2013 has been an epic year for the Hills.
We have had so many blessings and so much to celebrate throughout the year.
Over the course of the year, we enjoyed the company of visiting family and friends from overseas, celebrated new lives into this world, welcomed new members into our family, attended a wedding overseas, indulged in a holiday in Hong Kong, met some family members for the first time, made new friends, and basked in the love of our good friends and family.
One of the highlights of the year was our overseas trip to Hong Kong in May, to attend the wedding of Gloria’s cousin JJ to Veronica. It was a very elegant affair and joyous occasion, with lots of family gatherings and celebrations in the few days leading up to the big day, and official ceremonies spread over the course of the wedding day itself. We were privileged to catch up with Gloria’s large extended family, even meeting a few cousins for the very first time! Even though we stayed in Hong Kong for nearly 2 weeks, there still wasn’t enough time to do much sightseeing. Instead, we focused on spending time with family (including Gloria’s sister and family who live in Hong Kong) and catching up with some old friends, as well as eating our way around Hong Kong. We did manage a visit the Hong Kong Disneyland; an eye opening experience for Gloria who had never visited any Disneyland theme parks anywhere in the world. It was a truly magical day. We are eternally grateful to Gloria’s parents, who made this trip possible.
Another highlight was hosting Jonathan’s parents in August for two weeks, when they paid us a visit from New Zealand to celebrate Mum Robin’s 60th birthday. On Robin’s birthday, we drove up to Tuggerah to have lunch with Nana Una, who was also in Australia visiting her friend’s family. It was a most lovely day. The two weeks flew by all too quickly, but we are looking very much forward to seeing them again in March 2014.
Speaking of hosting visitors, we had the pleasure of JJ and Veronica’s company for a couple of days in November when they paid a flying visit to Sydney. In the very limited timespan, we had a great time showing them around Sydney and enjoying the delightful seafood at the Sydney Fish Markets, before they jetted off to Melbourne and a driving tour around Tasmania.
This year, we welcomed precious new friends and family into our lives. The births of many adored little ones to our cousins (on both sides) and to our dear friends made us very clucky, and we have been honoured to cuddle and watch these little people grow over these past months. With news more family and friends are expecting bundles of joy in the coming weeks and months, we are looking very much forward to holding these precious lives in our arms when they arrive.
Jonathan continues contently with his job, dividing his time between the site office and the head office in the city. The company continues to provide Jonathan with these flexible working conditions, which has made things a lot easier with Sean’s day care arrangements. As the year drew to a close, Jonathan’s manager rode into the sunset of retirement, which may mean some interesting and challenging opportunities in the new year.
After 2 years on maternity leave, Gloria finally returned to the workforce on a part time basis in January. It was initially a rather tumultuous time, with Gloria being asked to work in different areas on short term projects. Thankfully, things soon stabilised, especially after Gloria became a full time employee again in August.
It’s been a big year for Sean. Sean celebrated the one-year anniversary of his life-saving stem cell transplant in March. The doctors continue to be amazed by Sean’s recovery, and Sean in turn continues to charm all the doctors and nurses during our regular check-ups with his gleeful nature and chatty friendliness. Sean also went to day care for the first time in his short life, and has thrived on the socialisation. His carers adore him, and he has proven to be very popular with the other children, especially the girls!
And of course, the biggest news of all is that we are expecting the pitter-patter of tiny feet in March 2014. 16 months ago, we started talking to medical and scientific people about the possibility of giving Sean a sibling. Today, we are 11 weeks away from meeting our littler man, another son for us and a baby brother for Sean. We are absolutely thrilled and cannot wait to meet this little person, who we have nicknamed Magic Bean.
2014 promises to be an even bigger year for us. The arrival of our much anticipated littler man is just the tip of the iceberg! We are looking forward to another visit from Jonathan’s parents, and a few trips (both locally and internationally) towards the end of next year. On the cards are a wedding in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, a highly anticipated wedding in Hong Kong, and a trip to New Zealand to celebrate Jonathan’s 40th birthday.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year. Here’s to 2014 - may it be wonderful and magical for you and yours.
