In January, I was very busy making selections for our home-under-construction. I did our electrical walkthrough in freezing temperatures, insulation and drywall were installed, and Jessica was just 20 months old.
In February, there were more selections, while painting, trim and tile installation were happening at the new house. We had fun Valentine's Day and Family Day celebrations, and Emily started a pre-kindergarten program with Steve.
March was one of the busiest months of the year! First we welcomed cousin Clara to the world and I interviewed a 3.5-year-old Emily. At the house, hardwood floors, cabinetry, and carpets were installed. I turned 30 and my niece Lorelei was born (all on the same day!). Emily graduated from her little school program, we put our house on the market, and the girls celebrated 22 months of being sisters. Our new house was essentially ready, but we couldn't move in until the exterior was finished (waiting on warmer weather).
April started with a blog post about our Easter celebrations. Countertops were installed at our new house and we travelled to Waterloo to visit Grammy and attend Aaron's birthday party. We hosted a picnic-pizza party in our new home while finishing touches were still being made (and while we still waited for the exterior to be started).
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May was an exciting month with masonry finally starting at the new house! We also had a nice Mother's Day, visited the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and most importantly, we celebrated Jessica's 2nd birthday. At the end of the month we officially moved into our new home!
Goodbye old house!
In June, we celebrated Jessica and Jack's birthdays with a Lego party (the day after moving in!) and discovered some unexpected surprises around our new home. We had a lovely Father's Day with our favourite dads, we attended Lorelei's baptism, and we enjoyed a day trip to the beach.
We started July by celebrating Canada Day and going strawberry picking. Then Emily started soccer, gymnastics, and her school readiness program. We enjoyed visiting with our cousins from San Fransisco, our deck was installed, Emily and Jessica celebrated 26 months of sisterhood.
In August, Steve and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary by going out for dinner at our wedding location. We spent two lovely days at Grammy's cottage and Emily graduated from her school readiness program. Most importantly, Emily turned four and we celebrated with a Clank (Fairy) birthday party.
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In September, Daddy and Emily both started school, while Jessica and I enjoyed our special time together at home. We celebrated Grand-Maman's birthday and visited the Art Centre at Queen's. We had a conditional offer on our old house, but it eventually fell through because the buyers couldn't sell their house. At the end of the month we all visited Emily's school for the Open House & Sweet Retreat.
In mid-October we celebrated Thanksgiving weekend with both families. We didn't make it to the pumpkin patch, but we had fun nonetheless. Daddy turned 30 and we celebrated with a nice lunch. The girls had a blast on Halloween!
In November, we finished off Daddy's birthday celebrations with a huge party with his extended family. We visited the creek/falls near our house, Jessica turned 2.5, and at the end of the month we started decorating for Christmas!
We finished off the year celebrating two special birthdays, Emily doing a fantastic job at her school Christmas concert, and surviving the ice storm. Last but not least, December was filled with Christmas preparations and lovely celebrations with our families.
Dinner with Papa David
2013 was a wonderful year and I couldn't be more thankful. This coming year will likely be a bit quieter. My plans include finally selling our old house (we're close!), decorating our new house, celebrating my girls' 3rd and 5th birthdays, and watching Emily start her senior kindergarten year.
Happy New Year from Nathalieland!
