Merry December and holiday season to all our friends and family! We’ve been quite a busy bunch this year but we’re embracing being bundled up and enjoying our home this cold and snowy December. As always, I have to recap our year here because I’m a words person and a traditional holiday card in the mail just won’t cut it for me.
Early in 2025, we took a sunny vacation to visit Kim & Cathy in Arizona and Mitchell & Vic in California, which was the perfect way to break up the cold (and sick) season. We hypothesize that seeing the model trains where Kim and Cathy live sparked Oliver’s love for trains. And of course, he enjoyed being outside in the pool, at the beach and on the pickleball court. It’s always nice to have a warm vacation to look forward to during the Minnesota winter.
Our Oliver spent this year growing like a weed. Those two-year-old brains are something else. He asks so many inquisitive questions, makes us laugh like no other, and is a ball of energy and a sweet, gentle soul all in one. He loves all things sports – especially hockey and football, but he has to ask “you ok?” after tackling someone. We’ve watched his obsession for trains grow over the year, which is SO fun – his excitement when he sees one is unmatched! He is doing so well at his daycare and loves his Fridays with his grandparents. His need for independence has definitely exploded over the past few months, but we’re so proud of him and all the big kid transitions he’s been making lately.
This spring, we had a rather low point losing our pup of 10 years, Nordy. In mid-2024, Nordy started developing seizures and ultimately had a growing brain tumor that made it hard for her to live comfortably. We knew our time with her was limited, so we embraced as many walks, lake time, couch cuddles and good days as we could. It hit us hard – the routines and patterns we had with her brought so much more joy and comfort than we ever realized. We still think about her every day, but love to reflect on all we got to do together.
Hug your dogs tight! They are truly the best.
In the fall, we thought, “hey, we should do one last big trip just us before we start thinking about getting Oliver a sibling.” So we looked at our list of dream trips and thought Japan was the perfect destination for this year. We visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and Hiroshima while learning about Japan’s incredible history and unique culture. Rachel was thrilled to meditate in front of Mt. Fuji and find dumplings that made her cry tears of joy while Nic embraced checking off every single item of his food bucket list, one Michelin Star at a time. We struggled with the heat and the culture shock, but loved the opportunity to meet new people and get outside of our comfort zones.
Beautiful, amazing, unbelievable trip of a lifetime? Yes. Excruciating to be away from Oliver for 10 days? 100% yes.
And soon, our prayers were answered as we learned Baby E #2 is on his or her way. Ollie has kindly named this one for us, even though we won’t be finding out the gender: Baby Tim. (Still not sure where he got Tim, or why he latched onto that, but it’s become a running joke.) Baby Tim is joining us in April and we know he/she will add just the right amount of chaos and joy to our lives.
As Nic wrapped up two years at Post Consumer Brands working on Nature’s Recipe, he was offered an exciting opportunity to join Duke Cannon as a Brand Manager. He took only the weekend off between roles and is so excited to learn new categories (men’s soaps, fragrances, deodorants, etc.) and help lead growth for the brand. Between century bike rides (127 miles in May and 124 miles in September) and playing hockey twice a week, he stays active no matter the weather. He’s also developed quite the knowledge about gout (IYKYK) so give him a ring if you need any health advice.
Rachel has been in her fourth year of coaching Armstrong Dance Team, and this year in particular has been so fun, helping with Varsity and seeing the group of girls she’s been coaching for years thrive and reach new heights with their scores! She’s in her eighth year at Colle McVoy, working in advertising and spending all the free time that she has keeping up with Ollie and trying to fathom the fact that she’ll be a mom of two next year.
Other random highlights from our family this year:
- Had a family getaway to Itasca State Park, the headwaters of the Mississippi, on a perfect fall weekend that we still dream about!
- Upgraded our Toyota Corolla for a Subaru Outback (just in time to fit two car seats!!)
- Rachel ran into a bear while hiking and lived to see the day.
- Saw the Northern Lights clear as day in our backyard. A magical highlight!
- Ended the year celebrating our good friends’ wedding in Madison. Congrats to the Duratinskys!
We’re looking forward to all that 2026 brings – watching Oliver become a big brother, embracing new opportunities, and following God’s ever-winding path for our lives. Thanks for loving us and supporting us through it all.
xoxo
Nic, Rach and Ollie
Enerson Adventures 