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Hello friends and family! Happy New Year!
This was another momentous year for the Straussmans, as baby Lily joined us on 10/19! These annual newsletters have taken a very different turn from a few years ago; going from triathlons and trips to Thailand to doing laundry every day and traveling to Philadelphia. Nonetheless, we are embracing this chaotic and wonderful family life.
We are so happy to have Lily here. She’s a champion snuggler and sleeper (so far!). Transitioning to two kids has certainly had its challenges (Does anyone remember what waking up naturally feels like?!), but we’re hanging in there and trying to appreciate the little joys, especially the girls’ developing relationship. Lucy has been loving being a big sister. Every morning we make a special trip downstairs to whisper good morning to Lily while she sleeps, and Lucy gets a huge grin on her face whenever Lily smiles at her. So sweet!
It’s hard to believe Lucy wasn’t even walking and was barely talking at the beginning of 2023. Now she is a precocious and hilarious little 2-year-old! She likes going on adventures to the grocery store, tells Mom and Dad that we need to take a shower, loves to sing ‘Happy Birthday’, and is always up for a dance. She also ‘graduated’ from her food allergy immunotherapy program this year. This means that while she still has to consume daily doses of her allergens indefinitely, she is considered safe to eat small amounts of milk, sesame, and tree nuts. Totally different world than we were facing last year. We are so grateful for this therapy!
This past February we visited the Phoenix area to ‘escape the Minnesota winter’. Sadly, we happened to catch an unusual cold snap with weather barely warmer than home. We still had a great time staying with Andrew’s wonderful and very accommodating aunt and uncle, Jennine and August. We also got to visit our old friends Lisa and Kurt and their two boys. And we made it to the Grand Canyon!
In June, Dara had a week in SF for work, and Andrew joined at the end for a very brief babymoon - our very first time away from Lucy! We loved seeing our old friends and packing a lot of delicious food into 36 hours. Then later that month, we ventured to Philly for our annual reunion with Dara’s college friends. 4 kids and 6 adults in one house - it was a blast! The kids all got along great and it was so good to catch up with everyone. We also visited the zoo, where Lucy loved the carousel so much we had to pry her off.
We soaked up a lot of goodness of the Minnesota summer this year. We’ve become playground connoisseurs and tried out lots of local bakeries and parks. We also spent lots of time with our family! So lucky to have all 4 grandparents nearby - they are a big part of the girls’ lives. Dara’s sister Hannah and her family also live 90 minutes away, and now have boys similar ages to our girls! They love to play together. One highlight was visiting the county fair in Rochester, MN with them. We saw the cows being washed, which Lucy talked about for weeks afterward.
Both of us still work at Stripe. In terms of hobbies and personal interests… oh sorry, gotta run, baby’s waking up.
That’s about it! Looking forward to some big adventures in 2024. Hope you all had a great year. Would love to hear your updates!
Much love,
The Straussmans
Dara, Andrew, Lucy, Lily, and Misty
P.S. World’s Most Tolerant Cat continues to be very special to all of us, especially the toddler who chases her all day. Here’s her annual photo reel!
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