Reflecting on the Year

2016 is coming to an end.  It's been a long and challenging year.  So many things to worry about with family and life and it's been another crazy year.  As it is coming to an end, it is nice to look back at everything we've been thrown at us and how far we've come to overcome all the tough times, exceptionally stressful times and come out stronger than ever. 

There are moments when we reflect at how much the boys push the limits as far as patience and sometimes seeing the ugliness that shows up in ourselves that we never knew we had hidden. But it never changes that we all push through and find the glimmer of smiles somewhere. Even the smallest light is a light that shines through all the tough situations.

Earlier this year we took a quick break from work to drive to Huntington Beach to get out of the house

They loathe and love these install days LOL

We have been through so many obstacles and it helps so much when it comes to standing strong together when things are extremely hard. Whether it's financially, emotionally, or the immense amount of work that piles up, we have become a pretty formidable team (kids included) when it comes to everyday life. It's been so hectic and nonstop everyday has been filled with work after work. 18+ hour days and no day off. Kids help us whenever they can and it's nice to see them learn new things.  But we always manage to fit in time, even a short amount, to smile and even share a few moments with friends from out of town.  Even if it was a quick minute, it is always nice to see friends even if it mostly work related hahahahah =)  We keep hoping to find even an hour to have a quick date since we never get to spend any time together outside of work and work meetings..every spare moment we get we try to do something with the boys so they get QT but then we end up never having time to spare for ourselves..we have our sights set on the near future when time frees up a little...=)

Mat hard at work

Helping him make 10000 petals

only a handful of the 10000 petals in progress

All the boys refused to get in the photo on a rare dinner at the B house =)

Long workday starts with bfast from the biggest Mcdonald's in Chicago (photo credit: Kat)

Haven't seen them in almost 3 years since I left Hawaii..it was so nice to see her again and it's like no time has passed

So nice to see Aaron in Miami..even when he's a mile away we see him across the country! LOL (photo credit: Aaron)

Earlier this year she came to visit with her family and I got to see her for a few hours..oh how I missed her

We're gearing up for a pretty hectic January but looking forward to the time we do get to do road trips and camping!  We have big plans this coming year. Can't wait for all the activities we'd like to do as a family. And spend more quality time enjoying the good moments. The boys need more outdoor time and we do too. Reconnecting with nature is so important and disconnecting from the world of electronics is even more important.

Can't wait for the return of these family bike rides

Merry Christmas ya filthy animals!

Baking in between work breaks sometimes clears the head and produces yummy apple coffee cake