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Hey friends! It’s that time of year again - here is our Straussman Year in Review! We hope you all are doing well and are having a relaxing holiday season with family and friends.
We made it to the end of the year! Lily is now 14 months and Lucy is 3. It has been a year packed with parenting adventures. Those first few months with two kids were really challenging. Lily was a much fussier baby and Lucy was still so little. Our life was a continuous reel of sleepless nights, toddler tantrums, and soooo many illnesses. Whew!
These days though, things are so much better! Everyone is on the same nap schedule and sleeping through the night. Lily is a walking, talking, happy delight of a toddler who loves to bounce to music and, just like Lucy at her age, has developed a true passion for socks. She is often wearing both her and her sister's socks by the end of the day. Meanwhile, Lucy has evolved into an independent young adult. It’s so much fun to hear her thoughts and ideas. It's now more fun going to Target with her than without her! She loves pigs, making necklaces for her friends, and her sister.
In February this year, we escaped the Minnesota winter with a trip to Maui to see Andrew’s brother David get married! The ceremony was so beautiful, in front of the ocean, under palm trees, with whales jumping in the background! Lucy carried the rings and was so happy to be involved. It was a perfect day. We wouldn’t necessarily recommend taking two kids under 3 on a 10-hour connecting flight each way, but we survived. And as a special bonus, we got to see our friends Annika, Andrew, and Avery, who flew in from Australia, meeting us halfway. By the end of the trip, we had visited most of the playgrounds on Maui!
In May, with perhaps similarly questionable timing, we moved to a new house! We’re in the same suburb but in more of a neighborhood. It’s a more modern place close to our elementary and high schools with 6 playgrounds within a 20 minute walk. We’ve got plenty of space - come visit!
Speaking of visits, this summer we enjoyed hosting many esteemed guests! Dara’s cousins Cassie and May and her Aunt Sarah visited shortly after we moved. They are very baby- and kid-tolerant, and we had so much fun showing them the sculpture garden and our local HomeGoods. In July, Dara’s friends from college, Dan and David, visited with their families - 6 kids under 4 in total. This has become a yearly tradition and it is so fun to watch all the kids have a blast together each year.
We also visited the pool almost every weekend this summer, as both girls love to swim. Lily is a total water baby and spent most of her time splashing around and trying to crawl into the deep end, while Lucy mastered the art of dramatic pool jumps.
We managed to dust off our running shoes this year. In October, we ran our first race since before Lucy was born. It felt great to be out on the trails again, even if it was slower and shorter than a mid-week training run from years past. Now that we are out of the baby phase and have the tiniest bit more flexibility in our schedule, we are cautiously optimistic about fitting in more races in 2025.
We celebrated Lily's first birthday in October with a victorious cake smash. Then, we threw a pink-and-purple-themed rager to celebrate Lucy’s 3rd birthday in November, with a face painter, mini bounce house, and piñata. It felt like the first birthday where she really understood what was going on, so it was so exciting to see her and her friends all get unicorns painted on their faces and zoom around the house.
Sadly, this year we lost both of Andrew’s grandparents, Bob and Lu, a few months apart. They were both in their 90s and lived such amazing lives. Though it was sad to say goodbye, we are inspired by all they accomplished and think of them often. It was also really nice to spend time with his extended family surrounding the memorial services. It also makes us extra grateful that all four of our parents live so close and have close relationships with our kids. Andrew’s parents moved to a new house too and are now a 10 minute walk away; Dara’s parents are just a 10 minute drive.
No new professional updates as we are both still enjoying our time at Stripe!
That’s all for now! Seriously, come visit us at our new place; we’d love to see you!
Love,
Dara, Andrew, Lucy, Lily, and Misty
P.S. Long-time fans of this letter know to skip to the end for the Misty update, and here it is: She remains our sweet, tolerant fur queen, graciously accepting belly rubs and “gentle” pets from the girls. This is her fourth house with us, which makes her our most constant—and frankly, least demanding—roommate. She’s the best.
P.P.S. Our new address is:
16965 48th Ave N
Plymouth, MN 55446
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