2 beautiful little girls in matching sweaters! One with brown hair and brown eyes and one with blonde hair and blue eyes. Sisters! God has blessed us beyond anything we could ever deserve and I am so thankful to get to be their mama. and I am even more thankful to get to be the wife of this incredible man- he is so much fun, always keeps me laughing, is the best daddy to our babies, works hard to support us, loves me so well, leads our family in our relationships with Christ, and is getting more and more handsome with age. 2017 was a wonderful year of rest for our family. I finally felt like I was out of the "survival mode" that came with 2 babies in under 2 years and was able to focus on bigger goals than getting the dishes done and keeping everyone fed and in clean diapers. I began to focus a bit on minimalism- finding so much freedom in owning less. Clutter! Fewer clothes- less mental clutter in picking out outfits. Fewer toys- less to pick up! Fewer art supplies- less to keep organized! and the list goes on and on. It has been freeing to say the least! and of course, it is still a work in progress. I began to focus on healthy eating and wellness in general. I truly believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I have jumped into using essential oils and am finding so much freedom in having control over what I put in my body. They are helping with emotional health, occasional head tension, pms craziness, getting good sleep, and the list can just keep going! I have started to cut meat out of our diets- just little by little! because I really do enjoy a good burger now and then...I don't know that I will ever cut it fully out, but I am enjoying working toward eating meat only 1x per day and going without it completely 1 or 2 days a week. We finished paying off the house that we bought a few years ago and have been saving up another down payment and dreaming about building our own house on our property. We had some great discussions about long term goals and dreams (like long term travel in Scotland or Ireland before Johanna starts high school)! We got to enjoy so much time as a family- the flexibility and freedom that working on the family farm provides has been an incredible blessing. I can work when the girls nap or after they're in bed for the night! Jesus can take them with him when he is running errands- picking up farm equipment or whatnot. They get to spend time with their cousins and grandparents. It is really pretty special! And the downtime in the winter that allows Jesus to be home with us is beyond precious to me- he is the best part of my day every day, but I feel like I really get to enjoy him during the winter times! We were intentionally slow and restful this past year because we know that over the next few years, we want to build a house on our property, have 2 more children, etc. etc. and it will not stay slow for long! I am so thankful for all that 2017 brought. For the incredible friendships I have in my mom's group! For the time that we got to spend with family- birthday dinners, trips to the zoo, staying in cabins in Sunriver, celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas... For Bible Study Fellowship and the work that the Lord is doing in my life! For the friendship that our daughters are developing! For the time that we were able to pour into our relationship- playing games, weekly date nights (huge perk of living with others!), overnighters at the coast with and without kiddos, enjoying our babies... so wonderful! I know that 2018 will be so incredibly special and wonderful in its own way, but I think 2017 will always be a contender for favorite year ;)
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