time

It's December! Already? I say this every year, but this time I mean it even more: where does time go? I feel like somehow, on the very abstract and immeasurable time-space continuum, the year 2014 had more of an impact on my small family nucleus than any other year in recent memory. It's almost as if these past 11 months were packed with what seems like 4 years of evolution and change.

My sweet Elsa, who turned 8 in September, has officially begun displaying pre-teen or "tween" characteristics, which I honestly and naively thought would happen much later. Heavy foot stomping, eye rolling and slammed doors are on the rise in our household. Luigi and I feel like we have begun to navigate in very murky waters, having to readjust our parenting skills (I use the word "skills" very liberally) and reassess their effectiveness. We're at that point where parenting slowly becomes an exercise in letting go. Letting go of your preconceptions and hang-ups and letting your children develop their individuality. Letting them make choices while making sure certain boundaries are not crossed. NOT letting yourself turn your children into a projection of yourself. That's the hardest part. On the upside, the young lady Elsa is beginning to turn into is a kind, confident, spirited, smart and good-natured one, and this makes me very happy and hopeful.

And my Enzo. Enzo is a little boy. Some of you are probably thinking "Hasn't he always been?". To this I say: no. When Enzo woke up on January 1st, 2014, he was still two-years-old. My sweet, curly-haired, binky-sucking, two-year-old toddler. He turned three a couple of days later and, in the past eleven months has, at warp speed, turned into an almost four-year-old. A sweaty, busy and independent little boy. He will hold conversations with anybody who will give him the time of day. He dresses and undresses himself, brushes his own teeth and fixes himself snacks. He builds and rebuilds puzzles or Lego creations all day long and is quite the prankster. He's a joy to behold.

Luigi is in a very good place. He's getting back into shape and striving to keep that very fragile balance between work, personal life and family life. The unpredictability of his travel schedule throws us off balance regularly, but we've gotten pretty good at rolling with the punches. Change and uncertainty are considered to be huge stress factors on a relationship and I feel like we've been through so many ups and downs over the past 13 years that we can weather the wildest storm. 2015 is shaping up to be a very big year for our family, change-wise. I think we're ready!