A
year in review at
The Valentine Nest
February - I think back to last February &
can’t help but laugh for multiple reasons….no pun intended ; ) We were on the
verge of the biggest transition of our lives, I had a hard time walking uprightwith an “Everest” sized baby bump, my mom had moved in a month prior to care
for our family as I rested, Charlotte & Eloise could hardly wait to be big
sisters, we made a trip to triage thinking I was in preterm labor, we were
beyond emotionally drained & clinging to God. All the while He was
providing grace for every step, hope in every moment of disappointment &
rest for my tired pregnant body that was trying to keep those baby boys on the
inside & growing. They did just that
& made it to 35 weeks!
March- We joyfully welcomed the buckaroos on the 8th. Owen
Marshall was born at 8:04 am, weighed 3 pounds 12 ounces & was 17 inches
long. Anson Ellis was born at 8:05am, weighed 5lbs 13oz & was 19 inches
long. They were admitted to the NICU where they spent the first 25 days of life. We were overwhelmed with thankfulness to God as we examined their tiny little fingers & toes while they were snuggled in our arms. Charlotte was
delighted to meet her “baby boas” in the NICU along with all four grandparents! We celebrated Robby’s 32nd
birthday crib side. Bella Blue turned 8 & we enjoyed watching her scarf
down a cupcake in one bite. Her birthday was bittersweet as we were still missing Bennett after saying goodbye following a quick downfall of illness in December. It was an exciting & exhausting month, many times in the same
moment. God was good to give us only one dog to care for in 2013….two may have
pushed me over the edge!
April- We started April off with a bang by bringing the little guys home on the 2nd. Eloise was precious when she got to see O & A
for the first time. The adjustments that
occurred this month cannot be accounted for in a few sentences. Two to Four under four was quite the jump to say the least. I am tired just remembering the first few months that seemed to
be overtaken with eating, crying & trying to sleep….all of us ; ) Eloise decided she was done with diapers the week O & A came homefrom the NICU, perfect timing right? Thanks to my mom, the three day pottytraining worked well & she has been diaperless (and pantless) since.
Again,
God sustained us & we said “adios” to my mom at the end of the month &
began life as a family of six (without live in help). In all the exhaustion
there were MANY memorable moments as two sisters got to know the little
misters. I think we said “be gentle”
about one billion times.
May- May is always a busy month & this year was no
exception! Uncle Scott came for a visit
& was there for the speedy transition of Eloise to a big girl bed (ie crib
mattress on the floor). Mother’s Day was a reality check with four sick kids to celebrate with but Robby spoiled me with
a family flower planting extravaganza in the front yard & a steak dinner
for two at the Valentine Nest kitchen table while the Fab Four were
asleep. The following week I celebrated turning the big 3-0 & was spoiled again with a weeks worth of celebrating
including a girls night with ice cream involved & a 4 hour nap. It was lovely. The month ended with sweet little Eloise turning TWO! We took Char & Elo to Magic Kingdom for the day & had Elo Pancakes’ favorite meal….PANCAKES for dinner! The buckaroos moved out of our sleeping
quarters & into their own corral & God blessed our home with a wee little bit more sleep as the month came to a close.
June- My mom, grandma &Rob’s mom arrived mid month & we were excited to have helping hands for our
lively bunch. We had a Splish Splash Birthday Bash for Char & Lolo. It was
bright & sunny as we got The Valentine Waterpark set up but then the skies
turned gray & the rainstorm began. It
was fun & wet! The Grandmas loved on our kids while we enjoyed an evening
out free of charge. We celebrated Father’s Day by taking a trip to Tampa toplay in the fountains followed by lunch for the unruly bunch at Rob’s favoritebrewery. Outings just aren’t quite the same as they used to be ; ) I went back to work after a six month leave
& made the switch to the dark side working Friday nights in Labor &
Delivery. God continued to provide precious friends that endlessly served our
family by preparing meals, caring for children & praying.
July- We spent 4th of July relaxing in the backyard
with some good friends. We plopped Mighty O & Super A in the baby pool for
the first time….they were not amused ; ) Charlotte turned FOUR & we celebrated with picking up Uncle Kyle from the airport for
a weeklong visit. We took her on a special birthday date to the movies which
was a big hit with her! She also received a tennis racket which has provided
for many a date to the courts with Daddy.
The little lady has surprised us with her skills! She ended the month
with flying to Texas with Uncle Kyle
& spending a week with Gaga & Paw Paw. She loved it & can’t wait to
do it again. Eloise was beyond lonely
without her best bud & I missed my number one entertainer. It was a happy
reunion when she returned & we were thankful to all be under one roof
again.
August- This month we lost our mind & took a family “vacation”to West Palm Beach. We went to visit
our good friends & other than seeing them, we had about the worst time
possible with our relocated chaos ; ) We recovered quickly & Charlotte had her first day of Pre-K with Classical Conversations (CC) followed up by our first
official week of homeschooling. Char loves it!
She does a presentation for her class each Thursday & after 12
painful weeks of nervousness she has emerged confident in the new year! It has been an exciting adventure for our
family as a whole & we look forward to starting Kindergarten at home &
with CC this fall. On the education
front, Rob & I began teaching the 3&4 year old class on Sunday mornings
at Celebration
Community Church
September- This month was pretty low key…we like
that around here! My parents came into town over Labor Day & spent an
entire week at a nearby hotel with an awesome pool & lazy river. Charlotte taught herself how to swim like it was no
big deal which shocked us since she had been terrified up until that week. We took a trip to the Canaveral National Seashore & enjoyed some Florida sunshine. Owen & Anson had their first bites of solid food & loved them as evidenced by super messy faces. We were
thankful this month that the boys began to enjoy better tolerate the unending affection of their big sisters.
October- Wow, this month was filled to the max with fun &
illness. We had Robby’s parents & Grandma in town for a couple weeks which
included a trip to the farm, something the girls cannot ever get enough
of. Eloise talked for weeks about how
she milked a cow & rode a “ho-see.” She also started trying to “ride” on
her baby boas backs on a regular basis. She has a little Texan in her ; ) As wild as this little lady is, she has a sweet spot for babies & is a mini
mama. We enjoyed an afternoon at a pumpkin patch & finished off the month
with four little hoots dressed up for some trick-or-treating. The illnesses for the month included
colds/coughs for all, an ear infection for someone & roseola for the
littlest in the bunch. OH MY! In the middle of it all, I called my mom in tears
& she made a reservation to come to the rescue the next week. Praise the Lord for parents that love on us
& serve in such practical ways. I
hear you never stop being a parent ; ) I’m glad.
November- This month served as a recovery period
from the month prior which proved to be the most difficult since the boys camehome from the NICU. God sustained usthrough a month of overly needy children & an emotionally unstable mother that cried a lot ; ) It is important for us to remember (on a minute to minute basis sometimes) that
God knit these children together in my womb & gave them to us at the time
he chose. He knows our hearts better
than we do & is refining us as we walk through this stage of life. We had
much to be thankful for but a few that made it on the “Thankful Tree”
were: “Hearts that are learning to trust
God”- me & Rob, “God makes us strong
& fights for us”- Char, & “lizards”-Elo.
December- We bit the bullet & made the trek
back to the Lone Star State where we spent nearly three weeks over the
holidays. The 20+ hour driving trip went much more smoothly than we were
prepared for which was a nice surprise! We had a blessed time with friend s& family, ate lots of Tex-Mex, braved some cooler temperatures than we are
used to nowadays & celebrated 9 years of marriage. A lot has happened since we said “I do!”
January- 2014 is finally here! We made it back to home base a few
days into the year & were welcomed by my in-laws who so lovingly took care of Bella while we were away. Before they headed back to their house we had a
mini- Pierogi Day & convinced them to join us on our annual Squirrel Hunt.
We are considering changing the name to “Picnic at the Hunting Grounds” or
something since we have seen only ONE squirrel in four years! The girls are growing like weeds, Owen is officially on the move crawling rather quickly while Anson only has one gear…. REVERSE! Adorable but I have a feeling he won’t
continue on like that forever. Busier is
better right? At least that is the long standing motto of the Fab Four ; )
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Robby, Lauren, Charlotte, Eloise, Owen, Anson & Bella Blue
I loved getting this in the mail and have it on our fridge :) can't wait to see you soon!!!
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