Goodbye 2018

As we head into 2019 I cannot help but look back and reminisce on all of the Lord’s blessings over the past 365 days. It was a whirlwind year with lots of change and more answered prayers than we can count. 2018 will always be remembered as the year we became a family of four and I could never have imagined how sweet (and hard, and tiring! Ha! 🙂 ) it would be.

I sat down and scrolled through all of my old photos from the past year. They made me laugh out loud (we do a lot of that with these boys of ours these days) and they brought me to tears seeing how fast my babies have changed in just a few short months. But more than anything else I was blown away by this: the Lord is faithful and His plan is better than our plan. I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness when I look back and see how He has been faithful to provide in all circumstances.

These are some of our favorite memories from 2018.

Announced that John Davis was going to be a big brother to a baby BOY: In January we announced to the world that John Davis was getting a baby brother. We had known for quite some time at this point because we found out the gender at just 13 weeks with Lauren at First Impression 3D Ultrasound – who is the very best by the way!

I never had any morning sickness with John Davis other than the occasional episode of nausea here and there, but I was sick as a dog during my second pregnancy. Even though I had a “feeling” this baby was a boy (I just knew John Davis was a boy, too), the severe sickness made me doubt my intuition and wonder if in fact we were having a baby girl. But our 13 week ultrasound confirmed my Mama intuition and we were over the moon excited about adding another sweet baby boy to our family. I always knew I would be a boy mom!

John Davis got his first haircut: My bald-headed little baby finally had enough hair to get his first haircut just a couple weeks shy of his second birthday. As you can tell from the pictures, it went really well. 😉 What you can’t tell from the pictures is that this Mama was feeling the exact same way as I watched my baby get his first big-boy haircut and instantly look 5 years older.

John Davis turned TWO: We celebrated our sweet baby turning two with the very cutest construction truck birthday party for our truck-loving boy!

I started this blog! I started blogging in 2018 and it has been so much fun to have my very own little digital scrapbook to record our family, our home projects, and all the goings-on under our roof. I’ve been surprised at just how much I love it and how many sweet new friends I have met along the way. Going into 2019 I hope to blog more consistently and do a better job of recording our everyday life.

One year in our new home: April marked one year in our new house. We love our house and we are always working on some kind of DIY project to add equity and make it feel more like home. But we bought this house with short-term goals in mind and we are already starting to consider what might come next. We (not so) jokingly say that we are “live-in house flippers“. Over the next few years we hope to start moving toward building/buying our forever home… hopefully on our family compound 😉

Pregnancy: The first half of 2018 revolved around my pregnancy with Fletcher. It was such a sweet time (after the morning all-day sickness went away), but it also brought up fears and uncertainty that we were all too familiar with. I’m a self-admitted worrier (constantly working on that – so I fail pretty much everyday), but it taught me to put my worries and fears into God’s hands.

Due to complications surrounding John Davis’s birth, I was followed by my regular OB as well as a high-risk OB at least twice every week until Fletcher was born. It was a lot of appointments and a lot of worry, but in the end we were blessed with a healthy baby boy. I’m reminded more than ever that these babies are not our own and what a blessing and privilege it is to carry and raise them. An added bonus to these frequent appointments and detailed ultrasounds was getting to see Fletcher’s little face so often while he was still in my tummy.

Celebrated the life of Grandma Doris Davis: We traveled to St. Augustine, Florida to celebrate the life of Hubby’s grandmother. She was 103 (!!!) years old and was an amazing, strong and classy lady who lived an incredible life.

I’m forever thankful that we made the trip to St. Augustine in 2016 when John Davis was just a few months old so that she could meet him. John Davis carries on her crystal-clear blue eyes and her “Davis” namesake.

Sold Childhood Home: My parents sold the beautiful home I grew up in on June 21st – yes that’s correct, just one day before Fletcher was born! It was so bittersweet to say goodbye to a home that was filled with so many memories. We miss it but I’m excited to see what God has in store for our family – we have some big dreams as to where we would all like to end up!

Brother bought a house! Brother also bought his first house (the week before Fletcher was born!) and in true Brother fashion he has worked his behind off to completely gut it and make it into a beautiful home (it runs in the family!). We are so proud of him and so excited for him in this new chapter of his life! It’s the ultimate bachelor pad and I’m worried we may find Daddy and Hubby trying to sneak over there.

John Davis got a big boy room: John Davis got twins beds for his new big boy room in order to make room for Fletcher in the nursery. Just kidding, that’s a complete lie because John Davis slept in our room for the first two years of his life and Fletcher has yet to sleep in his crib in the nursery. I used to be too ashamed to actually admit this. There is such a push in our society to have your kids sleeping 12+ hours in their own bed by 12 weeks through methods like “cry it out”. But here’s my confession and I’m completely unashamed of it: we co-slept, we all got more sleep, I loved it and I have no regrets. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a Mom it’s that you do what works best for you and your kids!

If you’re wondering, John Davis transitioned to his big boy bed just fine without any problems. Mama and Daddy? Not so much! 🙂

Fletcher was born and we became a family of four! The biggest event of 2018 was welcoming Fletcher William Freeberg into the world on June 22, 2018. He’s the sweetest blessing and we aren’t sure what we ever did before him.

Which made John Davis a Big Brother and us a family of four. John Davis is the sweetest big brother and loves his “Bubba” so much.

Which means I have to watch him like a hawk because he is always trying to love on him, and he loves hard! : ) This is still the funniest picture from 2018. I was snapping photos so fast that I didn’t even notice what John Davis was doing to poor Fletcher’s ears until I went back and looked at them later that day.

6th wedding anniversary: We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary on July 14th. It feels like just yesterday and a lifetime ago all at the same time. I’m so thankful for this man. He has a heart for God, is the best Daddy, and works so incredibly hard to provide for his family.

John Davis started preschool: John Davis started preschool two days a week in August and it has been such a blessing! He loves it, he has learned so much, and he has been blessed with two of the very best teachers. It has made a huge difference in his speech and he has started talking up a storm. We are so thankful for his sweet school!

Job Changes: I went PRN (healthcare term for “as needed”) and Craig took on a new management role at work. I am so incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be at home with our babies at this time in our lives. It’s just another example of the many ways in which God has provided, because a few years ago I wouldn’t have believed that this would be an option. I’m thankful for a career which provides so much flexibility, and I’m most thankful for Hubby who works so hard to provide for our family and make it all possible.

First ER Visit: We had our first ER visit (and hopefully last!) when John Davis got stung multiple times by a wasp on his eyelid in our backyard and had a pretty severe reaction. Thankfully his eye is just fine now! These boys are always keeping us on our toes. John Davis had Hand, Foot & Mouth the week before Fletcher was born, he got his first set of stitches on his chin in October after he fell on the playground at school (that was a nerve-wracking phone call!), both boys got the stomach bug, and Fletcher had RSV at Thanksgiving. We’re hoping for less sickness in 2019!

Beach Trip: We took a trip to Navarre Beach for a week in October with the entire family and Fletcher got to put his little toes in the sand for the first time.

One Room Challenge: We completely transformed our laundry room over six weeks when we participated in the One Room Challenge for the first time.

17th laser treatment: John Davis completed his 17th laser treatment in just 2.5 years. He’s the strongest, bravest and toughest little boy we have ever known. We are so thankful for Dr. Clark and his wonderful staff and all they have done for us.

Holidays: November and December were packed full of holiday celebrations and time spent with family. We traveled to see family in both Charlotte, NC and Birmingham, AL during the week of Thanksgiving. We traveled back to Birmingham the weekend before Christmas for Christmas at Mamaw’s. As hard (thats an understatement) as it can be traveling with two small children, we are so grateful for this special time spent with family.

We spent Christmas morning at home and it was the sweetest, most fun, most magical Christmas yet! There is nothing better than seeing Christmas through your children’s eyes and I have a feeling that it will only get better.

Santa brought the boys a giant inflatable bounce house that took up the entire family room 🙂 He brought John Davis a concrete truck and crane truck (his favorite), arts and crafts, and some new clothes. Fletcher got a new bath seat, teething toys, and bibs and spoons since he just started eating baby food!

Watched our boys grow: It’s so bittersweet to watch our boys grow up. Each stage seems more fun than the last, but I just wish it wouldn’t go by so darn fast.

John Davis had a big year! He turned two, started preschool and became a big brother. He has become Mr. Independent and likes to do things on his own without any help from Mama or Daddy 🙂 He has the sweetest disposition and tender heart, but he is also strong-willed, determined, and can be a little stubborn too. Hmm.. wonder where we got that from? Surely from his father 😉 He is smart as can be, has a photogenic memory, and amazes us everyday with all he knows. He potty trained himself and started talking up a storm. He is quite the comedian and keeps us all laughing every single day. He sang in his first Thanksgiving and Christmas performance at school, but he also got in “trouble” at school for trying to kiss the girls during circle time (oh brother!). He loves playing outside, running, and playing with play dough, but he still loves trucks more than anything else (particularly crane trucks and concrete trucks). We read “The Truck Book” every day and he is starting to recognize sight words. He loves Fletcher more than anything else in the world and it is the sweetest thing ever to see how loving he is toward his little brother.

Fletcher just turned 6 months old and we are really starting see his sweet little personality! He smiles at everyone he meets. He is so laid back and easy, as long as he is fed and his Mama is in his direct line of sight 🙂 He babbles and “talks” all the time. He can roll over both ways, even though he doesn’t care much for it, and he can just about sit up by himself. Second to Mama, he loves his big brother the most and watches every single thing he does. We’ve had to invest in more bibs and burp cloths than we thought possible to keep up with his reflux, but thankfully we finally have his reflux and eczema under control and he is the most content little guy. He started eating baby food and has tried squash and carrots so far. He loves them both! His very first tooth broke through on 12.29.18.  Even when he was sick with RSV and a chronic double ear infection, you never would have known because he was still happy and smiling. We can’t imagine life before him!

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6