CheyTai

It’s the end of the year and I am starting to get reflective and think about the past year. Looking ahead to the new year feels a bit cliche, but there’s something undeniably fresh about this time of year. The break we’ve created with the holidays all being at the end of the year makes it feel like a clean cut where we are suddenly met with something sparkly and new. Most people have new stuff from the holidays and that is always a good boost of serotonin.

This year was a big one for us. We welcomed our third baby, Nyx, into the world. He’s filled our lives in ways I can’t even begin to describe, adding a layer of love and joy that we didn’t know we were missing. It was also Nyx’s very first holiday season, which made everything feel extra special. I started homeschooling the kiddos and that’s been an adventure all on it’s own. We also had many family members come visit who we missed so so much (and are missing again).

This was Nyx’s first holiday season.

Now I am focusing on a few things for the upcoming year:

• We’re moving!!! We don’t know exactly where yet, but its a whole process since we are leaving the island so there’s a lot of prep I can do before we even know yet.
• School work… I’m debating whether to go full-time with my own studies. Balancing homeschooling two kids, taking care of Nyx, and tackling a full course load sounds ambitious, but I can’t help but dream about making it work.
• Reorganizing! We’ve been taking the time the past few weeks to reorganize a lot of the clutter in our house. It’s very easy for us to hold on to things under the guise of “we will need to use it again soon”  then to realize later we don’t use it nearly as often.

Of course, there’s more on my mind, but I want to keep my focus on these first. One step at a time, right?

As we wrap up this year, I’m grateful for everything it brought—both the chaos and the joy. Here’s to the new year ahead, filled with possibilities, new challenges, and plenty of opportunities to grow.

How are you preparing for the new year? Let’s chat—I’d love to hear what’s on your mind as you reflect and plan.