years. He would win the trophy for growing the most muscle in 2024. His PR for deadlifts went from 500 in February to 580 in the summer. He hit 300 on bench and 205×3 on strict press. Recovered from suspected rhabdomyolysis in the last couple months. (possibly brought on by hitting that last PR LOL). Since then he has been following an adjusted workout schedule and seems to be feeling better.
He praises God for many answers to lots of challenges faced this year and prayers laid at the feet of the Lord.
Brittany
If we’re going to keep going with the trophy thing, I think it’s fair to say I win the trophy for growing the least. Or, more accurately, shrinking the most. My most notable accomplishment this year was losing 60 pounds between March and November. Bringing my current weight to a number that is below where I was when I first got pregnant with Miles in 2011. That means it’s the first time I’ve been at this weight in 13 years!!! I won’t elaborate too much, if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen some of the progress. Most of all I can say this has been great for my overall wellbeing. I feel like I can embrace life a bit easier and it feels like an accomplishment to have conquered some mental struggles with food and discipline that I have struggled with over the years.
I spent a good deal of the year enjoying the return to the baby phase of life as much as possible, learning and falling in love (obsession) with sourdough bread, and digging deeper into some of my already existing hobbies (gardening, cookie decorating, sewing).
See more pretty projects on my Instagram and Pinterest
Family Highlights
This year, instead of trying to plan any big trips, we thought it would be a fun year to try to take a few smaller trips to Branson. So we bought Silver Dollar City passes for the family and managed to visit a few times throughout the year. We made some great memories there.
In addition to our mini vacations, we also had an eclipse, some holidays, and our annual family outings, too. With a new realization of how quickly time passes, and in an effort to document as much as I could of our first full year of life with Aramis, I tried to take more photos and record more memories. I neglected to do that for a few years prior to this and came to miss having those records to look back at. I’m hoping I’ll pick it up even better in 2025!
