Happy New Year! I’m so glad we all made it safely into 2019 and I’m really looking forward to what this year will bring. But before I’m ready to launch forward into the new, I like to take a peek back. So often I only remember the difficulties (and there were many). It helps to see how much fun we had and all the good things we got to experience too.
January 2018:
Getting to hang out with these goof balls and Grayson got selected as Student of the Month by his teacher.
February 2018:
We’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 24 years and have never made the drive to the top of Pikes Peak. It’s beautiful, but I’m not sure January is the best time. It was pretty cold and the winds seemed like hurricane force at the top. I’m pretty sure that if this wall had not been there–they would have been blown all the way to Kansas.
Any time it snows even a little–we grab our sleds and hit the nearest hill.
March 2018:
March is all about the boys’ birthdays. Morgan had a fun “Dart Warz” themed party at our house with an epic battle with his friends.
It was Grayson’s turn to have a party outside our home. He had recently enjoyed watching the newest Jumanji and showed up at his party dressed as “Mouse Finbar”.
March is also when we purchased a used pop up camper and then spent the next two months renovating it (you can read about that here–Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3)
April 2018:
We enjoyed doing several Geocaching adventures this month. April is usually pretty mild weather wise and this has been a great way to get my family out hiking without them realizing it.
We always love Easter.
And then Super Rockstar had several gigs this month too. I am always front and center as his biggest fan and devoted groupie.
May 2018:
May is my birthday month. We have a great tradition of giving each other “Birthday Boxes” filled with gifts and our favorite goodies. Grayson just loved the box.
It was also the month we got to have our “maiden voyage” in our pop up camper.
And this lovely contraption became the game changer for my summer (you can read all about that here)
June 2018:
In spite of me having a broken ankle all summer, we still got to enjoy a lot of fun activities including swimming, having a garage sale (I wrote a post on this you can read here), and enjoying a lot of time just hanging out at home.
Morgan came up with a cool pulley system for me and Grayson was always ready to get me what I needed.
We even found a campground that was perfect–great kids activities and golf carts to get around. (there was a pretty hysterical “blooper” you can read about here)
July 2018:
4th of July always includes a super fun trip to Grandma and Papa’s house–shooting off fireworks with Aunt Stephie and Uncle Todd and a couple visits to “Grandma’s pool” ( a big city pool). I even got to enjoy the water thanks to the wonderful invention of a water tight boot that fit over my cast.
July is also Super Rockstar’s birthday–more “Birthday Box” fun.
August 2018:
One of the best adventures we do for the boys is spy missions. Many years ago Super Rockstar started this–they get instructions on how to take down some sort of “bad guy” and have to solve clues to get it done. They have brief cases fill with spy gear and they always love dressing the part too.
August is when the boys start back to school. This year Morgan started Middle School and it included a 2 night camp at the beginning of the year. He had a BLAST. I was a nervous wreck.
This month is also when one of our favorite events happens–the Colorado Springs Downs Syndrome Association has it’s fundraiser walk. Super Rockstar serves on the board and always MC’s the event and his band SofaKillers hosts a free concert the night before the walk–always a blast!
But, August was the most magical because I finally got to get my cast off and get a walking boot. I will never again take for granted the privilege of walking on two feet.
September 2018:
September brought a new addition to our family– Barney the Beagle. We adopted him from a family that had enjoyed him for many years, but could no longer keep him. He is unique in personality and has quickly wormed his way into our hearts. (you can read about a day in his life here)
It’s also when Super Rockstar has a really fun gig. His band, SofaKillers plays every year at a community festival called Briarfest. The boys love it because there’s carnival rides and lots of junk food and….oh yeah, they get to hear Daddy sing too.
Over the years Super Rockstar has outdone himself in building dream rooms for our boys. It was time for an upgrade so he created a Star Wars theme with Heavy Assault Walker loft beds. (you can read about his brilliance here)
October 2018:
October is one of those months where we seem to have a lot of activities. A visit to a pumpkin patch is always at the top of the list.
It’s also when Morgan and Grayson have their school Fall Break. This year I talked them into going to the zoo. We used to go all the time when they were little, but it had been a LONG time. Ahhhh….memories.
Then there’s flag football.
And, of course, Halloween and trick or treating. This year it was Joker for Grayson and Two Face for Morgan. They often make the decisions on their costumes months in advance. It’s usually dependent upon what movie they have recently seen.
It’s “wabbit” hunting season. Sometimes I worry that if he could talk–we would get an earful of how he feels about the things we put him through. Probably best not to know.
Unfortunately, this year brought the loss of my beloved Aunt Pat. It was bittersweet–to be mourning the loss, but also enjoying seeing family I hadn’t seen in a long while.
November 2018:
For Thanksgiving Super Rockstar makes his delicious giblet gravy and then we spend the afternoon yelling at(I mean cheering for) the Cowboys.
And this year my cousin Lori got hitched. It was a great time even though to my boys horror–there was kissing.
December 2018:
CHRISTMAS! This is what we anticipate all year long! There’s so many traditions we enjoy and going to the North Pole to visit Santa and ride all the fun rides is #1.
We also host an open house in our home every year with a special visit from the “Big Guy”
Then, it’s time to decorate cookies and have an epic nerf gun battle–Super Rockstar and I vs. our boys. We totally smoked them.
We spend Christmas Eve at a beloved church we lead worship at every now and then. We love the people so much and they always show us so much love. The boys are usually wound so tight and acting like total monsters by this point, so it’s nice to have a place to go settle down and remember why we are celebrating this season with such enthusiasm.
Christmas morning is always epic–a very early start with lots of shrieks of joy.
Super Rockstar and I got each other a new stove this year. I could not be happier.
And then he gave me this too– full jar of Hot Tamales. My heart could just burst with love for him.
The day after Christmas we make the trek back to my folks home in Kansas. I love getting to see my sister and brother in law and whomever of my niece and nephews that can make it.
Barney is about worn out with all this Christmas nonsense.
Thank you for indulging me as I look back on 2018. I realize just how blessed I am and am very grateful for that. Even with the difficulties we faced–I am ever mindful that it could have been a lot worse. At the end of it all we are all healthy and happy. I look forward to spending 2019 with you all and pray that it will be a great year for everyone.