2013 was undoubtedly the most difficult year I have ever faced. Our family faced everything from financial struggles, to lost and broken friendships, to the loss of a child. We mourned, prayed, and cried together, and overcame our trials together, as a family centered on Christ. And despite the pain we faced, we found joy, and we were so incredibly blessed.
In 2013, Anna turned one year old. She took her first steps, had her first visit to the ER, and took her first trip to Disney World. She grew so much in one short year, and it's so hard to imagine that before we know it she will be two years old!
This is Anna at the beginning of 2013 and again at the beginning of 2014:
She has grown and changed so much, and I could ask for no greater blessing than to be able to nurture her and watch her learn and grow into a beautiful young woman.
Anna's first trip to Disney World in February!
Anna announcing the big news that she is going to be a big sister!
2013 also saw the hardest few months I have ever been through. In May, just a few days before Mother's Day, I found out that I was pregnant. We had been yearning for a second child for many months, and we were so incredibly overjoyed. What followed was the craziest, most difficult emotional roller coaster we have ever experienced. When I started bleeding, we thought that I was miscarrying and mourned the loss of our second baby, but when blood tests showed that my hormone levels were still indicative of pregnancy, we went back and forth between hope and heartbreak for more than a month. It took until the end of June to 100% confirm that we had lost the baby, and by then we were beyond exhausted and drained. My birthday fell right in the middle of all of that, and I remember thinking on that day that it was the worst birthday I had ever had. But despite how much grief we felt, and all the tears we shed, we were strengthened, and we grew closer together. I learned so much in those few months, and if I could re-do the year, I would not change a thing. It was the greatest trial I have endured in my life, but it also was changed me for the better, and helped me trust God so much more than I had before.
As dark as May and June of 2013 were, August brought us true joy and hope. We were away in the mountains for our second anniversary when we learned that I was pregnant! We were immediately filled with elation mixed with apprehension; we were overjoyed, but the memory of our last experience left us nervous for what could happen. Miraculously, nothing went wrong, and the little baby within me continues to blossom and grow just perfectly.
Our family (on mine and Andrew's second wedding anniversary) in the mountains shortly after finding out that we were expecting!
Our sweet little bean in my tummy!
So now that 2013 has ended, we look ahead to the coming year. I've never been one for making New Year's Resolutions - the few I've made over the years never manage to be kept for very long. I have made some goals for our family; I want to become much more self-sufficient, so I am planning on planting our spring and summer vegetable garden, and starting a flock of Plymouth Rock chickens for eggs and meat (I am still working on my mental resolve as far as turning the live chickens into meat ;) ). We also have a goat that I am planning on milking (if she turns out to be pregnant!) to have fresh raw milk at our disposal. 2014 will bring us a new family member, and many more surprises. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in the new year, and I know that we will be together as a family, through thick and thin.
Happy New Year to all of my friends and family! May 2014 bring you many blessings and much joy.
""For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."" - Jeremiah 29:11
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