2020: How it started. How it’s going. 

There’s a meme trending on social media right now that shows the passage of time through two photos.

Some are using it to showcase relationships, some are poking fun at the dumpster fire of 2020 and others are documenting important journeys in their lives, everything from pet adoptions to career successes and more.

For some reason this trend resonates with me this time around. Perhaps it’s because I just paid the fees for my blog renewal for the second year in a row without posting any new content or the fact that I’ve been at home since March and am running out of rooms to watch Matt renovate or that we just welcomed a little sister into the family and the last time I shared an update the nearly 3-year-old sitting next to me was only 3 months old and holy cow life moves fast when you’re not navigating a global pandemic doesn’t it?

I can’t promise I’ll keep this up regularly but I can try my best to bring you up to speed on the highlights in the meantime and this trend seems like an ‘on brand’ way to do it.

So here we go. 2020: How it started. How it’s going style.

I don’t know about you but love a good before and after. You know you’re in your 30’s when your Instagram feed is filled with more designers than Tik Tok stars. If you were following the blog before, we had just moved in the last time I posted (my bad). And while we may some pretty significant updates immediately (see refinished floors and ridding the house of all carpet to eliminate some less than ideal pet smells), we’ve been working our way through projects ever since. It’s been a labor of love and I love my access to cheap labor, I mean husband.

If you’re new to my sarcasm or new to the blog, I’d like to clarify that while I poke fun at Matt’s working-dog-like approach to renovation, I too pulled my fair share of weight up until my weight increased with Claire and I wasn’t allowed to lift weight any longer. And since I just hit my quota for number of puns in one blog post, I’ll get right into some of the before and afters.

To call our back deck safe for occupancy when we moved in was a bigger lie than anything #45 has said over the past 4 years and while it’s difficult, that’s as close as I will get to political commentary because I think we’ve all had enough politics for this decade, probably longer.

The deck was bad. So with the help of some friends and family, Matt rebuilt it.

Back Deck

We threw in new paint and fixtures in a few bathrooms…

Basement Bathroom

Kids/Guest Bathroom

We got rid of the remaining traditional wallpaper in the office and dining rooms and gave each a fresh coat of paint and whenever everyone else stops renovating their homes too, new window treatments.

Home Office 

Dining Room

We also updated the entire basement, including a home gym, playroom and living space but I’ll save those and our upstairs for another post. It’s amazing what motivation a couple can have when they are stuck at home with one another for 9 months, isn’t it?

In October, we welcomed Claire Elizabeth to the crew and it’s hard to remember life before her. Perhaps partially due to sleep deprivation. Who am I kidding, I don’t even know what day it is half the time, but I do know how incredibly blessed we are having this little girl join the family.

Claire came into the world exactly how I expected a second child would. All of us assumed she’d be early like her big sister. In fact, my doctor laughed at me when I showed up for my 38 week appointment, giving us all a false sense of urgency. In true second child fashion, Claire was comfy, but once she decided to join us, she barely gave the doctor enough time to get on his scrubs before delivering herself (they didn’t let me push, laugh or breathe) and ruining nurse and family bets who thought she was absolutely a ‘he’ this time around. She’s the chunky baby I always thought I’d have and we’re just over the moon that she is ours.

It’s hard to recap three years in one blog post, especially when the last year has felt like an additional three, but no matter the time between, it feels like a good time to reconnect. As we approach Christmas this week, I’m reminded 1.) that we will have a 3 year-old on Christmas Eve (read more about that here) and 2.) Just how blessed we all are that we get to celebrate the things that have come into extreme focus this year in particular, health, family and new birth.

Until next time (and hopefully sooner than before).