The Forsyths in 2017

Hi all,
So last year I did a little newsletter type update on here, and I think it's always a nice way to look back and reflect on the 12 previous months - the ups and downs, the good times and the bad, the fun and the heartache... I sound like I'm writing wedding vows!
Anywho, I'll get right into it...

Overall
We've had a very busy year... we started off in Redditch, Adam at Superdream, me at Tesco, Josh at a local lovely school, and Joey at a little pre-school that he enjoyed. We've now ended the year 100 miles North, in a wonderful old town called Mirfield in West Yorkshire, and it's all change on our work/education.
In around March time, we felt like it was time that we make the move that we were planning for "some time in the future" - I'd always loved Yorkshire (having spent many a happy childhood time at some family friends' house in... or near... Meltham), a number of Adam's family members live here, and we loved all the rolling countryside and small towns/villages. We also knew that there was a lot of work for Adam's line of work in Leeds and Manchester... so the logical route for us eventually, was to move up here.
Originally, we'd thought we'd do it at some point before Josh started secondary school, but a number of reasons (I won't go into it here) meant that we felt prompted to look into the idea of moving earlier than planned. Once we started the process of dipping our toe into it, it all rolled very quickly! Adam was offered a job within a few weeks of reaching out to a couple of recruiters, the house sold within days of going on the market, and we very quickly found a house that we totally loved, and, conveniently, was in the same town as Adam's mum... it all just "fell into place".
We were sad to leave some lovely people we'd met in Redditch but we felt like it was the right next step. 

Adam (32)

He's had lots going on this year, he'd progressed well at Superdream and was managing his own team. Once we moved, he actually continued working for them for a few months - doing 3 days at home, and 2 days at the office, which whilst he loved the company and colleagues, eventually proved to be a bit too much of a strain on time he spent with the kids (he was putting the boys to bed on a Sunday night, and then not seeing them until Wednesday morning!) So when a recruiter called him about a job in Manchester (well actually... probably the 5th or 6th recruiter!!), he agreed to speak to the company, and once that started, he discovered a great online gifting company, has been promoted to Head of Search Engine Marketing, and is able to learn and progress in the direction he wants to be going in. Bless him, he does get up at the crack of dawn every day to get a 6.45 train from Mirfield, but it means he can work 8-4 and is home for dinner (or tea as they call it here) with the boys.

Oh... on a side note, his company sell gorgeous bouquets of flowers, so I get much more regular random surprise flower gifts brought home - epic! :)
Adam has continued with his weight lifting, and by the end of the year, he'd was pressing well over 100kg (doubling his original target!) He's been eating healthily for most of the year (we all have time off at Christmas!) and so this year has been in the best shape of his life.
He's a great husband and daddy, and we all adore his quirky sense of humour and the fun he brings into life.




Joshua (6)

Adam and I were talking recently, and I think that overall, the move was hardest on Joshie, he'd had a lovely school in Redditch,

and some real diamonds at the church we attended - there were 3 brothers who were so welcoming and lovely to him, and were massively into lego, so it was a match made in heaven! Poor kid had a bit of a breakdown a couple weeks after we left and just cried for about 10-15 mins about how much he missed his friends. My heart absolutely broke for him... thankfully things have got much much better.

We managed to get him into a lovely C of E school 10 mins drive from us (the good schools in Mirfield were all full!!), we were very lucky as it's an "Outstanding" school, that was well over subscribed originally, but had a space open up just a few weeks before we moved up. He has made a great group of friends, who have got him into collecting football cards - currently he likes Hudds Town (well, we do live right next to it), and Spurs (might have been helped by my telling him that's the one my brothers support!). He goes to a football club and multi skills (some sort of sports each week) after school that he loves, recently started Beavers, and will be going to a Drawing and Painting after school club in January.

He loves to write stories at school, he was in a celebration assembly at school recently and praised for an adaptation he wrote on the 3 billy goats gruff - it was the "3 Cheetah's and the Zombie Under the Bridge"- wow! He also enjoys maths, and having options for school lunch! :)
He's a kind and generous person who shares so nicely and really feels emotions. He loves unconditionally and really tries hard in everything he puts his mind to. We love him very much. 



Joey (3 1/2)

Our little "destructo boy" has absolutely loved having a grassy and exciting garden to play in, during the summer (and some of the winter!) he was constantly there digging, exploring and having a generally awesome time. 
He's started at a lovely new day nursery and they are brilliant with him. Unfortunately we've had some challenging times with him too... we had noticed for a while that he seemed to have been a lot behind Josh was at his age, but just thought he would "grow out of it"... these development issues had been noticed at nursery, and after a few different observations and meetings, he's been put on a "My Care Plan", which will basically mean he gets a little extra funding and a bit more one on one time to help him in his understanding, speech and some large group social events. The phrase "autism spectrum" was mentioned in early meetings, but no official labels have been given, and they're hoping that with some more one on one time, we can hopefully bring him up to the same "speed" as the kids his age.

He's an absolute scream though... he is hilarious in his own little way, he makes us laugh (and pull our hair out!) every day, he's very intense and passionate about the things he wants to do, and can be an absolute charmer with his gorgeous little smile when he wants to be. We've been having the challenge of potty training him... I did a daily update on the blog a little while ago, which was fairly amusing... he's totally there with wees now, but the other aspect... well, lets just say we've thrown lots of pants away! 
We love our little crazy Joey though... life is definitely an adventure with him in it!

Me (31)

You know what... I have got so much to be grateful for this year. We had established some lovely friendships in Redditch, and after we first moved, I was worried that we might have made a mistake... but very quickly, I met some absolutely lovely mums at a local group, and they are so lovely and welcoming that I've felt settled very quickly. We've been out for nights out here and there too, so I feel like I'm properly established and happy.  I'd also been thinking hard about what I wanted to do work wise, and was applying for any and all part time jobs, and had assumed that it would have to be another "just fits around the kids, put my future career on the back-burner again" type job... but a few weeks into looking I saw a job for a Marketing Administrator at HSL Chairs that was 20 hours a week, and that really seemed interesting - and in the first instance, it included proof reading- woooo!! I could use previous admin experience, and also start towards feeling like I was using my degree (English - graduated 2009)! I applied, and hoped and prayed that maybe I'd hear back... and within a couple of weeks I was invited for interview!! I then found out that one of the mums in Mirfied actually worked there, and so I was able to speak to her about tips for interview etc, it felt so right, that I was worried I was getting far too carried away with it all and that I was due a big bump to reality... but guess what? I got it!! I got the job and started in mid August. I've really enjoyed it, my colleagues are so lovely, and have even been able to start doing some blog writing for them, and helping out with an internal newspaper. It's also school hours, so I don't need to worry about never being around for the kids whilst they're young, but I also feel like I could be on the step towards a career.
I have my ups and my downs, I feel emotions far too strongly (wish I could put a regulator on that!), but overall I'm happy. I have a fantastic husband, strong, healthy and lovely (most the time ;) ) kids, a home that I really love, in an area that has history and character, and fields!! and a job that I am always happy to go to. 

We've had a crazy year (do we ever not?!), but we've had some really lovely and exciting turns in our road of life! Thank you to all the old and new friends and family that have been part of it all. We love you.