Life as a Lewis

A quick recap of our Christmas activities for memory-keeping purposes. Brian, the kids and I spent Christmas morning at home then joined Liz, my parents and grandparents for the rest of the day. We played a lot of Nertz and did a lot of snacking. Becky, William, and Xavier arrived the day after Christmas and with a house full of 3 middle schoolers and 1 high school boy, you can imagine the noise level. I'm calling Christmas 2019 the year of the Bombas (remember when I used to name Christmas every year?). Not only did I purchase Bombas socks for Brian, Camden, William, and Xavier (and myself), but Liz bought Bombas socks for the girls as her favorite item of 2019.  BTW, buying our favorite things for mom and sisters is still one of my favorite Christmas traditions. We've done this for 3 years. Gifts (both giving and receiving) is my love language so it's a perfect tradition in my opinion. This year I purchased Victoria Emerson wrap bracelets  and Korean face masks

It feels like a different life when the last decade began. Life was simple in 2010. Brian was teaching at a little country school and ministering at a small country church. I was a stay-at-home mom; blogging was my best friend. I remember family gatherings with all the kiddos piling on top of each other (and grandpa) as the sweetest of times. Becky was truly on the mend after 2-3 hard years of cancer treatment and recovery. Cancer was in our past. It's almost impossible to dwell upon how young and naive we were in 2010 - before we knew anything about parenting teenagers, losing grandparents and a sister-in-law and two brothers-in-law, failed cancer treatments and surgeries. The last decade has, without a doubt, been the most challenging to date. I suspect we're not alone. Many adults moving from thirties to their forties might consider this phase as the most challenging. I know we're not the only family to course correct in the career department or to flounder as we tr