I posted when Daniel turned three and turned two, and it is baffling that it is already past time to post his birthday well wishes. Gabi also wrote some sweet words about our son on Facebook and included another picture of him in his Iron Man costume–which he’d probably always wear if we let him.

1. For my wife who took good care of me all year, especially during the difficult times where she faithfully kept the ‘for worst’ part of our vows
2. For a vacation with good friends to Cancun to celebrate friendship and an end of a hard summer
3. For getting a great new job with wonderful coworkers at an amazing company just when I needed it most
4. For taking my family to my sister Kelly’s wedding and spending time with my parents, sister, and new brother-in-law
5. For a new iPad (for reading comics) and new iPhones (for everything else)
6. For how the Star Wars movie reminded me of the great things of my childhood and gave me the opportunity to share that joy with my kids
7. How Mad Max reminded me to confront problems rather than drive yourself crazy trying to run from them
8. For fun work trips to exotic (and not so exotic) locations — Stamford, London, Orlando, Dallas
9. For heros like Rey and Kara for my daughter to look up to in popular media.
10. For my oldest son’s amazing progress in learning to read (he has a great teacher)
11. For my younger son’s unending sweetness
12. For my baby girl becoming less of a baby and more of a girl
13. For finding a joy in running and pushing my body to its limits
14. For another year of avoiding a traditional commute and biking to work
15. For a ridiculously fun Christmas and New Year’s Eve with the family

This really was an exceptional year, and I’m looking forward to the challenges and joys of 2016.

She’s not so little now but still very sweet.

My little girl turned two today. She has gotten so big so fast. It seems like she was just a baby—fitting snugly into the crook of my arm—but now she has grown into a beautiful little girl. She was the smallest of my three kids at birth but now has no trouble keeping up with her older brothers’ shenanigans.

We were a family before she came to join us, but I can’t imagine how we could be a family without her. She makes our family whole.

He is such a sweet boy and a good friend. It is so cool to see how he—as a middle child—can adapt his play between roughhousing with his older brother and being gentle (most of the time) with his baby sister. I am looking forward to another year of watching him grow up and turn into an independent young man.

The baby girl, on the other hand, made it very clear that she was not yet ready to go down for the night. I wasn’t surprised since she had slept in the car on the way home from the children’s museum in Naples in addition to her regular nap.

I let her stay up while I worked on getting the house picked up and the kitchen cleaned. When I wasn’t looking she had gone into my room, pulled my pillow off the bed, and dragged it to the living room where I was gathering toys.

She then spent the next 15 minutes dragging the pillow to each room I worked on, and laying on it until I moved to the next room. When I finished cleaning, I laid her down in her bed, and she went right to sleep with no protest.

Update: She waited until I pressed publish on this post to resume her protestations.

1. Moved to a new home that suits our family perfectly (also thankful for our old place—filled with all the memories and good times, and which was perfect for us, up until we our latest edition to the team started crawling around underfoot)
2. For friends who helped us move all our stuff to the new house and build the playground in the back yard for the kids
3. Stared listening to music again with better sound equipment and the near limitless catalog of a premium Spotify subscription
4. Started a fantastic new job at a great company, where I get to work with excellent co-workers
5. Got to watch my baby girl learn to walk with my parents while they were visiting
6. Getting to hear my middle child learn to talk (kid grammar is difficult to correct when it is especially cute—”Me love you!”).
7. Seeing my wife expand her musical career into some exciting new areas and develop her Yoga skills
8. Fort the writers, podcasters, comic book artists, and film makers that made this such an entertaining year
9. For the businesses and people who make the products and services I enjoy
10. For my new appreciation for Christmas music
11. For getting to visit and reconnect with friends from college
12. For having friends and family visiting us at our new home
13. For another year of riding my bike (and now getting to ride with the whole family)
14. For the opportunity to spend another year with my amazing family

There was so much to be thankful for in 2014, and so much more to look forward to in 2015. I can’t wait to find out what exciting new adventures will make this new year special.