2013 in review.

It's that time again... time for my annual yearly wrap up. For obvious reasons, I've been putting this one off. I hope focus as much on the positive things that came out of the year as I do on the negative...
Let's get down to it.

January

"The Build" continued. During the month of January we watched the interior of our house take shape as they put the drywall up, which was a two week process. The exterior of the house also got some TLC as they put on the siding and the shingles. Mike and I spent countless hours this month finalizing our interior choices and making sure everything was going to be just as we wanted it. I got my first speeding ticket in 10 years and wasn't a happy camper about it! Mike played in his 7th annual GVSU Alumni Hockey game and this time, he had two little kiddos sitting in the stands and cheering him on. Lukas was so excited to see his daddy on the ice! Lukas turned 15 months old this month and moved into the Toddler room at daycare. My parents divorce continued to get messier throughout the month of January and on the 12th, my dad decided that he no longer wanted a part in my life and said some terribly hurtful things.

February

The month started off with me trying to wean Lukas of his pacifier... I gave up after day #1 at the encouragement of many. It just wasn't worth it! We spent Superbowl Sunday in our old neighborhood and I found myself really emotional when I saw our Sienna house again. So many memories were made there! Our house continued to take shape and this was the month in which a LOT of progress was made. Cabinets and doors were installed, trim was put up, all carpentry work was completed and tile floors were laid. Then, the 15th hit and our world was shattered to pieces and turned upside down. See that story here. We spent the remainder of the month just trying to make sense of what had happened and trying to take care of my mom. The last weekend of the month, Mike and Liana headed to the east side of the state to celebrate Lily and Charley's birthday. While I had planned to take the kids myself, we decided it was best for Lukas and I to stay home and help with my mom.

March

The first day of the month started off with a bang as we met with the Prosecutor, Kim, who would be handling the case against my dad. Little did we know then what a blessing this woman would become to us in the days, weeks, and months ahead. On Monday the 4th we had our first court date for the preliminary exam to determine competency and probable cause. My mom was required to testify against my dad on this date and therefore, it was a pretty difficult day for everyone involved. The media presence was heaviest at this point and made our lives even more difficult than it already was. My mom had her nose reconstructed on the 8th and this surgery was by far the most painful for her to endure... it was awful seeing her in so much pain. My sister and I began receiving letters and telephone calls from my dad rather quickly and we decided to go see him on the 23rd. The visit went very poorly and we came home feeling more hurt than ever. With regards to the build, our house was SUPPOSED to be done this month so it came with great frustration when we realized this wasn't going to be the case. While the painting was done and the floors were in, we had no driveway and there were many touchups needed. (If you need to know which builder and painter to avoid, I'm your girl!) However, while the majority of March was hard, there's always a silver lining and this month it came in the form of Liana turning four!! My sister also brought another family member home in the form of Toby the dog, who both my mom and Liana quickly fell in love with and my mom decided to keep.

April

This month started out on a good note with me driving to the east side of the state on the 10th to welcome Alexander Thomas Kranz into the world. This was a day I had been looking forward to for some time and it felt like the first truly good thing that had happened so far this year. While I wasn't in the room when Xander was born (but was just down the hall), I'll never forget the feeling of walking back into that hospital room and being told by Kate that the baby she had been expecting for the past nine months was a boy! Mike and his mens league team won the championship for the season. The middle of the month brought us more struggles as we dealt with lots of legal issues with regards to the divorce and then we received a phone call stating that my dad was being interviewed for a national TV show (Lock Up) and wanted permission to be taped. Brittany and I both requested (ie: begged) him not to move forward with the taping process and thankfully, we were told he was going to oblige. But by the end of the month, things turned around again and we FINALLY closed on our house April 26th. Boxes began moving on April 27th, the same day we participated in the March of Dimes walk to honor The Prins Twins!

May

May 5th was our first night in our new home! Waking up the next morning to the sun shining through our bedroom window and the lake in my sight was the outcome I had been waiting eight months for. After months of training, Mike ran the 25K in the Fifth Third Riverbank Run and did so in just over two hours (2:04:15). Mothers Day came the very next day and was extra special for us this year considering all that had happened. The rest of May was pretty uneventful... something we didn't mind too much! We took the kiddos to the Zoo for the first trip of the year and celebrated my cousin Dustin's college graduation. I started seeing my therapist this month in an effort to work through some of the emotions I was dealing with and found it immediately beneficial.

June

We started the month with yet another court date - this time, for the divorce. As usual, it didn't go well and we were all thrown for a loop. A few days later, the kids and I packed up for a weekend visit to the Kranz's. Five kiddos under five was a bit intense, especially when we decided to take them all to the Detroit Zoo, but it was worth all the chaos! Liana started gymnastics this month and fell in love with it! Mike and I celebrated our good friend Erik's 30th birthday with him on the 15th. Father's Day was a pretty rough day for me and I ended up spending most of it alone and in reflection over the past few months and the past 30 years. The end of the month brought two big events.... my garage sale, in which I purged about half of our baby and children's clothes amongst other items, and my 30th birthday! Mike wisked me away to Chicago for a weekend getaway which was MUCH needed and we had a great time spoiling ourselves for the first time in months.

July

Happy 7th Anniversary to us! Mike and I rang in our anniversary on the 1st by doing not much at all... something that we were just fine with. We worked on our yard endlessly this month and Mike started working on the retaining wall as well. We quickly realized just how much we underestimated both projects! We were back in court again on the 12th for the divorce and my mom was ordered to sell the Rockford house... a welcome relief to the three of us as we were all ready to let it go from our lives. Liana found her love for the water this month and basked in the glory of swimming the rest of the summer. Lukas, on the other hand, didn't appreciate it as much! I "nested" this month, preparing for our first party in the new house... a baby shower in honor of my friend and coworker, Kara. The end of July brought my dad's 66th birthday - another "first" spent without him.

August

We celebrated another Kadzban wedding on the 3rd when Mike's cousin Doug married his college girlfriend, Sara. The kids had a blast at their first wedding reception and danced the night away! Just a few days later though my world was shaken once again when a college friend, Sarah, suddenly lost her 30 year old husband to meningitis and was left to raise her three children (under the age of two) by herself. To say that life is unfair became a drastic understatement and her loss resonated deeply with me and others close to me that knew the couple better. Later in the month, however, Mike and I were able to reconnect with our old firends Kurtis and Kathryn after a four year hiatus. The last weekend of August brought the kids and I back to the east side of the state for another Kranz party... this time to celebrate Xander's baptism. I was one tired mama after forging that party without Mike but as always, it was worth it. :)

September

I had been gearing up for September throughout the entire month of August as we were supposed to begin the criminal trial the Tuesday after Labor Day. We found out that day, however, that the trial was going to be pushed back until either November or December. I was initially very disappointed that we were going to have to wait to bring closure to the situation but after a few days, I realized how relieved I actually was. I just wasn't ready to face the reality of what was going to happen and I wasn't ready for my dad to be shipped from Grand Rapids to Jackson. I felt like I had been granted a reprieve and for the first time, I was thankful for the slow pace of our judicial system. Mike turned 30 on the 19th and we celebrated by having dinner with a group of our closest friends. On the 22nd we had family pictures done and while they turned out beautifully, it was hard not having him be a part of that. A few days later, I got to snuggle my friend Kara's new baby Maya and then celebrate my sisters 29th birthday.

October

Mike and I went to Traverse City for a couples weekend with a few of our good friends from college and had a blast. We soaked up every child- and responsibility-free moment! The tensions of K-Day came to an all-time high this year between my husband and I, making a few of our days this month anything but happy. We had court again on the 18th and got some good news. Then later that day I threw a baby shower for Baby Giroux and got to spend an evening with a few of my favorite coworkers! The 19th would have been my parents 34th anniversary (and technically still was) but my mom, sister and I decided to make it a day devoted to just us and how far we've come since life without my dad began. We rounded out the month by leaving the dark ages and getting smart phones (trust me, this was a monumental moment!) and then celebrating our baby boy's 2nd birthday on the 27th with just a small family party. Halloween was also a big deal this year as both kiddos participated in the activities with Liana dressed as Rapunzel and Lukas as Elmo. While Lukas wasn't too into the festivities at first, he got pretty excited once he realized candy was involved and made lots of new "friends" with the candy-givers around the neighborhood! :)

November

Immediately following his birthday, we weaned Lukas of his paci during the non-sleeping hours and he did much better with it than we thought he would! I was so relieved to have that thing out of his mouth for the most part as he was seriously attached to it for the longest time and rarely went without it. We went back to court on the 14th for a civil suit between my parents in hopes that it would award my mom the sum of their estate and take the matter out of Judge Quist's (the judge presiding over their divorce) hands. I testified on my mom's behalf and was so relieved when I discovered that my dad would not be present as I wasn't ready to see him, let alone testify against him in his presence. Judge Redford awarded my mom 100% of their estate which provided us with a great sense of relief as we were always so worried about what he might do with any money awarded to him. That same day, Baby Giroux made HER entrance into the world! I was elated for my friend Megan who had waited far too long for this day to arrive. After five months of working on the retaining wall, Mike finally finished it just days before the snow started to fly. We spent Thanksgiving in Traverse City this year and it was a nice change of pace from what we usually do. And after years of procrastination, I finally earned the right to sign "LMSW" after my name this month. :)

December

Nothing like sending the year out with a bang.... December was one tough month for us. December 3rd marked the start of the criminal trial and Brittany, my mom, and I all testified in court against my dad. The next two days were torture as we listened to all the other testimony and sat in a court room just feet from the man who we both love and fear so much. The verdict came back on the 5th and as we re-entered the courtroom to hear what the jury had decided upon, my heart had never felt heavier. After only a 30 minute deliberation, my father was found guilty of assault with the intent to commit murder and once again, my world felt like it was turned upside down. Just two short weeks later we were back in that same courtroom for sentencing, along with every local news station. I can confidently say that December 19th was the worst day of my life, even surpassing the miscarriage. While these events greatly overshadowed all the other events of this month, we did have some good days. Liana got her ears pierced on the 7th, we had her preschool Christmas concert just before Christmas, Mike got to have his inaugural skate on the lake, and I was able to take two full weeks off from work over the holidays.... a break I was in desperate need of. Christmas was very bittersweet this year but I loved seeing both of my children get excited over being with our families and opening their presents. I was reminded this month of how blessed I still am to have the remaining family that I do. We ended 2013 with the wedding of a very dear college friend, Nicole, and spending NYE with the Prins' and all four of our kiddos.

2012: In pictures and words.

Every year, I try to summarize all that's taken place in our lives over the course of those 365 days into one not-so-little blog post. 2012 was another eventful year for The Kadzbans....

January:

We started out the year by taking the plunge and buying a mini van. I swore up and down I'd never allow myself to do it but when it came down to it, it was the smartest decision and I'm not ashamed to say that I love my van! I remained on maternity leave until the 18th and the anxiety of going back to work was more than overwhelming at times. Once I finally returned though, the reprieve came on quickly. (I thank my wonderful coworkers for that one.) We had Lukas's 3 month photos taken on the 21st and he spent his first night in his nursery on the 23rd.

February:
Lukas was baptized on the 18th at St. Pius X Church in Grandville. Mike got one of his many moments of glory when he took Liana ice skating for the first time at Rosa Parks Circle. She didn't like to skate on her own all that much so instead, he carried her most of the time. She especially loved it when he would go fast!

March:
This month held some good changes for us! Mike got a great promotion at work that moved him into the position of a Merchandise Planner for the Dairy Department at Meijer. He had worked so hard to get to this point and it surely didn't come easily. Liana turned three on the 24th and I had promised myself we would be "paci-free" by that birthday, so earlier in the month we finally worked ourselves up to getting rid of those paci's she had become so attached to. The first day was the worst, especially at naptime and bedtime, but after that she handled it like a champ! Lukas started some solids this month and wasn't initially a fan. I also breastfed him for the last time on the 28th, making it to the same 5 month mark I made with Liana. I wasn't ready to give it up but I was also quite frustrated with having to pump while working (pulling over on the side of the road to pump is far from ideal!) so it just felt like the time was right.

April:
This was a big month for our little boy! He finally started to invest himself in eating solids around the middle of the month, which Mike and I hoped would help him finally sleep through the night. (It didn't.) He got his bottom two teeth just weeks before his six month birthday on the 27th. The four of us packed up and headed eastward for a visit to the Kranz's on the 21st and it was nice to share our little guy with our friends once again. Lukas also had his six month photos so we made the most of that session and got some updated shots of Liana as well.

May:
Mike started the month of May off by running the 25k in the Riverbank Run. The kids and I made the trek to the finish line on that rainy Saturday morning to see him finish and while it wasn't the easiest of tasks, the look on his face when he saw us standing there made it all worthwhile. Lukas finally sits on his own this month and also starts to use rolling as his means of getting around. May also brought our little boy his first sicknesses - first it was a terrible cold, then croup. He starts eating 3 meals a day as well which does help him sleep longer at night and wake less. Both kids wind up with Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease and then share it with their mama. Liana officially stops taking naps and bedtime goes much smoother as a result. I take a night away from Mike and the kids to spend a night in Holland with one of my closest friends, Rachel and have an absolutely amazing time. We finish May out with our first trip to the zoo!

June:
After thinking about it for weeks and meeting with a realtor, we decided to list our house in early June. I had completely underestimated how emotional that would be. Not even three weeks later and a day after my 29th birthday, we accepted an offer on the house and reality set in that "our" house was no longer "ours". Lukas started army crawling this month and was so much fun to watch. We took him swimming for the first time on the 24th and he also sits up on his own for the first time.

July:
Mike started the month out by celebrating our 6th anniversary on the 1st. Lukas gets to enjoy his first Fourth of July but isn't too impressed with the loud horns during the parade (and neither was his sister, really!). He also gives up army crawling and moves on to the "real deal"... I quickly found myself wishing he wasn't quite so mobile as he loves to get into EVERYTHING! He eats "real" food for the first time this month and loves Mac & Cheese. With help, he takes his first steps. Lukas turned 9 months and my dad decided that he was no longer able to watch the kids for us while I worked. While it was a hard decision to come to, I couldn't blame him one bit and looked forward to getting the kids into a daycare where they'd get to play with other kids and work on their socialization skills.  Come July 28th, we said our final goodbye to our Sienna home and the wonderful neighbors we would miss so terribly much. After looking at dozens of houses and not finding anything we loved, we decided to take the plunge and build!

August:
The plans for our new home were finalized this month. Liana had a big milestone when she got her first haircut and it went much better than I had anticipated it would. She also got to go fishing with daddy for the first time. Mike's summer hockey league won their championship. And I got some wonderful news that my friend Kate was unexpectedly expecting her third baby!!

September:
FINALLY! Lukas is officially sleeping through the night! It only took him 11 months to get there, but we finally did it! (At least for a while.) My mom and I took Liana to the Barnum & Bailey Circus on the 22nd and had so much fun.... Liana talked about it for weeks and still reminds me that she wants to go again. It was so neat to share in that kind of an experience with her. Our little girl finally gave up wearing pull-ups to bed this month. Mike ran in the Warrior Dash with his brother and sister and had a fun time with only a few minor bumps, scrapes and bruises. Lukas took his first steps this month too and once he got going, he didn't slow down. He also said his first word, "mama", and then follows it up by saying "daddy" a week later. He has seven teeth already and is working on his molars as well. The end of the month brought some unexpected job changes my way as my job share partner decided that it was her time to leave SHH. This was a huge loss for me in so many different ways and I really struggled with it.

October:
Early October brought some major excitement as they started excavation on our house. It was the coolest feeling to look at that hole after it was dug and to know that my kids will grow up in that house and that it's ours. Lukas gets his first haircut just days before his first birthday and much like his sister did, handles it like a champ! We celebrate his first birthday with just a small family party this year due to a lack of space in our rental house. Lukas's 1 year photos and our family pictures were taken on the 25th and he learns a new word - "byeeeee!" for bye-bye. After months of procrastination and having an extremely difficult time of finding the right daycare for my babies, Mike and I chose to enroll the kids at Forest Grove Christian Learning Center in Hudsonville. I said a bittersweet goodbye to my job share partner Megan and my "north team" on the 18th. While I looked forward to working closer to home, it was painfully difficult to leave the territory and the nurses I had come to love so much.

November:
The kids started at Forest Grove this month and while Liana was initially very excited about going to "preschool", once the reality of it all set in she was less than pleased. My heart broke each Tues & Thurs morning when she'd wake up crying and begging me not to take her. But Mike and I both knew this was for the best and that it would get easier, which it has. Lukas handled it all so well right from the get go and thrives in the presence of the other kids. Mike has another "moment of glory" this month as he takes Lukas to his first hockey game, which they both loved. Liana and I ditched the male half of our family for a weekend to head eastward to spend time with Kate, Lily and Charley. The foundation for our house is poured. Lukas gets his teeth brushed for the first time this month. On a much more difficult note, my parents file for divorce this month after 33 years of marriage.

December:
"The Build" progresses quickly this month and before we know it, we have an exterior! Within just two weeks everything is closed off and big decisions are being made. Mike and I are enjoying making some of these decisions but also find ourselves quite stressed over the financial aspects that come along with this process. My Dad moves to Rockford the first weekend in December and things start to get pretty tough for my family. Christmas was a bittersweet holiday for us this year but we enjoyed seeing Liana and Lukas soak up the magic of it all. Liana especially loved her Elf on the Shelf, Martin, that came to visit us everyday. We finished out the year with a bang by both Liana and Lukas getting pink eye and then all of us getting hit with "the plague" (aka the stomach flu) on NYE and by New Years Day.

 

2012 presented us with a lot of blessings and a few hardships. This was our first full year as a family of four and Mike and I have really been trying to soak up this time in our lives with the kids. We look forward to everything 2013 has to offer us, especially the completion of our new home!

The annual wrapup.... 2011 style.

In all honesty, I hadn't even thought about my annual wrapup post until the other night when I noticed others posting theirs. Oops! I suppose it's safe to say my mind has been elsewhere lately.

Without further ado though, here it is. Enjoy! :)

After having a pretty rough 2010, I have to admit that 2011 was a pretty good year for the Kadzban family. Aside from Lukas's arrival, which made the year wonderful all on its own, we had lots of other things to be thankful for.

January

As we started out the new year, Mike and I debated on whether we were ready to try for another baby yet. After months of not feeling quite ready, we realized that we were and then found ourselves very disappointed to find out near the end of the month that we hadn't gotten pregnant. Liana got to go sledding with Daddy for the first time this month after the Blizzard of 2011 gave her plenty of snow to do so in. And my baby was a 'mommy's girl' through and through....

February

The second weekend of the month brought great fun as we ventured to the east side of the state to visit with the Kranz's in celebration of Charley's birth and Lily's 2nd birthday. I realized this weekend that my fears about Liana not being ready to be a big sister were unfounded as she was quickly fascinated with Charley and didn't mind sharing her mama's attention with her as she had done with all other babies in the past. About a week later, on the 23rd, Mike and I found out that we were expecting our own baby! My heart was so excited but so scared at the same time. The final weekend of the month, we headed east one more time to be there for Lily's party.

March

The month my baby girl turned two! This is also the month where she officially became a "terrible two". Opinions became loud, tantrums became frequent, emotions became wild. Through it all though, I found myself loving her even more. We celebrated her birthday by taking her to Frederick Meijer Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit and having a quiet day at home, just the three of us. Two days later, on the 26th, we had our family and friends over to celebrate. The pregnancy kept me on my toes all month long as I was anxious about the things that could go wrong. We had a miscarriage scare on the 9th, which coincidentally was the night before I had to take my already-stressful licensing exam. I'm not sure how I made it through that test, let alone pass it, but I thank God that I did. Later that day, Dr. LaGrand did an ultrasound and for the first time, I laid my eyes upon one sweet little baby and one beating heartbeat at six weeks. My heart had never been put to ease so quickly.

April

This month, we passed the ten week mark and I finally started to feel safe within our pregnancy. I helped to throw a baby shower for my dear friend Jessie. On Easter Sunday, at 12.5 weeks, we finally announced our pregnancy to the world!!

 May

This was an emotional month for me for a number of different reasons, both good and bad. Our baby would have been born in May and as a result, I was in a major funk for the first two weeks as I tried to navigate the miscarriage waters one more time. Our friends, JJ and Jess, gave birth to their daughter Madison near the end of the month and while I thought this would send me into a tailspin again, it actually did the opposite. Holding Madison made me feel excitement over everything that was still to come with our own baby.  The end of the month was busy for us as we had Liana's two-year photo session and then my peanut and I traveled to the east side of the state again over Memorial Day to spend a long weekend with the Kranz's. We visited the Detroit Zoo and had a ball... well, aside from the many tantrums both two year olds gave us the pleasure of dealing with. ;) My family also experienced some hardships this month that left things a bit uncertain for a while. Finally, we remodeled our kitchen this month and transformed the center of our home from a blue abyss into something beautiful and warm!

 

 

June

The start of the month brought us something we had been anticipating since February... our 20 week ultrasound on the 13th! It was at this ultrasound that we discovered we'd be adding a baby boy into our mix and I saw pure relief wash over my husband as he'd now have a son. I don't think I'll ever forget the smile smeared across his face when we left our doctors office and it sunk in that he'd actually have someone to share his passions with. At the end of June I celebrated my 28th birthday. And as a gift for my mom's birthday & Mothers Day, I bought her a mini session so that she and Liana could have their pictures taken together which turned out great!

 

July

July was a month of chaos for us. In preparation for baby boy, we put ourselves into full gear to get the house ready. As my projects usually go, one project became another and pretty soon things started spiraling out of control. Liana got to experience her first "real" 4th of July this month as this was the first year that she really got into the festivities. Brittany and I went to the Taylor Swift concert on the 28th and while I was incredibly uncomfortable sitting in those small stadium seats at 26 weeks pregnant, I still had a blast. Finally, Mike and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary on the 1st! We didn't do much for our anniversary (and honest to God, I can't even remember why...) but regardless, it was a milestone that meant a lot to both of us.

 

 

 

August

A month of changes!! Liana's "big girl" room was finished and she officially moved in on the 18th. It was so bittersweet!! I couldn't believe my baby girl wasn't so much a baby anymore and that it was time for her to leave her crib behind. We also got her a swingset soon thereafter and I swear the kid thought she had died and gone to heaven. In addition, we ventured into the adventures of potty training this month.... and failed miserably! Friendships changed this month and unfortunately, not for the better.

 

 

  September

We started this month out by taking our first and last vacation as a family of three to Chicago over Labor Day weekend. While there we visited Brookfield Zoo & Shedd's aquarium, both of which Liana loved. It was so wonderful to be able to get away with my little family for a few days and truly enjoy each others company. Liana became officially potty trained the last weekend of the month. We finished the nursery and also painted the downstairs bathroom. I threw a baby shower for our cousin, Laura, who was due just 3.5 weeks after I was. Mike celebrated his 28th birthday on the 19th. Also this month, I became hugely pregnant and while I felt physically ready to have our baby, I was far from emotionally ready as I just wanted to soak every second up with my family of three before we became a family of four.

 

 

October

The month it all came down to. My hormones were raging throughout October as my body prepared to bring a baby into this world. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat well and was just pretty miserable overall. While potty trained, we still struggled with certain aspects of it and Mike and I were quite nervous that adding a new baby into the mix was going to detonate the "potty training bomb". I anxiously prepared for my maternity leave at work which couldn't have come at a better time as I was definitely ready for a break. Lukas Ryan was born on the 27th and brought an immeasurable amount of  joy to our lives once again. I did still find myself remembering the baby that I had lost exactly 364 days before he was born and while I knew that Lukas could never replace that baby, he did help mend my broken heart.

 

 

 

 

 

November

Our first few weeks at home with Lukas flew by. I had forgotten how much work a newborn was and how exhausting they could be! Mike stayed home with Liana, Lukas and I for the first week after we came home from the hospital and then my mom was here to help for the second week. I healed quickly from my c-section and found myself so thankful that I had chosen to go that route even though it wasn't easy at the time. Around the 10th we noticed that Lukas was becoming much more fussy as he cried a majority of the day and after taking him for his 2 week checkup, we discovered that he had reflux. It was terrible to see my baby in so much pain all the time and listening to him cry constantly really did a number on all of us. He remained like this throughout the remainder of the month. The Kranz's came for a long weekend to meet baby Lukas and my heart beamed at seeing Liana and Lily play together like the best of friends. On the 14th, our cousins Laura & Matt welcomed their little girl, Kate, into this world and the Kadzban's couldn't have been any happier for the Pridgeon's on the beautiful addition to their family. :)

 

 

 

December

December was most definitely one of the best months of the year for us. While the first few weeks remained tough with regards to Lukas, he began to settle down around the middle of the month. It was at that point that we got to see more of his personality emerging and we loved what we saw. I found myself loving my time at home with the kids more and more as each day passed. The holidays came and went in a flash, which was both good and bad as I had a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.