Welcome 2015...

 

I recently read a statement from a very smart young woman that said, "Heavenly Father's happily-ever-after may not be your imagined fairytale."  This statement contains some very profound wisdom and feels like the theme for the Estes Family's 2014 year.  As we approached the beginning of 2014 we were living in Gaithersburg, MD, just outside of Washington D.C., with Matt going to school and me working as an operations manager for a Walgreens subsidiary.  We figured our year would go along quite smoothly with everything staying status quo.  Boy did Heavenly Father have different plans for us than we had for ourselves!

Estes Family- Fall 2013


Here are some of our highlights from 2014!

Mom turned 30!
I joined a new decade this year!  We celebrated the big event by scratching something off our Bucket List.  We went to Family Meal, a restaurant owned by Michael Voltagio, a Top Chef contestant.

James went on his first Easter egg hunt!
James got to participate in an Easter egg hunt this year with his best buddies from the Derwood Maryland ward.  He had a blast!

James picking up his first egg and placing it in his basket.

Mom left her job and we moved to Ohio!
My company was purchased by a new organization at the end of 2013.  While it was a good move for the organization, it wasn't the best match for me, so we made a decision to try new adventures.  We moved to Ohio for an extended stay before we head to Brigham Young University Idaho this April so Dad can finish his degree in Software Engineering and Graphic Design.  James decided he's not a fan of moving.

James relied on the security of Despicable Me to get over the moving boxes and hotel rooms.

James turned 2!
James turned two and with it came the "terrible twos" tantrums and adventures.  We celebrated with a large family party with hotdogs, a puppy dog cake, cousins and outside fun!

James and Daddy blowing out the candles on his birthday cake

James learned to love playing outside!
It's hard to play outside when you don't have your own backyard or a street to play on.  Living with Grammie and Poppy in Ohio brought both.  James learned to ride a tricycle, ride in a Cozy Coupe, play on the slides, pump himself in the swing and much more.

James learned to ride the dolphin all by himself

James and his new tricycle

James and Daddy riding the Cozy Coupe

 

Mom & Dad celebrated their third anniversary by taking James to visit the temple!
As a family trip we took James to see the Columbus Ohio Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This temple is particularly special to us because it is where we were married three years ago!

Daddy turned 34 (kind of)!
Daddy's birthday is on December 20th, a horrible time to celebrate a birthday.  So, this year and moving forward, we decided to make Daddy's "celebratory birthday" on June 20th.  We celebrated his birthday with a fun family dinner of his favorite steak and eggs and a Boston Cream Pie.

James went to his first farm!
For the 4th of July, we went to Young's Dairy in Springfield, OH.  James got to feed and pet his very first animals and he LOVED IT!  The ice cream was great too!

We went to our first State Fair!
We had never been to a state fair before, so we decided to take our little family to the Ohio State Fair.  James rode his first pony, rode on his first amusement park ride, had his first round of carnival food, rode on his first tractor and had tons of fun!

  

Dad started working as an IT tech for Support.com!
Matt got a position as an IT tech for Support.com.  It has been a wonderful experience for him because he gets to use his skills and interests.  Plus, he has the bonus of working from home and taking the job with him when we move.  It has been a great blessing!

Dad in his home office wearing his Christmas PJs.

Uncle Richard was baptized!
Richard made the decision to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It was a small family affair and one we were very happy about.

James went trick-or-treating for the first time!
James' very favorite movie is Despicable Me and he loves the minions, so we decided to make him a minion with the help of his Aunt Liz and his cousin Laurel.  He wasn't sure how he was getting away with collecting "free" candy door-to-door, but after a few attempts he caught on quite nicely.

Nicholas Taylor Estes joined our family!
Nicholas was a surprise for our family, but a wonderful one!  He joined us on November 18th making us a family of four.

Nicholas celebrated his first Thanksgiving!
Because Nicholas was only a week old and Mommy was exhausted, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving at Golden Corral.  It was absolutely fabulous and there were no dishes at the end!

   

Nicholas was blessed!
Nicholas Taylor was given a name and blessing by his Daddy at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Englewood, OH.  It was a perfect day with all of our family and many of our friends.

  

Nicholas celebrated his first Christmas!
Nicholas celebrated his first Christmas at Grammie & Poppy's house.  He didn't really care, but it was the first Christmas that James really enjoyed.  Every time we pulled out a new decoration while decorating the house, James would say "Whoa!" with bright wide eyes.  Christmas is so much more fun through the eyes of a child.

 

And life continues...

2015 will bring another big move, school for Dad, a new job for Mom and many more adventures.  We wish you all a wonderful New Year filled with blessings and Joy!

Estes Family- Fall 2014

Love, The Estes Family