Every year, we email out a digital Christmas card and letter to friends and family! Although I share some things on social media throughout the year, I still enjoy this practice of sharing a detailed overview of the last year in a dedicated letter.
Here’s our life in 2023!
We recently watched Groundhog Day and I thought about how real life seems like that – just doing the same things over and over again, every single day. Luckily, real life is punctuated with big events like new babies (Peter Maverick, born March 30), family trips (Wimberley, TX for a summer trip to see my sisters’ families, plus a few weekend trips closer to home), and meaningful traditions.
Peter (8 months) has added so much joy to our lives! He is so smiley and sweet 😍 He was our biggest baby, weighing 11 lbs. 7 oz at birth – no wonder my belly felt so heavy! 🤣 He has been a lot of firsts for us – first boy, first baby to get to stay in our hospital room with us instead of going straight to the NICU, first to exclusively breastfeed . . . He is also my first baby post-sleep-consultant-certification to make me crazy with his sleep. Holly’s sleep as a baby was a breeze, and Peter’s sleep has been quite humbling. Things are finally getting easier, thank goodness! Peter just started crawling 😍😍😍, loves table food, and is easily everyone’s favorite member of the family!
Holly (4 this month) has had a bit of a feisty year as she’s gone through so many changes! She gave up naps, got a brother, and started sharing a room (and big-girl bed) with Ada! I’ve been waiting to push her to stop sucking her thumb because that’s one change that neither one of us is quite ready for 😅 Holly is goofy and makes us laugh with all her silly faces. She and Ada both love to tell nonsensical “why did the chicken cross the road” jokes. She started dance this year, and her chassé with her hands on her hips is the cutest thing ever 😍 Holly is artistic and loves any chance to color or cut – earlier this year she even hacked off a bunch of her hair. Good thing hair grows back, right? 😅
Ada (7) is becoming so responsible. She’s getting better at her morning “high 5” habits, folding and hanging her own clothes, and cleaning up her room and the playroom (although she still complains about all of them). In fact, she’s so good at those things that I’m not sure how Holly will learn those skills – Ada just picks up the slack! After 6+ months of “hating” school last year (because she disliked sitting still so much for half-day kindergarten), we opted to homeschool this year. Her favorite part of homeschool is “snack and story time.” It was a highlight for both of us that we finally got to read the first Harry Potter book together this year! Ada started gymnastics this fall, and she has been improving greatly as she constantly practices cartwheels and handstands at home.
Between having a new (and not-so-predictable) baby, managing a feisty child, and homeschooling, my plate has felt very full this year! I first considered homeschooling way back in October 2021, but didn’t take the plunge last year because it felt overwhelming and scary. While I’m not yet doing everything I hope to do, I feel good about the way we prioritize daily read aloud time, outdoor time, and playtime. I plan to continue long term, as my main goals with homeschooling are to foster strong family bonds and a lifelong love of learning; a life where learning and creating happen all day, not just at school. Other than homeschool, I spend my time reading/listening to books (I’m going to hit 52+ this year 🤓), staying up to date on family photo books and home videos, and continuing to design systems to help our home run more smoothly. Monthly girls’ nights fell by the wayside this year, but I did squeeze in an overnight birthday party with a few of my best friends before Pete was born, as well as a little girls’ trip with my sisters (and Pete) as part of our family trip this summer.
Russ is still working as a Team Lead at Duncan Aviation, but some changes in management led to a change in his work schedule – he’s finally back to working more traditional hours (6am-4pm with Sat.-Mon. weekends), hallelujah! This change came right after Peter was born, and it’s been nice to have another parent around for bedtime 😊 Russ has been going on weekly adventures, typically meaning a hike alone or with his dad (or occasionally a bunch of old ladies from a Facebook hiking group 🤣). He loves spending time in the quiet of nature. He often takes one girl on a little hike for some quality one-on-one time, and he even took both girls on a short camping trip to see the eclipse a few months ago. I love that he’s helping them cultivate a love of exploring nature! Russ upgraded to a bigger Traeger (which he bought broken and then fixed) and continues to smoke delicious meats. I told someone the other day that I cook more often, but when Russ cooks, it’s always more delicious. He learned many new songs on the ukulele this year, and the girls and I love the familiar ones we can sing along to. Russ also read more this year, and found that his sweet spots are historical nonfiction and fantasy novels.
Though real life is made up of similar daily activities, our routines can be filled with joy when we get clear on our vision for what we want and more intentional in how to get there. While we’re planning for a lot more travel next year and hoping for a grand adventure of some sort in the not-too-distant future, Russ and I also plan to clarify our family vision in order to cultivate a more joyful everyday life. After all, in many ways we really are living the life we dreamed of for so long; now it’s time to build upon those childhood dreams!
With love,
Russ, Ashley, Ada, Holly, & Peter Holmes
Click to see previous year reviews!