Happy New Year from the Brubakers!

As Jesse and I watched the clock slowly creep toward midnight last night, we reflected on the past year.

What a year!

2013 was not what I expected.  At all.

A year ago last night, Jesse and I were toasting to the financial freedom we were looking forward to in 2013.  With two stable jobs, we thought we'd be set.  I was envisioning the amount of growth my blog would experience in 2013, looking forward to the new connections I would make and the friendships that would deepen through it.  Our daughter's second year of life was certainly one to look forward to, and Jesse and I were excited to see how much she would grow in the coming year.

And then the year settled in, and with it, a lot of surprises!  The week that I found out my ESL teaching position had been cut from the school budget was the week I found out we were expecting a new baby.  I was beyond sick for pretty much all but two months of my pregnancy.  We moved to be closer to Jesse's job, but the additional monthly expense of that move has added a great amount of stress.  I wrote 11 posts for my blog in 2013.  Eleven!  I've missed this so much, but at the same time, there was just no room in life for blogging this past year.

It's been a challenging year, for sure, but oh, such happy things have come from it!

Jesse and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary this year.  Even though I was too sick to take a big trip, we stayed at a lovely hotel 20 minutes from our house and enjoyed two nights away where we could enjoy each other and reflect on God's goodness to us in the past 5 years.  I'm so, so thankful for this wonderful man God provided for me.  The way he loves me, serves me, leads me, and cares for his family is so humbling and exhilarating.  I am beyond blessed to be his wife!

Our sweet Kayleigh Grace turned two in September.  She has grown so much this year, and is such a wonderful big sister to "Bebe Logan."  She loves him so much.  Jesse and I are constantly smiling and shaking our heads in amazement over what a smart little girl she has grown into-- and with such a beautiful heart!  She is entering the stage now where she makes up her own songs, astonishes us with her observations, and memorizes and "reads" back to you all of her favorite books.  We are loving this stage with our sweet girl!

Little Logan Mark joined our family on December 6th.  He is such a blessing from God, and I can't wait to share his miraculous birth story with you.  Having a second child has definitely thrown Jesse and me into the world of being truly grown up.  All it takes is saying "the kids," and you instantly feel older!  In his nearly one month of existence, Logan has stolen our hearts.  He is a very easy baby, loves to be held, and makes the cutest sleepy grunts and sighs you've ever heard.  I'm seriously going to have to get it on video so that I never forget this sweet stage in his life.

 Many other wonderful blessings have come our way this past year, and I can't wait to tell you about them.  As life settles in for this new little family of four, I dearly hope that I'll have time to return to this beloved space and share in life with you again.  Thinking forward to 2014, I'm excited.  2013 taught me that God continues to bless you above and beyond even when nothing turns out the way you had expected it to.  I'm thankful for that, and I'm looking forward to seeing His plans for us in the coming year!