Here We Are, Again!

Leaves are falling, it's foggy outside, there is a little bit of a chill to the air.  That can only mean one thing...
Yep, you guessed it, it's Christmas Eve (Cali style, of course). I know everyone is saying this but I have to say it because it is overwhelmingly true, 2014 flew by!

Where has the time gone?  My littlest guy is going to be two years old on the 26th and although I will miss his little self, I am very much looking forward to everything that he is to become.  He's already got his little quirks--his uniqueness is cute and sometimes OCD-ish but it's all good.

As I sit here at work waiting for my last few Christmas gift shipments to arrive, I am delighting a bit as I take a mental stroll down 2014's memory lane:

Zeke had another awesome year of flag football, a rocky transition into his first season of tackle football, but an amazing end to the season with a bright outlook for the future.  I am so excited for my son, I could scream.  You see your child fall in love with something, master it, and challenge himself to be the best he can be.  You see your child being torn down and buried in disappointment, not being given the opportunity to be himself.  Then you see your child come back with a mighty vengeance--the wind so fluid beneath his feet, it's as if he is soaring through the sky, effortlessly.  2015 will be the year his natural talent is honed into that of a focused, determined, and disciplined athlete.  It's already in the works and I am so proud of him.

Naomi owned 2014 like a BOSS.  After watching her struggle through piano we found an amazing piano teacher who encourages and motivates her to challenge herself.  Who places sheet music from Dvorak to Tchaikovsky to "Jingle Bells" in front of her and insists, "You can play this one, come on!"  We cannot thank you enough Margaret, you are a hidden gem of a teacher!

In 2014 Naomi declared her little brother to be her BFF and has not once let him down.  I've tried telling her, I have tried showing her, but I can never adequately express how thankful I am for all the times she has entertained him while mommy and daddy were busy cooking or just trying to run a crazy house.  All those times she read to him, talked to him, translated whatever he was saying in his own language, to plain English so everyone else could understand.  God, thank you for my daughter!

But 2014 was also the year I saw a certain vulnerability in my daughter, a sadness that was barely noticeable but had the potential to be great in size if not dealt with early enough.  It's somewhat of a tangled web to comprehend but not wholly insurmountable--and this is good.  We are good, she is good and for that, I am glad.

Yep, 2014 was a good year, a memorable year.  We made our way back to Maui (beautiful and better than we remembered), purchased our first home, saw Stevie Wonder in concert (amazing), got a little older, danced a little more than we did the year before, and said I love you to one another more times than I can remember.  Thank God for that!

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and here is a little something I would like to leave you with.  A little insight into the conversations I have with my soon to be two year old.

--Ezra's funny way of saying he farted: "Ew, I boo-boo mama.  It stinky"

--While lying in bed, just before falling off to sleep he tells me, "Mama farted, daddy farted, Zeko farted, Momi (Naomi) farted, Ba-mah (grandma) farted, Tetah (his cousin) farted.  HA HA HA!" Then continues nursing and falls asleep.

Someone might have a slight obsession with farts.

xoxo