The Bad of 2016

• The first quarter of the year consisted some of the most stressful months of my life. Nolan was still an infant who wouldn’t stop screaming. Our house was on the market and it was a constant battle to keep it picked up and clean with three children. Selling the house proved to be a nightmare, with one obstacle after another. I really thought I was going to crumble under the stress.
• The amount of time I spent driving in Houston traffic from January to May nearly killed me
• Our friend Caroline passed away in the spring, my grandfather in the summer, and our friend Kaiman just a few weeks ago
• Charlotte has been three years old for all but three weeks of 2016. Enough said.
• This year, I’ve found parenting to be way more frustrating than enjoyable.
• I’m angry and fearful about the future of our government
• I’m struggling with the Church and how I fit in as a more liberal Christian.
• I barely cooked at all the whole year. But I’m fixing that with my InstantPot.

• We moved to our new house in a wonderful neighborhood and have some great neighbors
• Grayson has had a relatively good year health-wise: He recovered really fast from surgery to remove the hardware from his hips, and he hasn’t been sick as much as in the past.
• Both Grayson and Charlotte started new schools and we couldn’t be more pleased with them. They have incredible teachers and they both love going to school.
• The school bus might be my favorite part of 2016.
• I was invited to join Houston Moms Blog. I have a ton of new, amazing friends and get to write for a larger audience. Definitely one of the highlights of the year.
• My brother got married and I have an amazing new sister in law and a cute new niece and nephew. Downside: they live in Australia.
• I got a lot of clarity on where I stand on political, social and moral issues.
• I found a ton of new podcasts that I love
• I blogged every day for 30 days in November and revived my love of writing
• Hamilton

• I can love people wholly and dearly and still be angry and disappointed with them at the same time
• Young toddlers are the cutest, yet most maddening and frustrating creatures on the planet
• To drink and enjoy beer
• To drink coffee (almost) black
• I am totally satisfied with my family and am 100% content with being done having babies

• Revive my creative side and hopefully use it to make money again
• Keep blogging regularly
• Cook dinner
• Enjoy my children more that I did this year
• Do something other than debate on Facebook to change the world
• Keep reading/learning