The last year has been a truly transformative one. Our family went from having one parent working outside the home and one working part-time in the home to two parents with full-time jobs. I have been very fortunate to be able to remain home-based, which has given me the opportunity to spend every afternoon with the kids, and to be present as needed during their mornings with their (incredible) sitter (though honestly, when she is here, I am often chopped liver). But this change has meant a lot of work at night and on the weekends, which in turn has meant that for much of 2013, the rhythm of family life felt uneven, lurching from one day to the next as we tried to keep things as even-keeled as possible for the kids — an effort that was at times successful and at times a complete flop — and tried to master new roles and skills ourselves.
In the year that has passed since I was last here, our children have grown. I've always heard that parenting gets easier (perhaps temporarily?) when you start to have children age 5 and above, and from what I can see that rings with truth. Jonas has become a steady, helpful little guy who is just as smart and observant as ever, with that kind, gentle heart I so cherish. Yes, we call him Steve Jobs due to his uncompromising opinions and stringent standards, but he also keeps us honest, so those standards aren't all bad.
Silas came through the twos with a fair amount of grace, and while he still has the vestiges of toddlerhood about him — Silas, please pick up. Silas: Please! Pick! Up! ... Silas! ...Where is Silas? —he is becoming more aware of the larger world all the time and continues to show an uncanny awareness in the mechanics of life.
And Nida. What an incredible little person she is turning out to be. At 16 months and counting, we're already deep in the rebellion and chaos of the early toddler years, but one is no sooner astounded by her tenacity and bullheadedness, then impressed by her ability to understand everything around her. I mean, this kid has been accurately answering yes-or-no questions since she turned a year old. And let's not even talk about the fine motor skills. *shutter*
2013 was a year that showed us how fortunate we are. Look at these children. Look at this family we're raising. Look at this incredible community in which we live, these marvelous people who support us and collaborate with us and cheer us on. I feel like we ran at 2013 with our arms flung open, full tilt, and it bear-hugged us right back.
Not every year is like that. We've had hard ones. 2009 (aka The Year of Murphy's Law) comes to mind. And there will be others. I'm also keenly aware that 2013 was full of difficulties and sorrow for several people that I love. The disparity in their experience of the year and mine is not lost on me. I am grateful — deeply, abidingly grateful —for the experience of the last year, and will do my best to remember it in years that are not as kind.
And here we stand, our shadows long across a new year. We have many plans. Our little homestead is ready for some evolution, and a greenhouse and beehives and expanded gardens are all on tap, with some side conversations about ducks and goats as well. After months of flirting with homeschool, it is time to get down to the work in earnest, and we are on the cusp of beginning that journey — wherever it might lead.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of 2014 is going to be refining the growth and promise of last year into a rhythm that better meets all our needs. There is a lot of discussion happening about that, too.
As with each year, I am hopeful I can make this space a part of my life. I find it difficult (unnatural?) to blog. My inner writer and editor are at such odds in this kind of a forum, and yet I recognize the opportunity this medium gives me to record, and to share, our journey. At this point in time, in these early days of the year, that is my hope.
Greetings 2014. Let's do this. Let's try.
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