Reflections of 2013

What a year. I feel like 2013 was one of the best so far. I came a long way toward being healthy, which, yes, is awesome.

But also Tom and talked a lot more this year than years past, we worked on being a couple, we parented more cohesively and we laughed. We laughed a lot and quite honestly, I think that goes farther toward cementing our relationship than anything else.

Alyssa finished fourth grade with a bang in 2013 and started fifth grade with enthusiasm. Having her tonsils out in 2012 meant Alyssa had an incredibly healthy 2013. All that mommy guilt over the time it took her to heal from the surgery has evaporated thanks to her ongoing good health.

Olivia...oh, sweet little Olivia. She continues to amaze us with her words, her humor, her gymnastics. This girl has mastered the headstand. Can you even believe that. A child who didn't sit up on her own until she was a year old has the muscle control to stand on her flipping head. Wow is all I can say.

My brother Jason got married in 2013. His July wedding was the catalyst to my changing my eating habits on January 2 last year. And I did it. I made it a full year of eating well, of staying the course and in the end, I lost 59 pounds. It would have been lovely to be able to say I lost 60 pounds even but what the hell, 59 is a pretty darned good number.

I finally, FINALLY got that darned toy room cleaned. It only took about five months of five minutes here and hour there of cleaning, sorting, tossing. The day I vacuumed the carpet and looked around at the organized toys, I sort of wanted to cry with relief. Instead, I bounded down the stairs and announced to my family, "Wooo, to the who, to the whoo whoo whoo! I am done with the toy room."

We were able to let all the little kids go up there last Sunday and not worry about it being destroyed because there is a place for everything and I have no trouble putting it all back together even after Olivia and the five grandkids went up there for hours without adult supervision.

2013 was good to us. But I also think we were good to ourselves and each other and often that makes all the difference.

2014 can be just as awesome, if only because we will face the challenges together just as we'll face the celebrations together.