I recently read that the week between Christmas and New Year’s has a name: Twixtmas! I hope that you are enjoying a lovely Twixtmas season. I always get sad once Christmas is over and am grateful for this “Twixtmas” segue from the holiday back to real life. It’s a great time to do some reflection.
As I mentioned in a post a couple of weeks ago, 2025 was one of my favorite years in memory. I’ve certainly spent a good amount of time recapping it—a specialty of mine (as I’m sure you’ve noticed). Today I have one final recap, with a roundup of many favorites from the year within several categories, along with my year’s highlights. Buckle in, because this is a long one!
A FEW FAVORITES
FAVORITE BOOKS
I shared my top 15 favorite books of 2025 in a post last week, but a few rose to the VERY top of that list. I read All the Colors of the Dark last January, and it’s a book I’ve continued to think about all year long; it is a literary masterpiece that delivers one of the most gut-wrenching but beautiful stories I’ve ever read. The Correspondent was another book that checked all the boxes, from favorite format (epistolary) and incredible protagonist to lovely redemptive arc and thought-provoking themes.
The most impressionable nonfiction I read this year was Hannah’s Children, a book that transformed the way I view motherhood and my current life stage. And my favorite memoir of the year was Slip, a personal story that mirrored a lot of my own eating disorder journey; Mallary shares her story with candor and grace and offers a game-changing framework for understanding recovery.
FAVORITE MUSIC
Favorite song of the year has to go to Russel Dickerson’s Happen to Me, and the most-listened-to artist in our home was JJ Heller (her lullabies are my favorite music to listen to when I’m up at night with Nico). As for a single album, Drew and Ellie Holcomb’s Memory Bank got the most playtime. I love both Ellie and Drew as solo artists, but it’s together that they really shine, and this album delivers on playful (“You Drive Me Crazy”) and poignant (“Carry the Water”). Every track is a winner!
It’s hard to pick a Christmas music favorite, but this December I was positively obsessed with this Tommee Profitt album that has the most beautiful versions of all my favorite carols.
FAVORITE SHOW
This one is a bit of a cheat since Luke and I only watched one show this year, but The Office continues to delight—even after having binged the entire series several times in the past. At this point, Luke and I can quote half of the episodes from memory, and most of our inside jokes are The Office callbacks, but this rewatch (which took us a couple of years) was extra fun thanks to the DVD bonus content (love those deleted scenes!) and commentary from The Office Ladies podcast.
FAVORITE PODCASTS
My regular listening queue is always expanding and evolving, with a rotating list of favorites. Some new (or new-to-me) shows I began following this year were Everyday Educator (an excellent resource on classical homeschooling), AM Update with Megyn Kelly (my go-to morning news source, along with Morning Wire), The Bible Recap Deep Dive (a great weekly companion to the daily Bible Recap show), The Sage Steele Show (heartfelt interviews with one of the most endearing forces in modern media), and The Candace Cameron Bure Podcast (especially her Body & Soul series with Lisa Whittle).
Oldies that I have continued to enjoy this year are Sarah’s Bookshelves Live (my favorite source for book recs), Alisa Childers (apologetics), Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey (political and cultural commentary from a Christian perspective), and Keeping It Real with Jillian Michaels (nearly every episode demands to be shared and discussed).
FAVORITE SUBSTACKS
Michelle Watson brought about my introduction to Substack just last year, and her Saturday Morning Serial is consistently one of my favorite emails of the week. I love Meredith’s perspective as a Catholic mom of five kids. And I have greatly enjoyed following Mallary’s behind-the-scenes posts about writing and marketing her recent memoir (one of my top books of the year).
FAVORITE HOME UPDATE
I am loving the simple changes we made to our kitchen this fall, with drawer pulls added to our cabinets and a new single-basin sink. It’s amazing what a difference a few small changes can make!
FAVORITE KID ITEMS
Our backyard playground is a perennial favorite among my kids, as are Legos, which occupy a majority of their indoor free time (while listening to Adventures in Odyssey!). They had an especially fun time assembling and playing with the Lego roller coaster Charleston received for Christmas last year. Also gifted (from the grandparents) last Christmas were their homemade art kits containing everything they need for crafting and creating; the kits have been the gifts that keep on giving, and I love that the giant boxes hold the kids’ supplies in one spot.
This year the kids fell in love with all things Tuttle Twins. Their interest began with the show and has expanded to include the graphic novels and other books, as well as the Inflation Monster game. It was one of our most-played games this year, along with Do You Really Know Your Family? which has provided us with hours of fun (and surprising insights into each family member!). They also had tons of fun tracking and participating in daily holidays with this wall calendar.
We read twenty-four books together as a family this year, and the kids all named Frindle as their favorite read-aloud (though Cheaper by the Dozen was my personal favorite of the books we read together). Charleston and I finished our years-long read through all seven Harry Potter books, and I love that he read most of book seven aloud to me. Reading the series together marks one of my favorite-EVER reading memories! (And it makes me so happy that he is as much of a Potter-phile as his mom and has reread many of the earlier books on his own.)
FAVORITE BABY ITEMS
Nico practically lived in this carrier this past year; even though he’s on the cusp of walking, he still loves to be worn as much as possible and you won’t get any complaints from me! The toy that captured his attention the most this year was his Fisher Price car wash, though this simple pop-it toy was also a hit (and much easier to have on hand for on-the-go play). Nico has logged countless hours inside his Daniel Tiger scooter (the kids take turns pushing him around—the sweetest thing ever!) and now enjoys pushing it himself as he’s learning to walk on his own. And speaking of walking, these moccasins are the only shoes that are easy to put on AND stay on his feet, and they’re much more reasonably priced than the moccasins we bought for our older kids.
FAVORITE PERSONAL ITEMS
This year, huggie earrings were my accessories of choice; they’re more elevated than studs, but not too enticing for Nico’s grabby hands, and most days I double up my huggies for my first two ear piercings (I have three holes in each ear). Some favorites include this simple silver pair and these pave huggies, both of which were Christmas presents last year. Another Christmas present from last year was my Disney Loungefly bag that is the crowning jewel of my extensive purse collection (and the item that gets more compliments than anything else I have ever owned. . . outside of my children ;-).
A couple new fashion-related discoveries this year included this hair oil that works wonders with my naturally curly (but often unruly) hair and Quince, which is my new favorite source for nice clothes at a reasonable price (I’m obsessed with this sweater that I got last month). As for shoes, I continue to live in my Rothy’s and bought my third pair this year.
MY WORD (SHEPHERD) IN 2025
Last January, when I selected Shepherd as my Word for 2025, my intentions were twofold: I wanted this to be a year when I listened more clearly to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and also a year when I shepherded my own children with greater intentionality. I believe I succeeded in that second goal, as I purposefully focused on moving beyond survival parenthood and into more of a pastoral role with my children; throughout the year, I was more mindful of the people they are becoming and less preoccupied with day-to-day behavior management.
I had less success in my endeavors to hear the voice of my Shepherd with greater clarity. My efforts to literally hear from God have led to a great deal of second-guessing and overthinking, and the (extraBiblical) sources I turned to for clarity led to more confusion than genuine answers. That said, I have zero doubt that God IS speaking, and my desire to listen for His voice this year has led me into a closer walk with Him, even if that hasn’t looked exactly as I hoped it might. Instead of feeling frustrated by this, I am excited for what God has in store for my relationship with Him as I continue to grow in this area, even after my year with this Word and this particular ambition has drawn to a close. And, spoiler alert: my experience is playing into my choice of Word for 2026, which I will be sharing next Monday.
THIS YEAR ON THE BLOG
In August I crossed the twelve-year mark of writing in this space, and WordPress tells me that this is the 1,836th post that I have published. That is a LOT of writing, and I’m grateful that I have been able to maintain this space for so long. Even though I recently had to scale back to posting just once per week, this passion project of mine continues to scratch my personal creative itch, giving me something to invest in outside of my daily work of mothering, and allowing me to share my life and my ideas in ways that transform how I live beyond the screen.
Last winter I began publishing my writing to Substack, and while my readership there is small, I’ve enjoyed having my writing in both spaces and hope to invest in that platform more intentionally in the coming year.
BEST OF THE KID-ISMS
I loved going back through all of the kids’ adorable sayings from this past year and picking out my favorites. I am SO GLAD that I document these, because there were many I had totally forgotten, and these are definitely worth remembering.
CHARLIE-ISMS:
+ Me: “You’re definitely an outside-the-box thinker.” Charleston: “Well, it depends on the size of the box.” (February)
+ Explaining how he had talked about doing something that frightened him but didn’t follow through: “I guess my brain is bigger than my guts.” (February)
+ “You’re only turning 41? That’s a lot younger than you seem. I mean, a lot of people live to be 100 and you’re not even half way there.” (March)
+ Charleston was looking sad one evening and I asked what was wrong. “Well, there is no death in Heaven, right? So that means there won’t be pepperoni. Or salami!” (May)
+ After learning the meaning behind the expression kids are sponges: “I want to be a sponge for all the good stuff and a rock for the bad stuff.” (June)
+ “I decided that before I run for president I should show people I have experience listening to the needs of others. So I’m going to be an entrepreneur first, and I’ll invent a glow-in-the-dark toilet so you can see it at night without having to turn the bathroom light on. After that I’ll go into politics.” (July)
+ “I think God made nectarines, and then He realized He could make them funner, so He made peaches. And God favors peaches.” (August)
+ “It sounds like most homeschool families are pretty flexible. We’re not very flexible. I like that.” (September)
+ “My definition of a crush is that your eyes get heavy.” (October)
+ “Mom, I have a question. You have four kids and yet you’re still sane. How do you do it? I only have three siblings and I’m going crazy.” (November)
+”I’m kind of losing track of all our traditions. But I like them. It’s the small things that matter to us.” (December)
SULLY-ISMS:
+ After playing with his interactive globe: “Mom, I just learned the biggest country is Russia.” Me: “And do you know the second biggest country?” Sully: “Yes! Texas!” (February)
+ The twins received medals after completing a gymnastics class. Me: “Ooh, look at that, you got a medal!” Sully: “No, it’s not a metal, it’s a plastic.” (February)
+ After he’d recounted the story of Jesus telling the disciples to become fishers of men and I asked what that meant for us: “It means God wants us to eat.” (March)
+ “College is a school where you learn how to be an adult and stuff? I want to go to college to be a science-er to teach kids science. Kali wants to be a spyer, but that’s not real.” (April)
+ Enthusiastically, about the Mexican lasagna my mom had served while we were staying at their house: “This tastes a lot better than it looks!” (May)
+ While driving, I overheard Kali in the back seat asking: “Is inflation real?” Sully: “yes, it’s when the government steals your money.” (June)
+ Telling me about some kids who were not nice to him at childwatch at the Y: “That’s how I knew they had to be my friends. Because Jesus tells us to love our enemies.” (July)
+ “I bet the Bible doesn’t tell us when Jesus is coming back because it’s a really good surprise! You know how with the really good surprises, you don’t tell us?” (October)
+ “If you get hit in the head or the heart and you die, will you still have that part of your body in Heaven?” (October)
+ We were talking about how drinking soda always causes the kids to burp but doesn’t affect me in that way. “Well, Mom, you are in an older body, so it really just makes sense!” (October)
+ When I talked about growing up with one brother. “Wow, that’s just two kids for Oma and Opa. Maybe they’ll have more children. . . . Probably not, though. They’re already really old and that might be weird.” (December)
+ “Do some people have a baby before they get married? Does the nectar for the baby still come from the man because they hang out a lot with each other?” (December)
KALI-ISMS:
+ While listening to music in the car. “Who made these songs? Did the car make the songs, or people?” (February)
+ “Nico, why do you keep looking at me with those eyes like you want to marry me?” (February)
+ “I made a picture of me and a heart on your birthday card. Because I make love to you.” (March)
+ Luke: “Do you need help getting your jacket on Kali?” Kali: “No. My jacket is just not understanding what to do!” (April)
+ When we set out carrots for the Easter Bunny on Easter Eve. “How can the Easter Bunny eat carrots since he is in a costume?” (April)
+ In the days leading up to camp, she told my dad: “This weekend Forest Home is my castle. Everywhere I go is my castle.” (May)
+ Talking about various types of meat sources. Me: “And do you know what type of meat hamburger is?” Kali, confidently: “People!” (May)
+ “If it’s really dark outside but it says on your [weather] app that there’s no storm, does that mean someone broke God’s good design?” (June)
+ Referring to baptism, thought it took me a minute to figure that out: “Why do people go in the water with their arms across them when they become a Christian? Why did Jesus not plug his nose when he did that?” (August)
+ “I like having three brothers. One to make me feel better, that’s Nico. One to look out for me, that’s Sully. And one more is Charlie.” (September)
+ “I like Henry VIII. Because I like all those girls he had.” (October)
+ “When I grow up I think I want to be a cheerleader.” Collin (her cousin): “What team are you going to cheer for?” Kali: “The green one.” (December)
NICO-ISMS:
Nico isn’t talking beyond single words yet, but he had plenty of -isms of his own this year.
+ Every dog (or animal that looks like a dog) is “Arlo” and he will point excitedly and shout out “Arlo!” when he sees one.
+ He waves and says “hi! hi!” to everyone and anything that grabs his attention.
+ We love how he spins around on his booty, crawls backwards to move away from things, and army crawls with one hand when he wants to get around but doesn’t want to let go of something in his fist.
+ At Kalahari last summer, he was in the baby swing with Luke and spotted me across the pool. He was so tired and could barely move inside his life jacket, but a small grin spread across his face and he lifted a tired hand to wave hello. I melted.
+ He uses the word “mama” for anything he likes or wants. I think this is a compliment?
+ He often drops things intentionally and gasps, “ooooh noooo!”
+ He snuggles in and turns his face towards mine when I ask for a kiss, and to everyone else he blows kisses like it’s his job.
+ When we sit down to eat, he immediately reaches out his hands for prayer time and says “Amen.”
+ He gets so excited for our nighttime prayer/blessing and circle and puts his hands in for our “Jesus!” cheer early—usually while we are still in the middle of prayer—then lifts his hands and says, “yay!”
KID MILESTONES
Charleston turned ten back in January, and we celebrated with a simple family party. Ten has been a big year (maybe the most game-changing yet?) with plenty of joys and unexpected challenges and also tons of fun. Ready or not, we are fully in big kid territory!
Just before Easter, the twins sat with us on the floor of their bedroom and prayed to become Christians! They are obviously still new in their Christian walk, but they fully understood this decision of a lifetime and we were so thrilled to pray them into God’s family!
In the spring, Charleston got to serve on the production team for a play put on through his enrichment program. He got to design the cover of the play’s programs, and he even had a small role as the most stunning playing card you ever did see.
At the end of April we wrapped up our fifth year of homeschool, with the twins finishing pre-K and Charleston graduating from 4th grade.
Charleston worked hard this spring taking care of his grandparents’ chickens and selling eggs in order to pay his way to church summer camp. Luke was able to go along as a chaperone and they both had a really great time.
Charleston had a blast at his grandparents’ VBS (Camp HCF). It was fun that his cousin Collin got to participate this year, too!
Sully finished his Learn to Read book at the start of August (just before beginning Kindergarten). In the months since he’s become an even more amazing reader, moving from graphic novels to full chapter books and reading every chance he can.
This fall, Kali and Sully were old enough to join American Heritage Girls and Trail Life. They’ve enjoyed attending weekly meetings and other activities, and Sully has had a blast on campouts with Daddy and Charleston.
This year was all about milestones for Nico: first laugh in January (Kali prompted those first giggles), first foods in February (he started with bananas, and fruit is still his favorite), first time rolling over (March), first time sitting (April), clapping (May), first time getting dropped off in childcare (May), first time swimming (June), waving (June), crawling (August), starting to talk and standing and cruising (this fall). The biggest milestone was turning one on August 18! His first year positively flew by!
We kicked off our sixth year of homeschooling this fall, with Kindergarten for the twins and Fifth Grade for Charleston. So far it’s been our best year of homeschool yet, thanks in large part to our foray into Classical education.
This fall marked the beginning of our participation in Classical Conversations, which has been the best homeschooling decision we’ve ever made. We’ve met great friends and received some excellent new tools and resources to incorporate into our schooling. Tuesday (our co-op day) has become the kids’ favorite day of the week!
The twins also began attending weekly Sports Day with Charleston. It’s strange to have all three of them gone for three hours every Thursday, but they all are having a great time.
Sully went on his first Trail Life campout in September, marking the twins’ first-ever time apart. They did well but missed each other, and their reunion was the absolute sweetest.
Kali and Sully turned six at the end of September! We had a fun little home party and went to Chuck E. Cheese’s with the cousins. Somehow, six seems so much older than five; how is it that my kids are suddenly all grown up?!
Charleston joined Luke and me in doing the Bible recap this year, and as of tonight he will have read through the whole Bible. It has been incredible to watch him invest in his faith this year, especially knowing that this is just the beginning for him. I have a feeling God is up to something big in his life.
FAMILY HIGHLIGHTS
My mom and dad were here in Texas for New Year’s! It was actually the first of three trips they made to visit us this year, as they were back again in February and October. I treasure their visits that are usually pretty simple—just spending time playing games, chatting, and inviting them into our little world for a time. I love that this year they got to join in on some of our traditions, like ringing in the new year with sparkling cider and trick-or-treating at Halloween.
In May we went to California to spend a week with my parents at their home in Huntington Beach. I always enjoy the chance to spend time in my home state and hang out in my parents’ home. Highlights of the trip included visiting Luke’s Grandma and Grandpa, getting to introduce Nico to my aunt and uncle, and hunting for shells on the beach.
While in California we attended family camp in the mountains. Forest Home is one of our very favorite places and I love that Nico was along for the ride this year. My sister-in-law’s nieces were also able to come, making it an extra fun family event.
This June marked the end of a nine years as members of the Cedar Park Rec Center, where I worked out almost every day. It was so sad to say goodbye to our beloved babysitter, Betsy. But the end of that journey led to the beginning of a new one: membership at the YMCA, which has been such a fun new adventure for the kids and me.
In July we spent two days at Kalahari water park for Charleston’s (belated) birthday celebration. Our whole family agreed that it was one of the most fun things we have ever done, and we already have plans to go back in the coming year.
We followed up our visit to the water park with a few more days at Kalahari for the annual homeschool convention. It was a challenge to attend the sessions with Nico this year, but we still learned a lot and loved the opportunity to be surrounded by so many likeminded homeschooling families.
We threw a big Winnie-the-Pooh themed party for Nico’s first birthday. It was a great chance to celebrate our little guy alongside some of our favorite people, and he was the most adorable star of the birthday show.
Our church plant, The Oaks, launched in September. It’s been a wild ride and we are so excited about all that God is doing in Liberty Hill.
Luke and the big kids joined the grandparents and cousins for a few days at the beach this fall. They loved playing in the sand and visiting the aquarium.
We had so much fun with our coordinating Happy Holidays Halloween costumes this year. We agreed that this was our favorite theme yet and will be a tough one to top!
Cara visited us from South Dakota for a quick but fun visit in November. I’m grateful that we have been able to maintain this long-distance friendship, and love what a great “auntie” she is to my kids.
QUOTIDIAN MEMORIES
It’s fun to celebrate the big highlights of the year, but it’s the day-to-day moments that I want to remember most . . . even if they are (by definition) difficult to capture.
Thursday morning Women’s Bible Study spent in the nursing room with Nico and the other mamas and babies.
Long chats with (babysitters) Betsy and Alyssa before my treadmill walks with Nico at the Cedar Park rec center.
Sunday mornings at the Grove, wearing a napping Nico through service and sitting with Amy and Sean.
Gymnastics at the Y for the twins.
Afternoon hangouts at the Y playground with friends.
Weekly phone calls with my mom and dad while walking the trails next to the YMCA.
Family pool time, in our neighborhood pool and at the two YMCA pools.
Ordinary homeschool days—morning walks, read-aloud time around the table, one-on-one time with each kiddo, afternoon DEAR time in the living room, weekly Bible verse videos . . . watching their little minds expand.
Long nursing sessions (blogging or Kindle reading), afternoon naps, and nighttime cosleeping with Nico, and wearing Nico EVERYWHERE.
Wednesday night 4th/5th Discipleship—spent in the parking lot reading/hanging with Nico in the car while Charleston attended in the spring, and now spent leading a group of 5th grade girls.
Friday Fun Facts and Sunday Funnies from my mom in our family text thread.
Holidays and birthdays with my in-laws. I love that we love close and can do life together.
Daily recap texts with Cara.
Solo dates with the kids (usually with Nico as a tagalong).
Watching Charleston and Luke serve on the production team at The Oaks.
Our various holiday traditions: dying eggs and attending egg hunts and visiting the Bunny at Easter; carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating and going to festivals at Halloween; participating in Advent, decorating our tree, visiting Santa, seeing lights, and decorating cookies at Christmas.
So much home time as a family: watching the kids imagine and play together; family meals around the table; seeing the big kids love on their little brother, delight in his antics, push him around in his Daniel Tiger scooter and drag him on blankets down the hall.
Nightly prayer time and chats with Luke.
Gathering on the floor of the twins’ room every night for blessings and prayer and Bible time with the kids.
What a great year it’s been. I’m excited for even more adventures ahead in 2026!
I’ll be back one more time this year, with a December recap on New Year’s Eve. See you then!
