Dear family, friends, and blog readers,
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Another year is rapidly coming to a close. It has been one of many challenges and changes for our family. Through it all, we keep looking to the Lord for strength and encouragement and take each day one step at a time.
It’s been a rough year for us healthwise. All three of us have been plagued with Long Covid symptoms in varying degrees this past year. In addition to some other health struggles, Daddy also still experiences side effects from his vaccine injury which makes it difficult for him to do all the things he likes to do. We have, however, managed to continue our quest of clean, low-carb eating as much as possible (except at Christmas and Halloween!), and continue to maintain our ideal weights through intermittent fasting.
This year was also a difficult one as we felt the full brunt of our aging parents. Daddy's father passed away unexpectedly in August and Mommy's mother was recently diagnosed with early-stage dementia. Aside from helping Daddy’s sister sort through estate items, Mommy now has the task of keeping track of and transporting her mom to all medical appointments as well as weekly trips to the grocery store.
Mommy’s entrepreneurial ventures continue to grow. She expanded her hen and egg business and continued to maintain her self-serve roadside stand, selling eggs, honey, jam, and preserves. Daddy also tried his hand in the business and sold quite a few bags of campfire wood. Despite a variety of challenges and growing pains with the flock of hens, (pecking problems, bumblefoot, predators, etc), and having a growing number of thefts at the stand, we still managed to have a fairly successful season.
Spring and summer are typically very busy with outdoor projects and this year was no exception. Mommy put her scavenging skills to the test and was able to expand her chicken coop using all reclaimed materials. She also built Olivia an outdoor play fort and mud kitchen from old pallets. Daddy spent a week replacing a roofing patch job from last fall, and gluing down all the shingles on the front section of the house. He also had another load of wood to cut. This year, Mommy learned to use the splitter and was able to help with some of the splitting. We also spend way too many hours picking rocks in the back acre of our property to prep for more grass seed.
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Our veggie garden kept us very busy as well. It would seem Daddy and Mommy have both inherited green thumbs from their fathers. We had a bumper crop of cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, and of course, Daddy’s prized Roma tomatoes! We also enjoyed beans, potatoes, raspberries, rhubarb, green beans, and green onions. As usual, the kale continues to grow throughout the fall and winter months. For the first time ever, we had enough of our own cucumbers and zucchini for Mommy’s pickles and relish. Every year we like to try some new things and learn a little more about gardening.
This year, Mommy added sewing and bread-making to her list of domestic arts. This spring, she was finally able to use her grandmother’s old sewing machine and managed to complete a few projects like hemming Daddy’s jeans, fixing curtains, making pillowcases from old bedsheets, and designing simple Barbie clothes. This fall, Mommy inherited her late father-in-law’s breadmaker and was able to bake homemade bread for the first time. After being intimidated by both tasks for many years, it felt great to finally learn both!
This summer, Olivia and Mommy went to the beach with friends, first with Gwen, and then the Sticklands. We swam at friend Deegan’s house, and also made use of Mr. Ron and Ms. Gayle’s pool again nearly every day. Olivia finally had her much-anticipated 6th birthday party with a dozen of her little (and not-so-little) friends. An afternoon of games, prizes, presents, and cake was enjoyed by all. She also attended her first real birthday party.
Despite Daddy’s poor health, we were able to get out as a family a few times this summer. Olivia enjoyed going out to eat for her birthday – the first time since before Covid that we’d been to a restaurant! In July, we took Olivia to the Belleville Waterfront Festival and enjoyed an evening out together as a family. In August, Daddy and Olivia went on their first daddy-daughter dinner date and movie night at the drive-in theatre down the road. Afterward, Daddy and Mommy got to watch Top Gun: Maverick while Olivia slept in the back!
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This summer Daddy hosted a weekly small group for men called Wild at Heart. The guys still get together regularly to discuss their faith, and current events, and to encourage one another. Mommy also made a couple of new friends through Olivia’s gymnastics, church and homeschool groups. We are blessed to have a small network of like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ to do life with.
Although we briefly considered having Olivia go to school part-time, homeschooling remained the best choice for our family. Olivia began her fourth year (grade one) in August. She enjoys regular play dates with friends, going to Sunday school, and also attends gymnastics class and speech therapy once a week. We hope to start music classes in the new year. Last January, she was able to try skating for the first time at her friend Gwen’s house. This fall, she lost her first tooth!
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This fall, we added a new furry friend to our family. Riley the ginger cat came to live in the house full-time after we successfully re-homed all 5 of his siblings earlier this fall. Chester was not particularly pleased with his new roommate at first, but they get along great now. After being alone for nearly two years, it has been good for him to have a playmate again. Olivia enjoys having a small cat she can carry around the house and goof around with. Riley is very relaxed and takes it all in stride.
We are grateful for another year of learning, growing, and doing life together. Regardless of the many challenges that came our way, we press on! May you find this Christmas season meaningful and may you experience many blessings in the New Year.
With much love,
The Gryce Family
