2013 Year in Review
Am I the only one that misses Christmas "Newsletters"?
I LOVE Christmas Cards. Don't get me wrong.
But I love reading about what is going on with your family! Ooohhh, you should start a blog!
Anyway, Didn't I just do this?
How does a year pass by so quickly?
Maybe when a year is filled with love, laughter, learning (vacations, wedding planning and 1/2 marathon training) it just flies by!
So besides some fairly obvious events - what have we been up to?
Eleanor
I can not believe Eleanor is going to be 5 this Christmas.
She is spending a second year at her preschool/daycare and is just loving it.
She's busy learning to recognize and write her upper and lower case letters - and just brought home two "sight" word books. She can now read "My" and "At". I know...I know...It's just amazing! ;-) But seriously, when did my kid get old enough to learn to read?
She's busy with swim lessons and continues to have no fear of the water. Eleanor still comes to a lot of runs with Andy and I and loves when she's able to get out and run with us. She's fast!
Eleanor loves all things "little". The smaller the better. Squinkies (<--- Click and enjoy) They are ALL. Over. Our. House! But she loves them. Don't forget LaLaLoopy and Doc McStuffins. Eleanor is highly imaginative - highly emotional - highly sensitive. She cares about everyone. Hugs make everything better for Eleanor. She questions EVERYTHING. Andy and I can't talk about anything in front of her without her questioning, "What did you say?" "What does that mean?" I'm so excited to see what this next year holds for Eleanor. Watching her grow up has been the best thing ever.
Andy
Andy continues working in Sales at Direct Supply. He also continues to work from home - which amazes me, simply because I couldn't do it. I don't have the attention span to not get sucked into day time TV, laundry, rearranging my spice cabinet...anything, but work! Andy spent an entire summer trying to get his two ladies to show some remote interest in Baseball. To his dismay, it didn't really work, but he's already looking forward to the day Pitchers and Catchers report and he can try it all over again. Andy's still adjusting to his house being taken over by two little ladies. And as much fun as it is to watch Eleanor grow up, it's been equally fun to watch Andy and Eleanor grow together. I can't imagine suddenly becoming the parent of a 3 year old, but Andy just stepped into the role. And perhaps the biggest change for Andy this year was around Mother's Day when Eleanor started calling him "Dad". It took a minute for me to get used to. It was weird to hear. I kept thinking she was talking about Nic. But Andy has certainly earned his stripes and is certainly Eleanor's dad...and he deserves the title, because it feels amazing! And Eleanor did it all on her own. We never lead her to it. Andy never baited her. We think it had to do with all the talk about mothers and fathers during mother's day. And her little mind piecing things together - the man that we lived with - That picked her up when she cried - tucked her in at night. But whatever the case. It happened. Eleanor speaks of Daddy Nic frequently. She tells Andy and I stories that leave us speechless. She asks questions about him. She loves looking at pictures of him. And, in her 4 year old way, she is learning how lucky she is to have the foundation of love from her Daddy Nic, her guardian Angel, and the current, present day love of her Dad, Andy.
Karl
Karl, Karl the wonder dog. Do not let this picture fool you - this dog is T-R-O-U-B-L-E! Like Andy, I think he's still adjusting to two ladies taking over his bachelor pad. I've NEVER claimed to be a dog person, but for as much grief as this dog causes me, he's a part of this family. There are times I even forget he's a dog! Every time Andy and I walk in the door we take a quick scan of the house and question what Karl got in to. When Karl gets bored he likes to nose through any bag, assuming there has to be something for him in it. This year Karl has eaten several of my toothbrushes, a few of my vitamins, several cans of unopened soup, a bottle of bloody mary mix, a can of fat/grease drippings from the turkey and a few lunch boxes. He never touched anything related to the wedding and never bothers any of Eleanor's favorite stuffed animals...so, to that...I give him some credit. Karl will be 9 in January and hasn't lost one bit of his puppiness.
Dana
So what do I do when I'm not chasing a 4 year-old, being a new wife and picking up after Karl? With the incredible support of my family, I trained for and completed my first real 1/2 marathon. I think I might still be experiencing runner's high. It was a lot of work and I complained through most of it, but I already am getting the itch to do another!I'm in my 3rd year at Briggs & Stratton, working in the Human Resources Department. I spent a lot of the year working on a DIY wedding - we had burlap from one end our house to the other for most of the year! Now....now I'm not sure what to do with my free time! Andy still shutters when I say, "So, I saw this thing on Pinterest..." He knows my mind is creating something! And he'll probably get sucked in to help! It's interesting, for the first time, in a long time, I just am me. Yes, I'm still a widow. Nic is a very important part of our lives. And sometimes, I feel like both he AND Andy side together and are ganging up on me! It's not that raw ache it once was - it's like the air around me. It's just me.
With the wedding behind us, we are having fun doing some aesthetic updates to the house and are eager to put it up on the market in the Spring. Andy and I are both eager to settle into our "forever home" and know our current house is not that house. So...to answer the questions that you are thinking but not asking - Yes, I see us staying in New Berlin. We are open to other areas, but really like the life we have created here. Yes, we would love to increase our family by one. There's no due date yet, but we'd love for Eleanor to have a sibling - she asks us frequently for one! And yes...if and when baby comes, we'll be trading in the pick up truck for a minivan...and I can't wait!! (Andy's another story, but he'll come around). And Yes, I did change my name. I am officially Dana Lynn Bach. I'm still getting used to it. I still smile when I say it. And I still think it's fun to say my full name - Dana Lynn Schroeder Terrones Bach!
So that's us! Are you still with me? Are you still reading? It's not a riveting, page turning novel, but it's life. And we've settled nicely into it. Check back often. You never know what you might find here. Because it's crazy! And it's sweet. And it's our life!
I LOVE Christmas Cards. Don't get me wrong.
But I love reading about what is going on with your family! Ooohhh, you should start a blog!
Anyway, Didn't I just do this?
How does a year pass by so quickly?
Maybe when a year is filled with love, laughter, learning (vacations, wedding planning and 1/2 marathon training) it just flies by!
So besides some fairly obvious events - what have we been up to?
I can not believe Eleanor is going to be 5 this Christmas.
She is spending a second year at her preschool/daycare and is just loving it.
She's busy learning to recognize and write her upper and lower case letters - and just brought home two "sight" word books. She can now read "My" and "At". I know...I know...It's just amazing! ;-) But seriously, when did my kid get old enough to learn to read?
She's busy with swim lessons and continues to have no fear of the water. Eleanor still comes to a lot of runs with Andy and I and loves when she's able to get out and run with us. She's fast!
Eleanor loves all things "little". The smaller the better. Squinkies (<--- Click and enjoy) They are ALL. Over. Our. House! But she loves them. Don't forget LaLaLoopy and Doc McStuffins. Eleanor is highly imaginative - highly emotional - highly sensitive. She cares about everyone. Hugs make everything better for Eleanor. She questions EVERYTHING. Andy and I can't talk about anything in front of her without her questioning, "What did you say?" "What does that mean?" I'm so excited to see what this next year holds for Eleanor. Watching her grow up has been the best thing ever.
Andy continues working in Sales at Direct Supply. He also continues to work from home - which amazes me, simply because I couldn't do it. I don't have the attention span to not get sucked into day time TV, laundry, rearranging my spice cabinet...anything, but work! Andy spent an entire summer trying to get his two ladies to show some remote interest in Baseball. To his dismay, it didn't really work, but he's already looking forward to the day Pitchers and Catchers report and he can try it all over again. Andy's still adjusting to his house being taken over by two little ladies. And as much fun as it is to watch Eleanor grow up, it's been equally fun to watch Andy and Eleanor grow together. I can't imagine suddenly becoming the parent of a 3 year old, but Andy just stepped into the role. And perhaps the biggest change for Andy this year was around Mother's Day when Eleanor started calling him "Dad". It took a minute for me to get used to. It was weird to hear. I kept thinking she was talking about Nic. But Andy has certainly earned his stripes and is certainly Eleanor's dad...and he deserves the title, because it feels amazing! And Eleanor did it all on her own. We never lead her to it. Andy never baited her. We think it had to do with all the talk about mothers and fathers during mother's day. And her little mind piecing things together - the man that we lived with - That picked her up when she cried - tucked her in at night. But whatever the case. It happened. Eleanor speaks of Daddy Nic frequently. She tells Andy and I stories that leave us speechless. She asks questions about him. She loves looking at pictures of him. And, in her 4 year old way, she is learning how lucky she is to have the foundation of love from her Daddy Nic, her guardian Angel, and the current, present day love of her Dad, Andy.
Karl, Karl the wonder dog. Do not let this picture fool you - this dog is T-R-O-U-B-L-E! Like Andy, I think he's still adjusting to two ladies taking over his bachelor pad. I've NEVER claimed to be a dog person, but for as much grief as this dog causes me, he's a part of this family. There are times I even forget he's a dog! Every time Andy and I walk in the door we take a quick scan of the house and question what Karl got in to. When Karl gets bored he likes to nose through any bag, assuming there has to be something for him in it. This year Karl has eaten several of my toothbrushes, a few of my vitamins, several cans of unopened soup, a bottle of bloody mary mix, a can of fat/grease drippings from the turkey and a few lunch boxes. He never touched anything related to the wedding and never bothers any of Eleanor's favorite stuffed animals...so, to that...I give him some credit. Karl will be 9 in January and hasn't lost one bit of his puppiness.
So what do I do when I'm not chasing a 4 year-old, being a new wife and picking up after Karl? With the incredible support of my family, I trained for and completed my first real 1/2 marathon. I think I might still be experiencing runner's high. It was a lot of work and I complained through most of it, but I already am getting the itch to do another!I'm in my 3rd year at Briggs & Stratton, working in the Human Resources Department. I spent a lot of the year working on a DIY wedding - we had burlap from one end our house to the other for most of the year! Now....now I'm not sure what to do with my free time! Andy still shutters when I say, "So, I saw this thing on Pinterest..." He knows my mind is creating something! And he'll probably get sucked in to help! It's interesting, for the first time, in a long time, I just am me. Yes, I'm still a widow. Nic is a very important part of our lives. And sometimes, I feel like both he AND Andy side together and are ganging up on me! It's not that raw ache it once was - it's like the air around me. It's just me.
With the wedding behind us, we are having fun doing some aesthetic updates to the house and are eager to put it up on the market in the Spring. Andy and I are both eager to settle into our "forever home" and know our current house is not that house. So...to answer the questions that you are thinking but not asking - Yes, I see us staying in New Berlin. We are open to other areas, but really like the life we have created here. Yes, we would love to increase our family by one. There's no due date yet, but we'd love for Eleanor to have a sibling - she asks us frequently for one! And yes...if and when baby comes, we'll be trading in the pick up truck for a minivan...and I can't wait!! (Andy's another story, but he'll come around). And Yes, I did change my name. I am officially Dana Lynn Bach. I'm still getting used to it. I still smile when I say it. And I still think it's fun to say my full name - Dana Lynn Schroeder Terrones Bach!
So that's us! Are you still with me? Are you still reading? It's not a riveting, page turning novel, but it's life. And we've settled nicely into it. Check back often. You never know what you might find here. Because it's crazy! And it's sweet. And it's our life!
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