Your Alley Family Update. It's a New Year!

Out with the old. In with the NEW YEAR! Welcome 2015. 

2014 was an amazing year. Let's review, shall we?

• January: Spent most the month waddling. 
• February: Jackson was born! Learned to parent. 
• March: Continued parenting. 
• April: I returned to work. 
• May: Seth finished didactic classwork at UMKC, School of Pharmacy
• June: Celebrated our Four year Wedding Anniversary 
• July: Hot! Started training for a 5K, learned how to jog. 
• August: Jackson turned 6 months! / Discovered consignment sales
• September: Ran my first 5K!
• October: My 26th Birthday / Ran two more 5Ks
• November: Jackson's first Thanksgiving. Ran three 5Ks
• December: Jackson's first Christmas. Ran a 5K. 

It was an action packed year for sure, and the turning point of many more to come. The past few months have been a whirlwind of baby milestones, holidays, and general health & life. 

Jackson is now 1 week shy of 11 months! He turbo crawls everywhere. Pulls himself up on all the furniture. Says Da-Da when I try to get him to say Ma-Ma (stinker...). Scuttles around the apartment hiding blocks and throwing things and is in all fairness the most adorable creature I've ever laid eyes on. Jackson continues to captivate our hearts, minds and souls. Seth and I have spent countless hours staring at him in the typical "new parent" way, watching him learn and interact, and just acknowledging the fact that he is ours! Yea, we still can't believe it. Jackson sleeps through the night and has taken to solid foods with a vengeance! I pretty sure breast milk is "dessert" to him now. We're continuing to nurse until a year, and then slowly taper off from there. 

Seth has been hard at work studying at his various rotation sites around the Kansas City Metro. He graduates in June!! **big celebratory applause** and we are uber excited to finish that chapter of our lives, and move onto the next. I'm so proud of what he has accomplished over the last 5 years. Being a student, husband and now a dad, isn't easy on anyone, but he's come out the other side seemingly better at all three! I don't know how he does it, but I sure am grateful. 

I myself have been busy mothering sweet baby J. His cheesy giggles and toothy grins keep me smiling and glowing with joy! My heart stays melted, and its such a privilege to be his Momma (even if he never actually says "ma-ma"). I cherish every morning, evening and weekend with him. Our favorite past times are lazy mornings on the weekends (nursing in sleepily in bed, making breakfast, playing on the carpet) and spending times outside (visiting parks, taking walks in the Tula carrier, jogging with the stroller).


This year is bound to be as exciting as the next, and I look forward to these highlights.

• January: 
• February: Jackson's 1st Birthday! 
• March: My first 10k on March 1st
• April:
• May: Seth's Commencement from UMKC. Soon after, he'll begin studying for his board testing, and then start work as a pharmacist at CVS. 
• June: 
• July: Summer lovin'!
• August: Apartment lease is up, moving to KS (hopefully!) 
• September: 
• October: 
• November: First 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) 
• December: 

I'm a planner, and sometimes I get caught up in "what's next?" Two of my Four New Years resolution is to Live Simpler and Choose Happiness. That being said, I'm adding Enjoy the Now as a subcategory. I want to relish and cherish what's happening now, and not get so involved in what up-and-coming. To sit back, and just breathe it all in...right now.

However, that still doesn't stop me from writing things on my calendar 6 months in advance ;) It is a resolution after all. Until next time! Stay tuned for Part 2 to learn about my remaining two New Year resolutions.

Dana