I blink and the year is over. Most days are a blur of activity. I love how much we get to do and experience; it's a great life and I feel blessed at how much we have. I'm not referring to material stuff, but to the family that has been created through birth, marriage, and friendship. We are very rich in love, support, and strength. "All you need is love AND a dog." :)
I truly believe we make the most of our days and our time together. It's fun to experience life through our kids' eyes. This was more evident than ever when we went to Massachusetts in July. I am still smiling at the memories of our trip and quite proud of how everyone in Team Toppall had an open mind and was willing to try some pretty wonderful activities for the first time.
Travel this year:
March: Ocean City, MD for 3 days (the kids & me with friends).
May: England and Portugal for 10 days*
June: Orlando for a long weekend (Robyn & Ian)
June: Kids with Jeff's parents for 3 days
July: Massachusetts extravaganza for 10 days
July: Kids in Orlando for 16 days, I was there for 6 of them.
August: Ocean City, NJ for a week at the beach
August: Samantha at sleepaway camp in Palmer, MA for 12 nights
October: Gatlinburg, TN 5 days
November: Girls weekend in Berkeley Springs, WVA*
December: Orlando for 1 week (the kids & me)
*Represents trips taken solo
Can I just say "WOW!" ? This was the year we finally made expanding our family with a 4-legged member into a reality. Yay! Three months ago we welcomed Lucy, a 2 year old lab mix, into our lives. I am not sure who rescued who. She is amazing and sweet and so lovable. All she wants to do is cuddle and curl up next to you. We are so fortunate to have found her. Lucy brightens our day! I still look at her from time and time and can't believe she is ours. One of my favorite things to do is take Lucy with me in the car. I spend so much time going back and forth taking the kids to their activities; its nice to have the company.
Ian has impressed me big-time this year. He started taking drama through a local organization. It takes up a huge amount of his free time on the weekends (9:00am to 1:00pm on Saturdays) and he doesn't mind in the least. He enjoys it; really, really enjoys it. It's so cool to see Ian get excited over something. This Fall they did a production of "Singing in the Rain, Jr." and he had a blast. Ian also got into running and ran his first 5k (3.1 miles). He wants to continue with track in the Spring too. I am so happy we finally stopped talking about tackle football.
Samantha started a new activity to do each week and now takes horse back riding lessons. It is a great outlet for her and one she is truly enjoying. I love seeing the self-confidence she has being on top of these horses. And Sam also started running in the Fall, complete with a 5k race. Wowee! Another winner for her and one she wants to continue in the Spring.
I feel we've made headway with Sam and her getting ready for school in the mornings. Each year, we make progress. Not huge leaps and bounds, but baby steps. Through recent psychological testing with her therapist, we've learned a lot about how Sam's mind works. It's been like a light has turned on and we've been able to amend how we do some stuff. We are setting ourselves and Sam up for success. The next step is to go to Sam's school and have her teacher implement some adjustments. School is going exceedingly well for Sam right now, but we fear that in the next few years it will become a struggle to stay focused.
I made the impossible happen by taking the trip to England and Portugal with my friends in May. I still can't believe I pulled that off. The time away was magical and I seriously didn't stop laughing for 10 days straight. Being with your best girlfriends and getting to escape the day-to-day routine, traveling to far away lands, is something I feel that should be required at least once (if not a few times) in your life. I still pinch myself that I experienced this.
My weight is ALWAYS going to be a struggle. I've come to terms with this. I do the best I can do and not beat myself up over a bad day, or two, or three. I've done great consistently working out and feel good. It's what I eat that needs to always be monitored. It's too easy to fall into bad habits and it becomes a downward slippery slope very easily.
I've been trying to find a better balance and volunteer more. I'm now part of a Jewish group called "Mitzvah Mavens". I am enjoying this very much and the work we are doing is bringing the community together, while doing good. It feels very fulfilling to be a part of this group.
Jeff is still very much enjoying his job. It's a great company to work for. That's all I can say about that. :)
This was the year we survived a child of ours having their first broken bone. Samantha had a hairline fracture in her elbow. It happened at school (during recess) while I was away in England, Jeff handled it brilliantly and Sam with her arm cast was seen as a bit of a novelty in her class. She loved getting everyone to sign it. This year we also survived Jeff having the flu. Both equally impressive.
The year ahead in 2017:
In 2017, One of the events I am most excited for is our trip to NYC at the end of June. I somehow worked a miracle and got us 4 tickets to see "Hamilton". And we are planning to get tickets to "Kinky Boots" when they go on sale too. Both soundtracks the kids can sing in their sleep. Getting to see two shows on Broadway is a huge treat and I know these memories will last a lifetime with the kids.
Jeff has the opportunity to take a very cool trip this year and visit Joseph (Dawn's husband) in England. The two of them will travel to France and be in Normandy for the D-Day anniversary. How great is that? Jeff never does anything for just himself, so I am very happy for him that he will do this trip. I think it will be a fabulous adventure.
Get this, both kids are registered for sleepway camp for 4 weeks this summer. I am still in awe that Ian wants to go back. Sam loved her 12 nights there in 2016 and couldn't wait for us to register her again. We are still working out the financial part of it (OMG!! It's ridiculously expensive!), but I am hopeful we can make it work. I need to be SUPER hopeful because Jeff has different feelings on if we can swing it. I do believe the kids doing sleepaway camp is a great for their growth and development.
We still haven't done the recessed lighting in the house. I will hope again that maybe in 2017 we can get it done. Although, if we are trying to figure out how to pay for the kid's camp, I don't see the recessed lighting be a top priority. Who knows? We got a dog this year, so stranger things have occurred.
My personal resolution is going to have more patience. I am not sure why but I am getting more frustrated when people don't move as fast as I do or want them too. I need to remind myself it's not the end of the world if it takes a few more minutes to check out, move up in the gas line, or a million other things that has me waiting behind excruciatingly slow people. I think I just need to take a deep breath and chill.
Another resolution is to weigh the same or less than I do right now. If I can maintain this weight (or even keep losing) a year from now, I will be very happy I didn't slide backwards and kept the progress moving in the right direction.
My New Year's Wish:
If you are reading this, I wish for us to have more time to reflect, time to enjoy the quiet and time to relax in 2017. I hope that we can be able to slow down the clock and enjoy our days. And oh yeah, let's be kind to one another. Love you!
Happy New Year! :)
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