2016 year in review & christmas card

christmas tradition stolen from her heart & home -- framing christmas cards! :)

new mexico, pregnancy announcement, gender reveal, sod installation
seattle family reunion, babymoon, maternity pics, ada's birth day!
ada released from the nicu, halloween, thanksgiving, our girl's cute smile

Another year has come and gone -- time sure flies when you're an adult! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was recapping 2015, lamenting the fact that we still weren't pregnant after a year and a half of trying. But shortly thereafter, in January, we found out that we were finally pregnant! And that little baby has dominated our thoughts and lives ever since :)

It was so exciting to finally experience pregnancy. I'm one of the lucky ones who didn't really have to deal with sickness or food aversions; my biggest complaints were simply being HUGE and having swollen feet. The best parts about pregnancy were the super cute kicks and movements and having hair that didn't fall out by the handful.

Ada Charlotte was born via planned C-section on September 23, 2016. She surprised us all by weighing a whopping eleven pounds! Her first two weeks of life were spent in the NICU, which was devastating -- it felt like they'd never let her leave! But she's been healthy and happy ever since, albeit a bit difficult to figure out. She is the cutest baby in the world, and I think we're maybe kinda sorta finally starting to figure things out ;) She loves to smile and we love to make her smile! She likes hearing new noises (like whistling) and she has loved looking at the Christmas tree this month. We love to cuddle her, but mostly only when she's asleep because that's when she'll allow it :)

Other things that happened for me this year were working full time as an editor for Boostability, teaching a bunch of youth some dance moves for the Provo City Center Temple Cultural Celebration, and finishing up some decorating in our house. Working full time kicked my butt, and it made me even more grateful for Russ's willingness to work hard so that I can stay home with our sweet daughter. The Cultural Celebration was an amazing experience for me; I loved getting to know the youth in my ward and seeing their testimonies shine through dance. The decorating in our house was mostly done, but I repainted our laundry room, mostly finished the nursery, and added some thick shelves to our guest bathroom (with Russ's help, of course).

Russ is still working hard as the support manager at Omadi. Despite his prank of telling me he got fired at a performance review one day (thoughts of hospital bills ran through my head!), he was actually told that he is "vital to the company." He continues to be one of the employees that knows the software best. Another of Russ's focuses this year was our yard! Although we bought a beautiful home last year, it came [in]complete with no yard to speak of. Russ worked hard this spring and summer to install a sprinkling system (he's never done that before!), and then with the help of friends and family we leveled the soil and laid sod. It's so exciting to have grass instead of weeds! After getting his Volvo Amazon running, he sold it and bought a Nissan 300 ZX to work on, but quickly decided he wanted a functional car instead, settling on a Toyota Corolla. Now he satisfies his need to fix things by buying broken iPads and iPhones and flipping them. He is a fantastic dad, and it's the cutest thing to see him love on our little girl. He's always willing to change diapers, feed her, and put her to bed, and I swear he gets the most smiles from her! That girl LOVES her daddy :)

We didn't travel as much as last year, but we did manage to fit in a few adventures. In March, we roadtripped to New Mexico, where we did some hiking, explored "Old Town," and added another temple to our repertoire. In July, we flew to Seattle for a Holmes Family Reunion (Russ's extended familiy), as well as some dedicated time with Russ's immediate family. In August, we had a weekend getaway to Salt Lake for a babymoon before Ada arrived. We were also lucky enough to have lots of family come visit throughout the year (Mom & Dad Holmes, Susan & Molly, Noah & Naomi, Brooke's family, and Chantry) and spend time with all our family that lives here (Mom & Dad Petersen, Brandon's family, Rachel's family, Lance's family, and Lacey).

We have been beyond blessed this year. We're not sure how to top it in 2017, but we're eager to make that happen. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May this next year be the best yet :)

With Love,
Russ, Ashley, and Ada Holmes