Our 2016 Christmas Letter

Like I shared in last week’s post, I love taking time at the end of the year to reflect on all the things those past 12 months held.  I get so much joy from remembering and reliving all of the sweet moments we shared and all the ways we grew.  So even though I didn’t get a chance to write a letter in time to send out with all our Christmas cards, I figured I might as well write one here! Here goes nothing…

Dear Friends And Family,

I think it’s safe to say that 2016 was a pretty big year for us.  Even though the last few years have held all sorts of adventures (like buying a house, traveling through Europe for a summer, adopting our sweet puppy, and so much more), this year topped them all because it’s the year we became parents.

We started off 2016 awaiting the arrival of our first little man – Caleb.  January and February were sweet as we worked on Caleb’s nursery and dreamed and prayed about all that was to come.

And since he just couldn’t wait to meet his mom and dad, Caleb came into the world two weeks early on February 27, 2016.  His birth was beautiful and peaceful and everything we could have hoped for, and we were over the moon to meet him and start our life with him (you can read his birth story here).

March, April, and May were a whirlwind as we adjusted to being parents and squeezing in sleep wherever we could.  For the most part, Caleb was a champion sleeper and eater and we spent many a nap with him curled up on our chest like a little frog.  We had so much support from friends and family in those first few months and I don’t know how we would have made it through without them!

Once Jordan got off for summer, the fun really began! Caleb started to wake up and be much more interactive and it was so fun to see him notice the world for the first time.  Jordan did lots of running and biking as he trained for some races and we spent a lot of time working on some fun projects in our house (like the fun built-in bookshelves below that Jordan built in our living room using basic Ikea shelves!).

Come July, Caleb took his first plane ride when we visited my parents in California for a week.  Even though he didn’t sleep too great (darn jet-lag), there’s something pretty special about bringing home my baby to the house I grew up in and we loved introducing him to some old friends and his California family.

In August, we took another trip to North Carolina to see my best friend Taylor get married. We saw so many sweet friends from college and enjoyed a beautiful weekend in the North Carolina mountains.  We also spent a day walking around Davidson, my alma mater, and it was surreal to bring Caleb to one of the places where Jordan and I spent so much time early on in our relationship.  My college self had no idea what was in store!

September found us traveling again as we flew to Baltimore to celebrate the life and passing of my paternal grandmother.  Even though the circumstances were hard, it was beautiful to look and Caleb and my cousin’s sweet baby girl and see the legacy that my grandmother had left behind in all of her kids, grandkids, and great-grandbabies.  It’s amazing what one marriage can do, isn’t it?

The fall was crazy busy again as Jordan jumped into his second year of teaching high school special ed and coaching cross-country.  He’s a great teacher and coach who loves and leads his students so well and it was an honor to watch him do that (even if I did miss having him around so much).

Jordan also competed in a variety of road races and triathlons.  Maybe the most exciting thing? He qualified for the 2017 Boston Marathon by running a 2:53 marathon at Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, MN.  In other words, he’s kind of amazing and we are excited to head to Boston this April for him to compete in that historic, bucket list race!

The fall was also a big transition season for me since I didn’t return to my job as a middle school Spanish teacher and stayed home with Caleb full time.  I’d technically been home with him since he was born as my maternity leave and summer break, but it became more of a reality when Jordan went back to work and I didn’t.  Like any job, I’m finding that being a stay at home mom has its ups and downs, but I really do love it and feel so grateful to be home with Caleb. It’s an honor to be a witness to all the little moments of his life and I am excited to see what this season of motherhood will hold.

November and December were fun as our schedules slowed down and Caleb seemed to start growing in leaps and bounds.  We had a lot of fun watching him learn to sit up by himself, crawl, pull up on furniture, babble like crazy, clap his hands, sing with us, and so many other fun things.  These last two months of his babyhood have been our favorite yet and I have a feeling they’ll only get better from here!

All in all, it has been such a sweet and joyful year.  We love having a little one in our family and he makes our world so much brighter and fuller. We are also oh so grateful for all of our friends and family.  This year we saw over and over how important community is to keep us joyful and focused on the things that matter and we can’t thank each and every one of you enough for being a part of our lives.

Here’s hoping 2017 is full of as much joy, laughter, and growth as 2016! Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

All our love,

Lauren, Jordan, Caleb, and Olive