This year saw us pull off the most epic birthday surprise for Emma. It saw the girls perform their first (and most likely only) competitive duo (see video below).
It was the year that Grace graduated eighth grade which was also the day we saw both sets of grandparents for the first time in fifteen months! This was the year that David completed the ski patroller course, and it was the year that I went back to school as a doctoral student. This was also the year that we added Lily-Rose (the best bunny ever) to our family!
Twenty-twenty one was the year that we said good-bye to being a homeschool family and hello to being a Parker family. And while we all miss homeschooling (me especially) we are so incredibly impressed with how beautifully the girls transitioned to Parker (it does help that it's very similar to how we always did things here, minus the Waldorf aspect of our life, of course). There will always be part of me that wishes we had been able to see homeschooling through to graduation day, or that we at least had Emma complete her eighth grade year at Seasons of Seven before heading to Parker. But regardless, they are happy and thriving and fit in so perfectly within the Parker community that we are grateful they are there too!
Twenty-twenty one also was the year we said good-bye to my grandfather. Emma grieved this deeply and will forever miss he beloved pen pal. Christmas was strange this year with him gone. Our mailbox isn't quiet the same without his cards and letters. We remain grateful for all the wonderful letters and PowerPoint presentations he sent our way! I mean, really, I think my grandfather had a better handle on PowerPoint than I do!
We are hopeful that twenty-twenty two will be kind to all of us, but even if it isn't we will continue to find the silver linings throughout. We wish you all a year full of health and happiness! xo
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast and give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
This year and every year.
-from The Shortest Day by Susan Cooper
