Auld Lang Syne.

Warning: this one is going to be wordsy.

This year was like a catalogue of ups and downs, extreme highs and crushing lows. So much happened in this one year, that I feel like I lived through several lifetimes already. In January we moved into our new house.

Ya, that's one side of my house. And my patchy grass.

A house we own, not just a rental, and while it's a wonderful thing to own your own home it's also a big responsibility. In addition to the fiscal responsibility, on the very DAY that we moved into the house, my husband had a huge fight with a family member. We are constantly having drama with this person and after that instance, spent half the year (literally.. til July 4th) not speaking to them. Family is extremely important to me, but sometimes when you just can't seem to get along with someone I feel like it's better to just keep your distance. The relationship is ok as of this moment, and I guess everyone is being careful to keep it that way.

Come February/March, I was actually working with a music producer. If you didn't know already... I rap. Yep, you read that right. Rap and Hip Hop have always been a huge part of my life and I've been recording music at home on and off for years. This year I had an opportunity to actually do some recording on a professional level, with a great producer that lives in my neighbourhood. Unfortunately the late night recording and writing sessions weren't gelling well with the early morning starts and demands of having two young children (totally not dat Rap lyf). I was getting so tired and missing the time with my family and then... surprise, surprise, I found out I was pregnant with baby no 3!

The stick I peed on. Very faint horizontal line, but it's there!

I made the decision to focus on my family and the pregnancy and gave up (for now) my dreams of being the next... errr emcee that is nothing at all like Lil Kim or Nicki Minaj, those 'ladies' (I use the term loosely) that usually come to mind when most people think 'female' and 'rapper'..

So, as for new baby, my husband FREAKED out. He is a worrier. We'd just taken on the responsibility of a house and now we had the added expense of an extra child. He is the sole income earner (supplemented here and there by my blogging/website design), so he felt the pressure. We talked, we raged, I cried, we made up, after a LONG time he eventually started warming up to the idea of number 3 and even getting excited about it.

"Yay! New baby!"

Baby bump!

In the next few months, battling pregnancy brain (aka forgetful as heck) and fatigue, I soldiered on and even managed to fit in a blog post or two. My most popular blog post this year was probably my DIY Ombre Hair, which I actually did while pregnant. A lot of people will tell you it's not safe to dye your hair while pregnant... guess what? That's not necessarily true. Yes, you should avoid dyeing in the first trimester, but there's no reason not to past that (just do it in a well ventilated place!). I think I dyed my hair 4 times in the past 6 months.

Ombre hair

unnecessary selca

About 9 days before the baby came, we had another arrival. Family from Australia! Since I've been in the US, I've battled feelings of loneliness and isolation :( I miss my family terribly and although I have great friends here, family really is irreplaceable. The past month really drove home how much they mean to me and how alone I feel here. Honestly, I am dying to go back.

Family! And me looking like a blimp.

Mama & I on the way to the hospital...  me looking even more blimpy.

Baby was 4 days overdue and I ended up having an induction. Everything went smoothly (apart from some baby daddy drama over baby's name... men are so stubborn) and I had baby no 3 (still unnamed) at around 5.30 pm on the 29th of November. Finally, (after more drama) the next day we named him Cassius.

The past month after he was born has been wonderful. Having my own family with me filled a void that I didn't even realise I had. Christmas was lovely, no dramas, no stress, just relaxing, fun, quality family time. That's how it should be!

Christmas!

My resolution for 2013 is to keep in touch with my overseas family more, to spend lots of time with my good friends here and to focus my energy on doing things with my husband and three beautiful boys. I'm going to do everything I can to make sure we can visit Australia within the next year and to keep the connection with my family there strong, especially for my kids. Life is too short to spend it on stupid things, we should invest in what really matters and that's the people who love us.

Celebrate!

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year's and discover what's important to you in life. Make sure you make those resolutions matter!