I thought I was done baking after Christmas, but New Years was calling, so I made a few more batches and was happy to sell some boxes.
A friend of mine recently asked me if we had settled into the new house and I said yes, except that every time I turn around, I find a new place I want to put a shelf. The biggest reason I wanted to buy a new house was that we ran out of space in our old house and had a toy shelf in the dining room, and random things in every corner. Moving was a good opportunity to purge- we took SEVERAL trips to the goodwill, sold things on facebook and filled 2 bagsters. But moving was also our chance to have a place for everything and if something doesn’t have a place, we don’t need it. I’ve bought approximately 100 bins of all sizes since we moved in. I have sorted, labeled, and organized since we moved in. I am proud to say that this house is VERY organized. And this week, MORE organization!
Nate doesn’t consider himself to be very handy, but he’s actually really capable of home improvement projects. He added shelves all the way to the ceiling and I am so excited about how much more organizational area it gave us.
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About a month ago, I went to a used furniture store “just to look” to see if I could find a cool cabinet. In the front of the store, I found the perfect cabinet! I was literally in and out of the store (including loading said cabinet into my van) in 10 minutes! It’s been crammed in a corner for a month waiting for the Christmas tree to go away, and I was very excited to get it in place and fill it with precious items.
Tonight my mom came over and cooked us a decadent lobster and shrimp dinner. She also brought very loud noise-makers for the boys. It was a fun evening. I am doubtful that Nate and I will even make it to midnight, but it was a good NYE! 
2020
January brought a new year- we were excited for 2020!
Changes, surprises and making memories were sure to be aplenty.
Xander was saying “what?!” A lot, we were worried about his ears.
Surgery to remove his adenoids fixed his hearing and calmed our fears.
February we sat in the front row at Monster Jam,
Sundays the boys went to Grandma Debbie’s- they laughed and played and swam.
Natalie was baking nonstop- batch after batch of French macs,
Nate was battling a dropping market- no time to relax!
In March Natalie had surgery, she said goodbye to her uterus,
6 weeks of recovery- to be at home that long seemed ludicrous.
But then a global pandemic broke out and closed down everything,
A historic time for the world and a scary start to Spring.
The State locked down in April, everyone was forced to quarantine,
We watched the news every day waiting for updates on Covid-19.
20 years of summer camp helped Natalie keep the boys busy with weekly themes,
Working from home, 2 active kids and never leaving the house brought new routines.
In May the pandemic continued, wearing masks had become the norm,
Luckily we spent a lot of time outside, the weather was sunny and warm.
Natalie cancelled camp, the first time that happened in 73 years,
A difficult decision that came after lots of stress and tears.
By June being stuck at home, was getting really old.
Unfortunately for everyone, Covid-19 was still uncontrolled.
We played outside a lot, in the yard and neighborhood,
Xander learned to pedal a bike, he was getting really quite good!
Natalie and the boys spent all of July at C.Y.C.
Xander and Augustus swam every day, life in the woods was wild and free!
Camp was not the same without kids, but volunteers really spruced up the place,
Covid-19 was challenging, adjusting to change- we tried to embrace.
August we were back at home and Gussie had his third birthday,
A party at a playground and even Spiderman came to play!
We were thinking about a new house, though we weren’t sure if we’d go or we’d stay,
But we went out with a realtor, and surprise- found the perfect house right away!
September the boys went back to school after being at home for such a long time,
Being back with their friends and teachers felt absolutely sublime.
Natalie and Nate worked hard to keep everything neat, clean, and ready to go,
Because every weekend and many evenings, the house was open to show.
We had to sell our house by October, in order for the contingency to go through,
We got an offer the day of the deadline and our moving dreams had come true!
Nate hit a major Edward Jones milestone, and made it to level one!
We were so proud of his accomplishment, but his success has only just begun!
November it was time to move, we packed up all our stuff,
After 13 years on Randolph, saying goodbye was exciting, but also tough.
Unpacking all the boxes, was quite a major feat,
But after 2 long weeks of working hard, our home was comfy and complete!
December meant gingerbread houses, elf on the shelf and seeing Santa (this year online),
This time of the year is so magical! It was fun; it was divine!
Cocoa, Christmas cookies, sledding, and looking at lights,
Each morning we opened our advent calendar, then cuddled up with Christmas books each night.
2020! What a year! But overall, it was great!
Merry Christmas from Augustus, Xander, Natalie and Nate!