2013 Year In Review

January - May
This past year was quite simply the best year of our lives. And of course the reason for that is the adventure to becoming parents to our beautiful little girl Anita. Our days were spent nesting up until her arrival on February 15th, and afterwards loving every moment of taking care of her and soaking it all in. We were blessed with an easy baby, not too many sleepless nights, no trips to the ER, not even a lot of crying. Oh sure, there have been a few crazy moments, but all in all it has been such an amazing, positive, and awesome experience. The hardest part for sure was nursing and pumping, but in the end I at least made it to the 4 month mark - Yay Me! I had the opportunity to spend 3 months at home with her before returning from work, and Phil became an At-Home Dad, something that has come very natural to him. A special part of it all has been sharing Anita with loved ones. Neighbors, family, close friends and co-workers; we most certainly have an amazing network of love and joy!

June
Our annual Girl's Happy Camp! Being that I was still nursing Anita, it was a quick overnight trip trip for me. Our location was a beautiful spot just north of Silver Creek Plunge. It was interesting and busy to have to bring along a breast pump, but I managed to handle it without issue and still get in some much needed R & R with my lovely set of girlfriends. We had great weather and spent the day lying on blankets next to a private creek sipping wine and gabbing to our hearts content. The following day was Father's day, so I was breaking camp and back on the road by 7 a.m. the next morning. [insert photos I can find]

July
My Grandmother came to visit and to meet Anita. We had beautiful weather and enjoyed most of the visit sitting outside in the grass in the shade.

Our first camping trip with a baby, we chose Sagehen Resevoir. It was a great choice with easy access to everything with a stroller and most importantly, quiet neighbors! Beautiful weather. We took walks around the resevoir and lounged around the campsite. Also got out on the four wheeler a bit for some exploring and a picnic. Anita did good her first time away from home, although napping didn't happen outside of Mamma's arms. As you can tell, I didn't mind a bit! And a very special moment for Phil and I was spreading our MinPin Tinker's ashes. Sagehen was one of her favorite places, chasing frogs along the beach, lounging in the sun, or napping with me in our little fishing boat.

August
Anita's first adventures at the Treccani ranch. She donned her adorable first bathing suit and experienced that first cold dip in the Payette river. It was a wonderful weekend with our friends, and I especially loved the Auntie time my girlfriends got in with her.

 

September

Our second camping trip of the year, this time with our friends Laura and Mihai. We had the unpleasant experience of having to drive to Upper Payette Lake by way of HW 95 due to a mudslide on the direct route. What should have been a 3 hour drive was instead a very long 5.  And unfortunately for our friends they added another hour getting lost in the dark. But thankfully we made it and had a nice, relaxing weekend. Anita even took her first trip out on Daddy's little fishing boat.

Also this month we had the pleasure of being invited to our first IVF reunion event with our clinic, Idaho Center for Reproductive Medicine. It was a special day for us, thinking back to all the trials and hard work it took to become pregnant. I'm not going to lie, I cried a bit seeing all those precious children and thankful parents. A day of celebration with our little miracle. They rented out the Boise Zoo for a private picnic and some quiet fun showing Anita all the different animals.

Dr. Cristin Slater - our Angel who helped bring Anita into our arms

October
I made plans for a 1:1 date with my best girlfriend Adria.  Horseback riding in Garden Valley at the best time of year with all the leaves turning color. A refresher two very busy Mommas, although we were definately sore the next few days no doubt.

November
The big trip of the year! Phil and his brother towed a few classic cars back to Michigan while Anita and I flew. They didn't fare as well as we hoped, one of the two cars only made to Wyoming, but aside from that the guys had a great time. And Anita was Amazing at flying. Fellow travelers all around us commented on what a good baby she was. Not bad considering she was a 9 month old in the throws of teething.
 We spent the first week in Michigan with Phil's side of the family, and Grandma and Grandpa hosted Anita's Christening. It was a wonderful day with family! The second week was spent in Ohio with my family and we were there at Thanksgiving. We met our new little cousin Axton and had a great time catching up with everyone. Unfortunately of course it had to happen, Anita caught her first cold, which made the flights home a bit more daunting, but we still did it. Daddy drove home alone in record time and was there to meet our flight. Nice trip, but boy we were never so happy to see home like we were after that trip. There's something to be said for a baby's own crib and changing table, that's for certain.

December

Being that Anita is only 10 months old and doesn't really understand Christmas just yet, we kept things simple with minimal decorations and did without a lot of gifts. Instead we focused on a big home project while I had two weeks off of work. We DIY renovated our kitchen, certainly the saddest looking part of our house. Goodbye ugly and beaten 80's cabinets that are have been refreshed with a beautiful coat of soft green. I am so happy with the outcome, happy housewife right here!! And another project that was unexpected, not necessary nonetheless...  Phil found a nice 97' Chevy Blazer for $400, tuned up the transmission and engine with the help of our neighbor. Boom, now he has a great Daddy-mobile.

And for the big kicker...
At Christmastime we had another very BIG project going on, making another baby!  I'll share the journey of that news in our first 2014 post.