The Excitement Is Building……

Literally!

But, more importantly, I have grand baby pictures 🙂

As Christmas Day approaches, I can’t hardly contain myself.

My excitement level is over the top and I am finding it difficult to think about anything else but this new baby that is destined to make an appearance.

I know I’ve been AWOL lately, well …….. since my Mother’s Day post, but sometimes life just happens and one must adjust their priorities, right?

You might remember I mentioned my daughter becoming a mother in my last post. What I didn’t mentioned, but hinted, was that both my daughters were pregnant at the time however, it was too early for me to reveal the news of the second.

Baby number 2 is due any day now.

It never occurred to me that I would get 2 grandsons in the same year! So, I am waiting patiently……..

We’ve had a lot going on this year, besides the babies. Poo and I are trying to navigate all the changes that are taking place but one must roll with the punches, right? Especially when you have no control over those punches.

As I look back on my photos from the year, I am surprised to learn we packed a lot into this year that I actually didn’t remember. Instead of “Old Age,” I think I’ll call it, “Boomer Age.”

2021 was packed with all kinds of adventures: I made my first batch of Pineapple Habanero Jelly, white-washed the huge brick fireplace in my family room (that was a colossal feat).

We visited Big Booger in Maryland & then drove to Myrtle Beach where we played golf everyday. I spent several months in physical therapy for hip issues. The birth of Archie was definitely a highlight along with another trip to Maryland to help out for a few days and get all the new baby snuggles!

We attended our Annual Reds Game Outing, spent a week at the lake and refinished a family cradle for baby #2. I threw Poo a retirement party (or, it could have been called a “super-spreader event.” Thankfully, no one got sick!)

I converted a hallway bookshelf into an open pantry (that was a direct result of the pandemic, which I will discuss when I post updates on our new kitchen addition construction).

Poo’s retirement & birthday gift was a trip to Little Gasparilla Island, (where we found a handful of sharks teeth), and from there, traveled to Fort Meyers Beach to visit my sister.

We also suffered the loss of a precious family member.

Since Poo retired, at the end of October, he has been enjoying doing whatever the heck he wants. It’s wonderful to see him explore interests that he never had the time to in the past.

My brother, Dan, had told him that it took around a year to kind of find his “footing” with retirement. We have experienced a few bumps in the road since his new-found freedom but it was expected. Change is imminent.

We are also elated to finally have our kitchen addition begin! We initiated the plan to add on to our living space back in the spring but, like everything else these days, everyone is overworked and backed up.

But the work has begun! Yay!

They have poured the concrete footers using a two-step, reinforced process and will be back after Christmas to remove the forms. We don’t know when the framing will begin but do know the windows we ordered won’t be in until the end of January. It’s a waiting game at this point.

Life happens, eh?

“The best things in life happen unexpectedly. The best stories begin with “And all of a sudden ……” The best adventures were never planned as they turned out to be. Free yourself from expectations.”

Happy Christmas Eve, 2021! xoxo, Katy