Holiday Greetings, to you and yours!
2020.
It’s been a powerful year for so many.
For our family, it was one where we learned so much.
About each other…
About what really matters…
About who we are and who we could be…
And so this year, although we hope you hang our holiday postcard among many hosting dozens of smiling faces who miss you as well, we thought we’d send something a little different…
Something that fills you in on what our year looked like…
In a way that we couldn’t in person…
Something to introduce you to who we each became this year, through the months of adversity, change, and magic that only the turning of a century could do...
There once was a time, in the not so distant past, that our boys were men of few words.
You see, 2020 introduced us to our storyteller… our actor… our little performer… not quite sure where he gets it from, but our Jack is happiest when making others happy.
This little boy, who is less than little as each day goes by, is our constant voice of reason… our voice of clarity… our literal reminder of things we’ve said and shouldn’t say… of the stories that fill his heart and head so strongly he simply cannot forget…
His sweet voice has air to fill through his missing front teeth, and he takes every opportunity to use the words he’s found, ask questions, and hold you accountable.
His heart is bigger than most, and although he can feel the weight of all feelings… he can tell you he loves you with an ease and sincerity that makes that burden seem bearable.
As for our little Luca, our light… our Casanova… his words are still coming, but as they come, they enter with the sweetest tone and levity… songs move his soul in a way that brings serenity and joy.
Luca is strong, built for endurance and with a fierceness that is frightfully compelling. This summer, he learned that he was in charge of his own destiny. As he fell in love with watching movies about the ocean, he determined he too could swim under water. Within an hour of trying, and figuring out just how to hold his breath, he spent the rest of the summer exploring the freedom beneath the surface.
2020 brought Luca the magic of Disney+, and Disneynature, introducing him to the entire animal kingdom. His love of the lines… whether they be of penguins, or elephants… lions and bears… or gently flying birds around… his eyes lit in excitement imagining the feeling of the wind in your wings… was simply magical.
Our boys continue to teach our family about autism… about it’s uniqueness and improv… it’s
Struggles and lessons… it’s light and magic… a pandemic that takes your routine and throws it out the window can surely teach you how much you can handle…
As for our rainbow baby, Alex turned two this June. You couldn’t tell, as her stature is similar to her brothers, which we joke gives her the status of a triplet, not a younger sister.
This kid… oh how she makes our hearts smile. She is as sweet as she is sassy. She is as kind as she is strong. She is the definition of what it means to be raised by two strong women, and protected by twin older brothers.
Her words are arriving slowly, but surely, however when she can choose how to express herself, she reaches for the pens, markers, crayons, and paper. She simply cannot get enough.
She can hold her own, though.
As for Steph, 2020 and COVID did not slow down Pro Image Painting, LLC. Not a stranger to diversity, Steph worked diligently to ensure everything she’s built stood tall, always taking care of her team, and pivoting when needed.
She took on a 4000 square foot unit, additional vehicles, and everything it takes to build and support more crews.
She became the only certified painter in New Hampshire to work with Fine Paints of Europe, and elevated her business to a level where its reputation speaks for itself.
And, while hustling like no other, managed to get her invention launched, picked up by The Grommet out of Sommerville, MA, and now onto Lowes.com.
As for me… if you’ve kept up with the blog at all, you know I’m an open book.
2020 didn’t look quite like I thought it would.
However, a pandemic, and three young children under the age of 5, two of which on the spectrum, I’ve found my days to be filled with supporting their schedules, and Pro Image when I can… building a home and a life we can be proud of.
You see, if 2020 has taught us anything… it was that we were stronger than we thought, but have many miles yet to run in this race.
We learned how much we took for granted…
Like the gift of being able to say goodbye to someone you love, and be surrounded by those who understand the loss as greatly in the days that follow…
We learned the meaning of real friendship… like the kind you can’t live without…
We learned the power of magic, and those who believe in it…
We learned the power of hard work and an unwillingness to give up…
And we learned that this too, is temporary. If this is merely a chapter to our story, there is so much left to be written… moments to be captured and frozen in time… and memories to be savored as they are created…
We miss you all… more than we can say… but we hope you know that you are in our hearts this holiday season… and hope that peace and joy fill your homes where we cannot, as we all stay safely distanced, waiting for all of this craziness to be over.
Peace out 2020. See ya’ll in 2021. Happy Holidays. From Our Family, to Yours. Xo