Ever since I had Matthew, I have had a brand new love of New Year's Eve. I have been able to reflect back on the year and have SO many amazing memories involving Matthew. Since he's only 2.5 right now, the last two years on this day we have relived all of his firsts and funny little things he did for short periods of time. We have marveled at how much he has changed throughout the year.
This year is no exception. I got home from work and I'm sitting here with him thinking back on his year.
He turned two.
He built an amazing bond with our sweet new dog.
He started ECI, and through that we have gotten to hear his amazing little voice (that this momma has waited SO LONG to hear!).
He has grown! He can grab things off of the bar counter that he couldn't even reach if he stood on his tip toes a year ago.
He got to do his first Easter egg hunt.
He moved into a toddler bed.
He cut the last of his teeth (we are ALL so relieved that stage is done!!).
He met a pig and a few baby bunnies, and we realized that he has THE biggest heart when it comes to animals. He loves every single four (or three) legged creature he meets.
We have watched him gain confidence with new people and new situations, and in communicating with us.
We took our first road trip with him, and he far exceeded our wildest hope for how he would do: he was SUCH an amazing traveler!
He turned forward in his car seat, making all car rides a blast for him now.
He has become increasingly obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine this year.
And he became fascinated with police cars, which amazingly led to a visit from our local PD with fun stuff for him!
We began eating at our dining room table, which Matthew really loves doing! He looks like such a big boy doing it.
He also decided Going Bonkers was his own little Happiest Place on Earth.
And then there was this adorable phase:
He enjoyed playing with paint for the first time when we painted pumpkins (this was a big moment for him!).
This was the Year of the Minion Obsession, too! Here is his reaction to the very first time we watched Despicable Me (the first of MANY times):
He rediscovered his love of books this year, making his list of Christmas gifts mostly books (which he definitely loved immediately upon opening).
We have soaked up all of the family time we could. We have loved every single second, every single smile, of 2015.
And with our home study kicking off 2016 on Saturday, I sit here and wonder if this was our last year as a family of three. This time next year, we could have three or four children running around here...a thought that is both incredibly exciting and a little nerve wracking to me.
I first blogged about the start of our adoption journey on April 8, 2015. Since then we have taken too many classes to count, read and filled out endless piles of paperwork, and laid awake so many nights talking quietly and excitedly about our family growing. About how much we can't wait to open our home and our hearts to the children we know God has waiting for us.
I have all of these hopes for Matthew this coming year. I hope to see him just blossom in his final months of ECI. I hope he is able to get into this amazing preschool-type program his ECI lady was telling us about. He will be turning three, which just astounds me! Time is flying by so fast...
On another note, I am excited to help one of my oldest friends plan her WEDDING this year! We have ten months to plan and party and make amazing memories, and I am SO honored to get to stand by her side through it all. Being a maid of honor has always been a dream of mine, and so I plan to do this right and make sure every event is as epic as we can make it for Molly and Aaron.
All in all, 2015 has been so wonderful. We love making memories, and I always love taking a million pictures to capture our beautiful life. We are eagerly awaiting to see what awesome adventures 2016 has in store for us!
Happy New Year, everyone!
