2014 A Year in Review

Lucas took his first school picture this year.  He has always felt older and wiser than his age and here he is going from 3 years old to 40!  Couldn't help putting on the tie. I think it goes nicely with the glasses. I can only hope that future school pictures will look as great at this one. It's hard getting special needs children to look into the camera and sit still which is why so many of them come out looking more special needs in school pictures. I may opt not to buy school pictures if this be the case. 

When I look at our little home all decked out for the holidays, it fills my heart with so much pride, warmth and bliss.  I get teary eyed at all the love we have within these walls.  Sometimes, on my way to work at night, I stop in front of the house across the street and just take five minutes to admire the lights we put up.  Not so much the lights themselves, but the warmth that is within the house.  I sit in my car in awe at what I have been able to achieve in my life and at the privilege of calling Gabriel my husband and Lucas, my son.

We attended 4 weddings in 2014!  Here, we are at Tom's (Gabriel's manager) wedding in June.  I so like this picture because we rarely get to be so silly together and here we have a silly shot for memory sake.

Lucas celebrates his 4th Christmas this year. Even though he doesn't quite get the concept of Santa bringing gifts and I don't have the pleasure of seeing him run down the stairs Christmas morning in his pajamas, I still love having him in his Christmas pajamas every year. In fact, we even went to the mall in his pajamas! This year, he is my cutest gingerbread man!

He still loves the water and this picture captures him in pure joy at being able to "catch" falling rain. I see God in his smiles and hear God in his giggles. He caught a cold after this romp in the rain!

He also went to see snow for the first time this year at Mt. Baldy.  He is not a big fan of cold weather and ice but with all things, I think with more exposure, he will grow to like it. Unfortunately, we live is So Cal and the opportunity to visit snow is limited.

We also went to visit Sycamore Mineral Springs this Winter.  Our visits are turning into an annual family tradition. He had a stuffy nose and was miserable the whole trip but loved the time in the mineral pool.  He slept for the rest of the car ride home afterwards and so did I.

That's the whole family in the pool. Wherever we are, I love that we are all together. 

Lucas can now signal to us when he has had enough.  He flaps his arms as if to say, "no no no!" Here he is trying to tell me he is cold. He was soaked wet in the rain which is probably how he caught his cold.  I am a bad mom. But, I loved seeing him so happy in the rain.  Note to self: buy him a raincoat!