2020. What a Year.
Everyone and their neighbor and their grandma have something to say about this year and there is certainly plenty to talk about. Its a year for the record books for sure
That said in our own little corner of the world we had a big year on our own way and I want to jot down a few of the moments for posterity’s sake!
2020 Recap : Home Sweet Home
We moved to Loveland CO in July after purchasing our very first home! I can say without any hesitation that we love our house, but if Im being honest we haven’t really been able to explore much of Loveland yet. I’m looking forward to it as things start to really open back up.
We got busy right away by tearing a cedar shingle ceiling (yes you read that right) from the basement as well as a very interesting bar and moved the laundry room. Originally it was located under the stairs and let’s be honest I do a lot of laundry and I wasn’t going to live like Harry Potter in a cupboard under the stairs. We have dreams of someday updating the kitchen and floors throughout as well as refinishing the rest of the basement. And those are just the big projects!
2020 Recap : Bitty Update
Bitty turned 3 in August and it’s honestly mind-blowing how grown up she is getting. See her 3rd Birthday interview and get your won free printable one here! Three-year-olds are my FAVORITE age. Sure they are little devils disguised as angels and will try you at every turn but they are also hilarious and their personalities really start to shine!
She became a big sister in February of 2020 and she took to the role so naturally and so smoothly that I am still a little surprised. She adores her baby sister and she is an amazing mama’s helper! But don’t let me fool you, she asks me many times a day to “come get baby Bean” because she doesn’t want to play with her.
Bitty started homeschool preschool in September and she is doing really well with it. So far her favorites topics have been ocean animals, my body, and space. She is starting to get quite good with numbers (here’s hoping she takes after her daddy in this subject) and we are working on phonics all the time, the phonics objects are her favorite lesson to do. We are also still teaching ASL. Right now we are focusing on letters, numbers, and simple 2-3 word phrases.
She started sharing a room with her littler sister Bean in November and has been such a trooper about us coming and going at all times of the night!
Bitty still naps every afternoon, but I can see the end of that era. If Im being honest I hate when they outgrow naps…I LOVE nap time. But I am trying to get excited about the new activities we will have time for.
Bitty’s 2020 Favorites
She loves dresses and given the choice it’s the only thing she will pick to wear and the bigger and longer and more princess gowny the better, “going on adventures” which is hilarious because this is the least adventures we have ever been on…, and making “soup”. She is firmly in the dramatic play/pretend phase.
Favorite foods : Chicken Nuggets, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Popcorn Shrimp, and Cheese Pizza. Cucumbers, Grapes, Pears, and Chocolate anything.
Favorite TV : Tru and the Rainbow Kingdom and Octonauts. And of course Frozen I & II
Favorite Toys : Snap Beads, Tea Set (new at Christmas and hasn’t left her side), and Frozen dolls
Favorite Books : Usborne Big Book of Stars and Planets and Bitty Bot
2020 Recap : Baby Bean Update
If you’ve been around this year on the blog you’ll know that I have actually been doing pretty well with updates about baby Bean so if you want to check out more details check the links below!
Bean was born in early February and has been the happiest sweetest little thing and such a bright spot on an otherwise dreary year. If you want to know more about our unexpected unmedicated birth I’ve got the post for you!
She has been an easy napper from basically the beginning. That is such a blessing as I don’t have to disappear for a long time to get her settled!
Nighttime is a whole other beast. She goes down easy enough but she is up at least 2 twice a night every night and those are the good nights. She hit a heck of a hard 8-month sleep regression and we are still dealing with the aftermath…
Eating is quite possibly her favorite thing to do and she gets very indignant if you don’t share your food with her. She got to have far too much chocolate over the holidays and she’s hooked on that now. She currently has 4 teeth. Her bottom two and the top two on the right side. She is in the process of cutting the other top 2.
We are teaching her baby sign language and she is JUST starting to really sign back to us. All done and More still look very similar but we are getting somewhere and she picked up on milk really quickly. She won’t initiate any of them yet but when I ask she responds with them!
She started walking in November and by the new year, this girl is SO stable and motivating all over the house.
Her little personality that is starting to come through is equally adorable and terrifying. She is so dramatic when she gets upset and I just see visions of the toddler tantrums that are to come, but she is also the snuggliest little love bug, and most of the time she is so chill and happy. I just keep telling Zak we are in for a wild ride with this one.
Bean’s 2020 Favorites
She loves animals and animals seem to really like her too. (not counting Hollie. She doesn’t really like anyone under the age of 5…lol) She loves to swing, seems to enjoy painting but ONLY if she can get messy, loves bathtime, and is a mamas girl. <3
Favorite foods : grapes, blueberries, avocado, corn, frosted cheerios, noodles, and really most anything you will offer her.
Favorite Toys : Peep and Squeak Eggs, Play silks, and silicone straws
Favorite Books : That’s not my Elephant and Daddies are awesome & Mommies are amazing
2020 Recap : Zak Update
In a year when many people started working from home, I am even more thankful that we have had the opportunity to have him home full time for the last couple of years.
He has his office set up in the basement, so is removed from the noise of daily life and has a ridiculous number of monitors set up on his desk but he seems happy and I have access to an adult conversation when I need it.
Outside of work he recently set up a CNC machine in the garage so be on the lookout for lots of great projects and DIY’s coming out on the blog soon!
Also if you have a CNC router what kind of projects do you do I would love some additional inspo!
2020 Recap : Mama Update
Moms got the short straw in 2020 most of us went from overworked and anxious to overworked, and anxious with no support network or coping options.
I was one of the lucky ones, as I was already a stay at home mom and didn’t have to suddenly figure out how to work with littles underfoot. In addition, I didn’t have any children in school so I didn’t have to deal with remote learning. For us, the days stayed mostly the same. I am an introvert by nature so I didn’t really miss the social aspects of quarantine and I had a newborn to keep me busy during the worst of lockdown!
I broke my tailbone while I was pregnant with Bean and I spent a few months at the chiropractor working on that and I still can’t sit for more than an hour without pain…but I suppose that’s not the worst thing. There really aren’t that many moments that the girls allow me to sit that long anyway…
I have a ton of fun projects in the work and a honey-do list a few miles long between projects for the girls, projects for the house, and projects for the blog. And you know I am keeping a different color-coded list for each of those lists. (my fellow type A’s know what I am talking about) On a related note, I am on the hunt for a planner for 2021 to try and keep myself as organized as possible. I just can’t make the switch to fully digital planning I need the physical thing…if you have any favorite planners share them down below.
2020 Recap : Hollie Update
This dog is a hot mess. It really is that simple. I love her, but she is a hot mess.
She has always been a nervous dog and it only seems to be getting worse with age… For example, she is terrified to enter the kitchen. No matter how badly she wants the dropped piece of cheese. Storm drains cause her to freeze up and refuse to continue her walk. She tries to run out of the dining room at the mere scootch of a chair and in the process cant get traction and spins out for a good 10 seconds…
Hollie has a pretty significant case of allergies and in addition to that, she is obsessive. SO when she has a reaction she won’t leave the itch alone and 95% of the time she ends up with an infection in addition to the rash. The most recent outbreak occurred in her ear and she proceeded to give herself a hematoma (a bubble in between the layers of her ear) by shaking her head so much…Thankfully we were able to heal everything this time without any major problems but there’s always a new one looming with her! Lol
So basically she’s just a big ball of anxiety wrapped up in lots of itches.
She still loves to Chuck-it to the point of collapse and will do *almost* anything for cheese.
2020 Recap : A Year for the Books
No one will argue that it’s not been the year that you wanted or expected. But I will argue that in its own weird way 2020 gave us some great memories anyway.
We did plenty of major adulting and lots of family snuggles and really I can’t ask for much more than that.
Though I could do with a vacation to the beach…maybe next year. 😉
If you want to keep more up to date with our shenanigans you can find me on Instagram where I *try* and post 3-4 times a week!
Other Posts you May Like
Love this!