2018 Year in Review

I can't believe I am writing the year-in-review post already! How has another year come and gone??? 2018 was full of the things I love most--my family (immediate and extended) and travel. We had visits from my sister's family and Marta and Elizabeth and got to spend time with Jim and his family. I finally introduced the kids to Aunt Pat, my mother's sister, and showed them my childhood stomping grounds. Unfortunately, we did not see my dad or Kevin, but we will make that happen in 2019.

We took multiple trips to Williamsburg and Philadelphia, spent time in New York City, and took a big trip to New England, which I had wanted to do for years. We went on a Thanksgiving cruise and visited 3 different Six Flags. For birthdays, Jack spent a day bike riding at Valley Forge, Anna enjoyed a night at Great Wolf Lodge, Kara had a Harry Potter themed party and Luke had his first party with friends at the gymnastics center. Everyone was well-celebrated! The only thing missing was a night or two away for just Thomas and me.

Favorite 2018 moments:
Luke: Playing ping pong on the cruise
Kara: The day in Massachusetts we went to the beach and visited grandma's grave
Jack: When Great Aunt Pat gave me the huge Civil War book
Anna: Snorkeling in Nassau and trying trapeze
Kori: seeing the Red Sox at Fenway
Thomas: Biking through Valley Forge

Unlike last year, we don't have any big trips planned yet for 2019. Although, I am itching to go to Disney World (it's been almost 6 years since we last visited!). Even though I like to focus more on the good than the bad, particularly in this blog, I also try to be honest. And, to be honest, one of the kids was very difficult on the cruise. I swore that I was not going to book another big vacation until we got a handle on those challenges, which most frequently come when our routine is thrown completely out of whack. New England was overwhelmingly positive, so I am not sure what happened between August and November or why there was such a stark contrast in behavior. But, we don't want to spend the money that Disney will cost just to be disappointed and frustrated again.

However, as I mentioned, we need to visit my dad. If he is unable to come to us, we will make sure to visit him. That may mean me flying down with one or two kids for a long weekend. Or, it may mean that we all go down and spend a relaxed week in Winter Haven. We will see how things progress over the next few months. I still harbor the slight hope that we can manage to figure out how to handle the issues that resulted in the cruise misery and go to Disney.

So, what are we most looking forward to in 2019:
Luke: playing t-ball
Kara: summer break
Jack: starting middle school
Anna: fifth grade graduation
Kori: using our new flex schedule to take random days off this summer
Thomas: Hitting my 15 year mark as a government employee and getting all the extra vacation time that comes with it!

And now, the annual individual summaries!

Luke: The difference between almost 4 and almost 5 is a big one! He is starting to struggle a bit with stronger feelings. He will do something wrong or get frustrated or angry and blame his stomach. It is actually pretty interesting to watch that internal struggle. Sometimes, he will even say, "my stomach is trying to make me do something bad, but I am not listening (something bad like speaking rudely or throwing a toy--fortunately, we aren't dealing with any big behavior issues). We are working hard with him on how to appropriately deal with the big feelings that seem to come around this age. Fortunately, he is very smart and I think his general disposition is sweet and easy-going, so it isn't too much of a challenge (praying it stays that way!). When he doesn't want to do something, he will say he is "nervous." We have explained to him several times what nervous means, but he continues to use it in a funny way, like "I am too nervous to eat my broccoli".  He is very smart and social and is a favorite among both his peers and teachers at school. He is super sweet and cuddly. He gets along well with his siblings, although they don't let him get away with as much as he used to. He is always willing to share whatever he has and seems to have a special bond with Kara. Although, he will play happily with any of his siblings.  For Christmas, he got Splatoon and immediately turned to Jack and exclaimed, "look Jack, WE got Splatoon!" It was one of my favorite moments of the day and I think is a good example of his general nature. He still loves sports. Instead of asking to look at toys at the store, he still asks to go and look at the balls.  He played his first season of soccer this year and did amazing. His favorite thing is to go outside and play baseball with his dad and he has asked to play t-ball this spring. When he grows up he wants to be a policeman. My three words for Luke are: sweet, smart, and cuddly. Thomas said: athletic, sweet, and whiny.

Kara: Kara had an eventful year! She was selected for student council, morning news and as a media aid. She began her first year of band and is playing the trombone. She made straight As for all of third grade and got 5s on PARCC in both math and reading! Kara gave us the biggest scare of the year when we took her to the emergency room and learned that her awful stomachache was appendicitis. That experience is definitely not making any "best moment" list. She was doing much better with controlling her temper right up until her appendectomy. I am not sure if there is a correlation, or if it is just a coincidence in time, but there was a definite regression after that event. She is still very helpful and her overall personality is very sweet. For example, yesterday, she spent much of the day entertaining Luke while Thomas and I did projects around the house. She even made him lunch! When we leave the kids with a teenage babysitter, we always put Kara in charge of Luke *witch bothers Anna (that little parenthetical was added by Anna when I happened to leave this open on the computer :). She happily helps him with his pajamas and brushing his teeth. She and Anna have a strong love/hate relationship. They seem to either be the best of friends or bitterly fighting. She and Jack along well and rarely argue. Kara loves to read, play with Littlest Pet Shop and build Legos. She also loves board games and helping me in the kitchen. When she grows up she wants to be an author. My three words for Kara are: emotional, helpful, and strong-willed. Thomas said: smart, helpful, and caring.

Jack: Jack continues to be easy to parent. He is generally obedient and quick to offer a helping hand. He routinely does all his chores without complaint or reminders. When I drive up with groceries he is always there to help bring them in and put them away (we don't even have to ask!). He loves the Nintendo Switch and comic books and is still very interested in history. Jack is an avid reader and reads several large books each week. We can't get to the library fast enough to keep him occupied! He has an odd sleeping rhythm and has trouble falling asleep before 9:30/10pm. On the weekends, he usually makes up for it by sleeping until 9:30/10am. I am dreading the ultra-early middle school bus pick-up next year! Jack is an excellent student who picks up new material very quickly. Both he and Anna were selected for their school's 4th grade math team where they came in 4th out of 23. It was the school's best finish in years! He can be very silly and has a good sense of humor. He is very quiet until he starts talking about one of his video games or something interesting he learned. His presence is much appreciated in our house and I pray that the middle school years don't change him one bit! When he grows up he wants to be a lawyer. My words for Jack are loving, quiet, and helpful. Thomas said: Affectionate, smart, and steady

Anna: Anna has made lots of good progress this year. Like her siblings she does well in school (the first quarter all 3 had straight As!). She is very concerned about the environment and is a member of her school's environmental club. She is also a safety patrol officer and in the school's chorus. She seems to have found a strong friend group and that has made her very happy. She can lose her temper quickly, but she also recovers quickly and apologizes. She is anxious to grow-up, although she still loves to play with Littlest Pet Shop and American Girl. She has now completed a year of piano lessons. She frequently states she wants to quit, but takes it back pretty quickly. She enjoys making progress, but not  practicing, which obviously creates some struggles. Anna is very nervous about middle-school. She can have trouble finding the positives in her life, but is working on it. My three words for Anna are chatty, precocious, and inquisitive. Thomas said: Precocious, smart, and ambitious. (Note--Thomas and I do not collaborate when coming up with the three words to describe the children.)  

And that wraps up the 2018 Year in Review. As always, as long as we are all healthy and together next year, I will consider 2019 a success. We had our annual cheese fondue yesterday and discussed what we enjoyed in 2018 and what we hope to work on in 2019. Cheers to 2018!