2015 and The Three Bairs

2015 sure has been an amazing year! So many great changes for The Three Bairs!

We will start with Mike. This year started with Mike working in customer service for a flooring company. Fast forward to May when he received his Masters in Higher Education, stopped working at the flooring company and started coaching soccer full time. This is something Mike has been wanting to do since before he graduated with his bachelors in 2011! Soccer Camps through out the summer, acting as the Director of Goalkeeping for his club, coaching 2 club soccer teams, and assisting at Geneva, plus other individual sessions; I think he stayed busy! During his free time, Mike is an amazing Daddy to Lily. Watching the two of them together makes my heart smile.

Lily's first time bowling!

For me (Meg), I was back to the office in 2015 and loved every second of it! I grew so much as a person. Being home for 18 months with an infant was a different pace than I was used to. I loved being with my little girl but I was ready for a change. I continued to coach my club soccer team and  Olympic Development team through the spring/summer, but decided that after the season ended I would take a break from coaching. I now enjoy my free week nights and weekends (I know what is that?) supporting Mike in his various coaching roles, hanging out with our friends, and having Mommy and me time with my favorite mini me.

Lily and Mommy enjoying some ice cream.

Last but certainly not least is Miss Lily, little girl, Lil, stinky, and the many other adorable things we call her. She started walking in 2015 and now that we have to chase her everywhere I miss the crawling days. Lily started daycare this year and we have seen huge growth in her vocabulary! Every day we are amazed with what comes out of her mouth. Her singing "Jingle Bells" and "I love you, You love me" ( Barney Song) are two of our current favorites. 

Lily's personality is showing through more and more. She is a very affectionate, caring, spirited, and active little girl. Her stubbornness, smarts, and innocence make us giggle all the time. Some of Lily's favorite things are trains, Daniel Tiger, dancing, singing, Mickey Mouse, and stickers. This holiday season has been really special as Mike and I see it through a 2 year old's eyes. The smile on her face looking at Christmas lights, finding baby Jesus in every nativity scene, and getting all excited when she hear's a Santa say "ho, ho, ho."

Our 2015 Family Christmas Card Picture!

A year in review always reminds me how blessed we are. God gave us an amazing daughter who we get to love on every day and a marriage that we will be celebrating our 5th anniversary for on 1/1/16! 

Merry Christmas to all of our friends and family and may God bless you for a happy and healthy 2016!

**And now enjoy some pictures of Lily from 2015**

It Takes a Wedding

My family of three spent the weekend celebrating my brother's wedding. It was a beautiful day that they made all their own. And getting to be a part of their day made it even more special :)

Watching my brother and his wife recite vows to commit themselves to each other reminded me of our special day 3.5 years ago. The feeling you get after you say "I do" is unmatched. The way you look into your husband's eyes and he in yours while you dance you first dance. The spontaneous laughs that come from singing songs together as you dance with your friends and family. Simply enjoying time together as newlyweds dreaming about the promise you made to each other and the journey ahead.

All of those thoughts and feelings flooded back on Saturday night and Sunday morning I felt like a newlywed all over again. So to me, I felt "more married." I found myself instantly more appreciative of everything happening in my relationship with Mike. After having our first child I admit that our relationship has taken a bit of a back seat. Date nights and spending time together just between us has become a rarity, which from what I understand is completely normal. I mean it isn't easy to have a romantic night out when your 10 month old is throwing cheerios and trying to climb out of her high chair. It took a wedding to remind me how it all began 3.5 years ago and how blessed I am to have the husband and daughter that I do. It took a wedding for me to feel that joy that needs nothing else but a quick smile from my husband to know how much he loves me.

All this to say it's not that I needed a wedding but it was a wonderful way to renew the love that we knew we had but were having a hard time expressing over diaper changes and spit up. If I could, I would attend a wedding every year just to feel "more married" again. In less than two weeks we will be attending another wedding and I cannot wait to celebrate this special time again.