2016 was a big year for The Garcia’s. We welcomed a new baby, celebrated milestone birthdays and anniversaries, put our trust in God more than ever before as our son was diagnosed with a serious condition and had to undergo surgery performed by a neurosurgeon and plastic surgeon. We prayed, we played, we fought, we cried, we laughed until our bellies hurt, we traveled, we ate delicious food, we worked our asses off and we enjoyed every second as a family of five.
Now it’s time for our 2016 family recap (and an announcement at the end)!
This past April, we welcomed Anthony Elias Garcia II (aka Deuce) into our family. It was a hard pregnancy and super rough delivery. Then he had a few complications when he was born, but turned right around and was able to go home with mama. At his two month well-check, he was diagnosed with craniosynostosis and a month later, he had skull surgery. You can read about it here and here. We are so happy to say that our sweet boy is thriving and healthy. He is just the sweetest thing ever and we are absolutely obsessed with him. He still has a few hurdles to jump as far as his condition but he is so strong and we are trusting in God to heal our baby! He has completed our family in ways we didn’t know possible. He is 9 months old and exclusively breastfed (and doesn’t seem to want to wean any time soon). He loves playing with his sisters, watching TV with daddy, and hates wearing his helmet. He wants to be held 24/7 and throws a huge fit any time mama puts him down!
Deuce’s New Year’s Resolution: “Ahhhhhhhh.” *smiles and claps*
Our sweet Harlym Jeter turned two this past September! She is our shy, sensitive child. She also has a huge attitude (don’t know where she gets it from) and can often be seen sporting her signature puppy dog lip when she wants something. She won’t go anywhere without her monkey and she loves to sing and dance – just not in front of anyone. She knows how to work a tablet, phone and computer better than her big sister (and sometimes better than her parents). She has a deep voice that reminds us of a minion and we take every opportunity to hear her speak because it’s just way too cute! She is obsessed with make-up and is caught stealing mama’s high end make-up at least once a week. This year, she made a huge transition from the baby of the family to the big sister and she handled it all with such grace. We are so proud of how much she’s grown this year!
Harlym’s New Year’s Resolution: “My monkeys??? I have to get my monkeys…”
Brooklynn Alessandra turned three this past September! She loves playing basketball with her daddy. She is always concerned with the well-being of her little brother and sister and wants to make sure they have anything they need – whether it’s food or a toy. Meal time is her least favorite part of the day since she would rather snack all day than eat a full meal. She loves Paw Patrol and Dora the Explorer. She is learning a few phrases in Spanish, her favorite being “hola!” and “vaminos!” She is the swear police in our house. If mom or dad slip up and say a naughty word, she screams “DON’T SAY THAT WORD!!!” She is so smart and asks a million questions. She is the best big sister to her little siblings.
Brooklynn’s New Year’s Resolution: “Ummm… PLAY BASKETBALL.”
This past year has been a huge year of growth for Anthony’s career. He received a huge promotion as well as several raises. He works so hard for our family and is the glue that holds us together. His favorite memories from 2016 are Deuce’s birth, our second annual family trip to Sea World, and realizing that his oldest daughter, Brooklynn, shares the same love for basketball that he does!!
Anthony’s New Year’s Resolution: “To get back into shape!”
Bethanie’s business, The Garcia Diaries, had a huge growth spurt this year. She is so proud of what she has built. In 2016, The Garcia Diaries became an LLC, Bethanie was published on The Huffington Post three times, she had two viral posts on Pinterest, she was published on BabyCenter six times, she hired two assistants and a nanny, she surpassed her goal of 10,000 Instagram followers (and now has almost 15,000), she spoke at Pinners Conference, she was featured in the winter issue of cupcakeMAG (page 44 and 78), and she took her family on two sponsored (100% free) vacations… all while managing her household and raising three kids. Of course, her favorite role is being a mother and her greatest accomplishment this year was bringing Deuce into this world! She is super excited for what 2017 holds for The Garcia Diaries and is ecstatic to announce that she is re-branding and will be launching her new and improved website in January! Stay tuned for sneak peeks…
Bethanie’s New Year’s Resolution: “I’m gonna be cliche and say that I want to lose weight!”
Thank you so much for following along with our family! We cannot wait to see what 2017 holds!!
Happy New Year!
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