ringing in the new year

 hello my sweet friends! can you believe we're saying goodbye to another year already? didn't we just wrap up last year? its true what they say, time goes by so much faster once you have a baby! so much happened in 2014 for us, it definitely was one of our most monumental & best years yet. watching our baby boy grow into such a handsome young toddler has to be one of the most magical things i've ever experienced. miles and i are just shy of completing our second year of marriage & i grew as an individual in so many ways. i would call 2014 a year of growth all around. here are just a few of the remarkable moments we had this year:

• luca was diagnosed with plagiocephaly. he wore a corrective helmet for four months & he successfully graduated from his helmet in may when the doctor considered his problem "corrected." he looked like a little linebacker and everyone fussed over him in it. i can't say we liked it, but it definitely wasn't near as bad as we thought it would be. there is always a silver lining, sometimes you have to dig around before you see it, am i right?
• we relocated from the coast and renovated a beautiful home in the suburbs. although we dream of going back to san diego all the time, we couldn't be happier with our new home & we love being so close to family. 
• miles and i finally got around to taking our honeymoon in hawaii. it was our first time leaving lu, but we had so much fun and gained some much needed alone time. love was in the air!
• our baby boy had his very first birthday in july & he began walking a week later. i've been chasing him everywhere ever since.
• Luca had his tear duct surgery just before christmas which had to be the scariest moment for us in 2014, but he flew through with flying colors and couldn't be better!
• i began working as a high school english teacher in the fall. i was asked to come back in the spring and i accepted. i'll be teaching 9th and 10th grade english come monday.

miles and i decided to come up with a word to encompass the coming year and at first we chose endeavor because we know how much exploring we'll be doing in the coming year, both personally & professionally. but as we tossed endeavor around while lying in bed this morning, we felt it just didn't quite feel right. so, we in turn decided on embrace. 2015 will be our year to embrace; embrace change, embrace new beginnings, embrace one another, embrace letting go, embrace an overall healthy life in every way possible. 

i've decided i want to put my emphasis on morals and values this year & live with more intention in all that i do. i want to accept what i cannot change, and be more present. i can't wait to see what 2015 will bring, i just know it's going to be good, but it sure has a lot to live up to! thank you to each of you for following along with me this past year, you have made my life all the more beautiful. i'll be seeing you all in the new year!

 oh & lastly, it just wouldn't be a new year without my 3rd annual wood family montage! if you didn't get enough of my poor editing skills the past two years, well,  third times a charm!

happy new year!