I am a little late on this and had hoped to have this written for January 1st, but....at least it's still January!
2018 was such a time of relief and respite for our family. After a very challenging 2017 that left us wondering if 2018 would be Abby's last year with us, she made outstanding improvement and is the healthiest she has been in quite a while. We are so very thankful and the valleys we have experienced have caused us to be even more thankful for the mountain tops!
January started with the promise of a new year and the hope that 2018 would be better. Santa had brought us tickets to see Shrek the Musical at a dinner theater, and we were able to enjoy the rare occasion of taking Abby out of the house (armed with Lysol wipes, of course!) We celebrated Caleb's 11th birthday with pizza and a movie with friends and he got tickets to The Spy Museum and to see Newsies in March. Matt and Caleb thoroughly enjoyed the Spy Museum when they went later in the month.
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| Caleb's birthday celebration |
In February, we enjoyed Caleb's All-County band concert. He played trumpet and although he chose chorus over band for 6th grade, he is looking forward to going back to the band next year. He also went to 6th grade orientation at the end of February and walked around in a nervous huddle with his group of friends.
We were humbled and amazed by our wonderful school family who threw a huge spaghetti dinner and silent auction fundraiser for us and another family in March. Although Abby couldn't be there with us, I Facetimed her in so that she could see all of the people who came to support her. It was pretty incredible, and we were so thankful. We also all were able to enjoy Caleb's birthday present of Newsies at Toby's Dinner Theater. It was such a fun show with lots of dancing!
In April, Matt and I celebrated our 14th anniversary and were able to go away for the weekend to Cape May. We enjoyed whale watching and just slowing down a bit! Caleb was chosen to receive a Carson's Scholar Award and we celebrated with a wonderful banquet in Baltimore. It was really neat to meet Ben and Candy Carson. On April 23rd, Abby was finally able to join her class for the first time this year! She was absolutely thrilled to be back in school, and I finally let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
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| Cape May, NJ |
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| Cape May Whalewatching |
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| Carson Scholarship Awards Banquet |
We enjoyed lots of performances by Caleb in May! He sang his first solo in the spring chorus concert, played in his final elementary band concert, and performed as Lefou in the school's production of
Beauty and the Beast. He was a hit and got lots of laughs! We love how musical Caleb is and really enjoy watching him perform! I was also able to go with Caleb on his 5th grade field trip to West River. This was such a fun trip and a great way to end the year.
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| Lefou |
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| Curtain Call |
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| Caleb with his friends |
In June, Caleb said goodbye to elementary school and was recognized for several awards for academics. What we were most proud of was that he was chosen for the Kindness Award! Soon after school ended, my entire family went on an amazing trip to Alaska for a Disney Cruise! It was SO much fun and we made a lot of special memories, including petting sled dogs, touching a glacier, and seeing dozens of bald eagles flying around.
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| 5th grade recognition |
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| Disney Alaska Cruise |
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| cuddling the sled dogs |
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| meeting a new friend |
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| touching a piece of a glacier |
Matt celebrated his 40th birthday in July and we went on a weekend trip to NYC with great friends. We saw
Sponge Bob, the Musical and
Phantom of the Opera, and also enjoyed the people watching in the city! Since Abby could finally swim this summer (the last few years she has had surgical wounds and was unable to be in the water), we spent a lot of time in the pool. She also bought herself a bike and enjoyed riding it in the school parking lot. We were devastated to hear of the loss of our beloved surgeon, Dr. Campbell, who created the VEPTR device that saved Abby's life. He is sorely missed.
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| NYC Central Park |
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| swimming at the indoor pool |
Both Caleb and Abby went to performing arts camp this year and enjoyed singing and dancing. Caleb was finally old enough to join the youth group at church and loved being able to go to Six Flags. We went to several Ravens events with The Ronald McDonald House and were excited to also begin volunteering at RMH again. The kids rounded out the summer with a Therapeutic Recreation camp for kids with special needs and their siblings.
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| Go Ravens |
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| Ravens cutie |
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| first day of ballet |
Just before school started in September, Matt and I finally were able to see
Hamilton at the Kennedy Center!! We sang quietly along to every song but we don't think we disturbed anyone around us! Abby started 2nd grade and Caleb started 6th. Middle school proved to be a tough transition that we are still dealing with in the start of 2019, but he is getting there. Abby started taking ballet with Lucy on Mondays and adaptive swim lessons on Saturdays. Both have played a role in getting her stronger and helping her stretch her muscles.
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| first day of 2nd and 6th grade |
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| Hamilton at the Kennedy Center |
October brought fun fall activities with the schools and the youth group. Abby thoroughly enjoyed her birthday party at a local cooking school and has continued to love cooking with me. I had a jaw surgery and we had to get a new AC and heating unit, so our tax return was spent before the taxes were even filed! For Halloween, Caleb dressed up as a fencer and Abby was Rapunzel.
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| Abby's birthday celebration |
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| learning to peel an apple |
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| cousin friends |
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| the big 8 year old |
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| Rapunzel and the fencer |
In November, we celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. We were especially thankful that my grandmother was with us after suffering a stroke. This month also marked the first meeting of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Caleb's middle school! Caleb and Sara did all of the leg work to get the group off of the ground and we are so proud of their dedication!
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| Thanksgiving |
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| First day of FCA |
As usual, December was a busy month! We enjoyed the usual winter and Christmas events, as well as a special program at our church that allowed guests to experience what life was like in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. Abby and I enjoyed the show
Anastasia at The Hippodrome, which she received for her birthday. We participated in one of our favorite family traditions of giving out awards in our community for the best Christmas lights displays. Christmas morning was exciting, as always! Caleb was floored to realize that he'd received a ticket to see Hamilton this summer, and Abby was thrilled with her doll and Barbie items. Santa also brought the family a new Smart TV and a weekend at Massanutten to go snowtubing! The day after Christmas, the kids went with their grandparents and cousins to see
The Little Mermaid at Toby's Dinner Theater. On the 27th, we headed south to Charlotte, NC to visit Matt's family for a few days. New Year's Eve was celebrated at home playing family games and watching movies--just the way we like it!
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| Church Bethlehem program |
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| Meeting Anastasia |
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| Anastasia |
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| Christmas morning |
That is 2018 in a nutshell! As I said before, our hearts are so much more grateful for the good times because we have experienced some really challenging years. We trust that 2019 will be a year of growth and thankfulness for our family and yours!
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