It’s been a great year! Thanks for being a part of it.

It’s been a great year! Thanks for being a part of it. Oh has it? That’s what everyone seems to think – thanks to the automated “Year in Review” Facebook has put together this year. It’s been a crazy year. An incredible year. A stressful year. An emotional year. A challenging year. This time last year, we were announcing to our closest friends and family that we were expecting another little ray of sunshine – and now she’s four months old. Last year was a year of new life – both Jack & Milena were born – and both have completed our little family.

Pregnancy was rough on us – I was a miserable walking, talking, complaint machine and Papi was exhausted from all of it. Take note. I pray to all the gods of every religion on the planet that my girls are lucky enough to find their Prince Charming like I did – in about 50 years, give or take. He should have an amazing smile like Papi – and for extra bonus points an infectious laugh that could be heard from miles away. Supportive. Loving. Caring. All without a SINGLE OUNCE of asking for anything in return. Pure, Genuine Love. No keeping score. No competition. No tit for tat – just pure unselfish love for the sake of love. They gotta look for that. Any year that you can bask in the beauty that is unconditional acceptance, love and joy – THAT’S a great year.

I was somehow skilled enough to talk the Papi Lindo into adopting a puppy – as if I didn’t have enough craziness in my life already. But he agreed – again, because of that whole unconditional love thing – and let us take home Jack. It’s been an INSANELY DIFFICULT year with him. The barking, the biting, the nonsense… typical puppy stuff that wouldn’t have been a big deal if I wasn’t (pick one word to complete this sentence: pregnant, just given birth, breastfeeding, mom of two). But lately, this little guy has been a lovable member of our family. A little crazy, but still a lovable wonderful member of our family. I can’t wait to see how he grows with us – and I hope in 2015 I have the patience and wherewithal to show him the continued love he shows us. It’s been a challenging year for a crazy puppy named Jack.

This year, both Papi and I left our “Day Jobs” to pursue our dreams. I’m oh so grateful for the confidence and encouragement that we’ve been able to share in each other. Although it gets really hard at times – the hard work we’re putting in will benefit our family for years to come. It’s been a great year for our careers – thats for DAMN sure! In 2015, hope for clarity, for peace. For more love than I know what to do with. I hope for arms full of smiles and joy.

There will be more challenges – let’s face it Mommy’s not perfect – I hope for the strength and sense to handle it all. I hope to learn from the mistakes I’ve made, as well as the mistakes of the people around me. It’s been a rough year for my personal relationships. The future is most exciting when theres something to look forward to. Holy moly is there beauty to look forward to.

In 2015, there’ll be so many firsts to celebrate. Jack’s first birthday, Milena’s first words, Milena’s first birthday – milestones for our family that will continue to show us how important we all are to each other. Thanks for letting me share it with you.