Dec
31
2014

The end of 2014

I almost forgot about writing this review this year and I am not sure I have much time to write too much this year!

Duck duckWhen I was trying to think about the highlights of this year I have to admit that I found it difficult. Apart from the birth of Eliza which I will get onto shortly.It seems to me that much about this year has been us coping as a family; learning to live without Mum and what our life and our years look like without her.

I have certainly felt her absence keenly and I miss her more than ever. We have been so grateful over the year of the help we have received from the extended family, especially those who have helped us with childcare. I love this picture of The Little Mister holding onto this duck which lives at Auntie Sandra’s house. The Little Mister spent most Thursday’s with her and Uncle Peter and Auntie Pat. In fact he still calls all the aunts and uncles Pat!

Choir of the Year 2014In April we were meant to go on holiday to Cyprus with my sister and her family and my Dad, but we didn’t bank on Dad getting a DVT and clots on his lungs and as a result we had to cancel. It was so disappointing, but we also realise that had we flown the effects could have been fatal and we are very grateful that Dad is still with us! Instead in May we took a trip to Durrell Wildlife Park and stayed in their glamping site. It was brilliant fun and I would thoroughly recommend it.

Also in April the choir I sing with competed in the Choir of the Year in Basingstoke. We didn’t get any further than the first round but it was brilliant to get away for a night and I love spending time with the girls. We had such fun!

In July we welcomed a brand new arrival, Eliza Gillian Mary. She arrived at great speed and 3 weeks early and suddenly our whole world, especially The Little Mister’s has changed so much. Just chilling She is an amazingly placid little girl and she has brought so much joy to us all. The fact that she bears Mum’s names has been really special. Of course she arrived at a seriously inconvenient time as my Dad and sister were on holiday in Portugal so they didn’t get to meet her for nearly a week!

Grandpa & the grandchildrenI love this picture. This is the moment that Dad got to meet his new grand-daughter. The kids look so excited to see her!

In fact the kids have brought such joy to our lives. They are funny, feisty and trying and whether we are happy or sad they have certainly given us something to live for. The Little Mister and his cousins fight all the time and they tease each other ruthlessly, but I also catch them gently patting him on the head and cuddling him (or trying to strangle him!) I guess they are doing all the things that we did with our cousins.

Team 7 in 7One of the biggest challenges of the year was undertaken by my brother-in-law Philip and his friend Warren. They set out to run seven marathons in seven days to raise money for two charities, This is Epic and The Hub. They did an amazing job and finished their run of marathons with the Guernsey Waterfront Marathon. I still think they are completely bonkers but I am totally proud of their achievements.

Guernsey Waterfront MarathonThey were joined on their final marathon by The Mister who completed his first ever marathon in 3 hours and 54 minutes. He has since said he has no desire to do any further marathons and he can tick it off his bucket list!

The Mister has been amazing over the year. So supportive and he has had to take on a lot more than usual with the arrival of the new baby. I love him so very much and (most of the time) we make a great team!

Towards the end of the year Dad opened “Gill’s Garden”; a memorial garden at the school at which my Mum taught. Dad had it built so that the primary school could enjoy being out in the open air, and it was on the spot where Mum used to go hunting to worms!

25 November 2014Dad has continued his work with Compassion UK and in November he travelled to Kenya where he met his new sponsor child Paul. This is one of my favourite pictures of the year – mainly because Dad’s smile actually reaches his eyes. This little boy will never know how lucky he is to have my wonderful dad as his sponsor.

Birthday boyWe finished the year with The Little Mister’s 2nd birthday party. A quiet family affair but even that involved lots of screeching children!

This little guy has had a few months characterised by epic change! He has gone from being the centre of our world, to being part of the centre – he now has to share with his sister!

However, he truly loves his “Babby” and I delight in seeing them together!

BlessingsMore than ever this year I realise how important our family is to us. I know that without the support of my sister, both emotional and practical, I would have really struggled this year. She has been the person I go to first when I have a problem and for that I am hugely grateful.

Thank you for all sharing this journey with me, the comments on my pictures have meant a lot to me. So, I end this final post of the year with a selection of photos which are my favourites of the year. I hope that 2015 will be a year of more fun, exciting experiences and full of joy and hope.

Grandparents
Swimming
Cousins
Beach!
Happy Christmas
The Family

Written by Anna Williams in: Family | Tags: ,

1 Comment »

  • Tree Bee

    It’s such a privilege to follow you on your lovely blog Auntie Doris. Your photos of your beautiful family and the stunning place where you live make me want to ‘like’ each post but I restrain myself!
    So chuffed you have your 2 children. Hope the return to work goes well. x

    Comment | January 4, 2015

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