It feels like it has been forever since I have put pen to paper, metaphorically of course, and that really is to do with just how busy we have been this year (and last year, and the year before…)

I am consistently reminded that my babies are no longer actual babies; the girls are about to turn 5 in a week and Braeden will be 7 in February. They are tall and boisterous and full of their own personalities.

I am incredibly proud of Braeden this year. His behaviour at school improved tremendously and he started talking more about his feelings and asking lots and lots of questions about our family and our lives. He is so bright and energetic and equally loves sports and animals and science. Some days he looks 12 and others I get flashes of him as a baby. He recently learned to read and is working on his lettering. His French is improving but he is not at all a fan of homework nor am I a fan of chasing after him to do it.

Raegan is loving Junior Kindergarten. She is one sassy lady who can be challenging at times as she equally wants to be her brother and do what he does and be as far away from him as possible. She has discovered a new love of makeup and doing hair and nails which again reminded me that they are getting older but princesses still reign supreme here. Raegan too is not much of a fan of writing, but she loves going to the library every week and picking new books.

Ella is absolutely loving school. She goes swimming weekly and rides an adapted bike which is her favourite thing ever. I watched her in gym class, in a new walker, moving herself along and giggling hysterically. Ella got her wheelchair recently and she adores it. She loves the ability to be somewhat independent and her favourite thing to do now is to take her brakes off and wheel herself away from me, giggling. She is still loving Jasmine above all but also loves music and plays the ukele every day, singing along.

And for myself, well, I survived. It has been a year full of many ups and downs and an extremely busy schedule at home and at work has left me feeling exhausted and a bit depleted. I have committed to being kinder to myself in 2019, though I am stressed as we move into the new year with so many things on my plate already. Looking back, I am incredibly proud of myself for many things this year, including attending therapy, but mostly for my solo trip to Puerto Vallarta in May where I took a boat trip to the Marieta Islands and was the first one to take a flying leap off the side into the Pacific in order to swim through a tiny cave to a hidden beach only few get to see every day. After swimming through the treacherous and dangerous waters with nothing but my arms, legs, and sheer determination, I know I can handle pretty much anything this topsy turvy universe is gonna throw at me.

And finally, today, digging through my apartment I found my sonograms of the girls and of Braeden. I showed them and they were so amazed and surprised at how small they were. The girls loved the picture of their two heads next to each other, and I was amazed at how long ago that seems, that Christmas and New Year’s spent in the hospital before their surprise births only a few days later. So much has happened in five years, and who is to say what is in store for us next but as this year was filled with so many adventures, so much laughter, and yes, many tears, I can only hope that we are as lucky next year as we continue to be one little family of wild animals.