One of my favorite things about blogging is being able to look back at old posts and see just how much we’ve done over the years. It always provides needed perspective and keeps my ever-buzzing mind in check, reminding me to slow down and enjoy the now because it all goes by so quickly. So today, almost a month in to 2017, I’m looking back at 2016 and picking out some key moments that defined each month of last year for our little family.
JANUARY
Looking back on where we were last year at this time to now, is the perfect reminder to me that time seriously flies! Everything is a phase, and time, patience, and a whole lot of faith can get you through just about everything. Just as I was writing about how anxious I was to go back to work, and then adjusting to our new routine, I was right back at home with my sweet baby Duke, adjusting to an unexpected “Maternity Leave Part II“. I was stressed and thought I needed to rush back to work, until we crunched the numbers and realized it just didn’t make sense to find something I could do for 4 months before our move to South Dakota. So I did my very best to chill and embrace the change. And allll of the snuggles.
FEBRUARY
At this point I was fully embracing life as a SAHM…my posts this month shared recipes, a book review, and lots of gushing about my sweet baby Duke. Duke got his first two teeth right around his 4 month birthday and was baptized, which was absolutely horrific because he screamed bloody murder the entire time, and we were reminded once again that parenthood is all about rolling with the punches!
MARCH
March was jam packed! We had a fun visit from my sister and nieces, I got real honest on the blog about some of my new mom experiences here and here, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and March Madness, and we attended an awesome craft/drinking birthday party at Upstairs Circus. I also started a really fun side business that I am beyond grateful for.
APRIL
In April I celebrated turning 28 {birthdays are my favorite}, falling more and more in love with my sweet baby, and my 100th blog post. I love April because the weather starts to get warmer, the sun sticks around a little longer, baseball starts, and from the looks of it, we eat a lot of good food!
MAY
This is a month I surely would not go back to if given the chance. It was insane. We were packing up to move to South Dakota, trying to see as many people as possible and have going-away parties in CO, attend a wedding in SD, jet off to Boston for a few days, and prep for me going back to work. The worst part however, was when one of my best friend’s mom passed away unexpectedly. Naturally, everything else needed to pause while we made an extra trip back to SD to be there for the services and try to offer as much support as we could. The circumstances were awful, but we certainly gained some perspective and realized we just needed to focus on the important things as we prepared for our family’s next chapter.
JUNE
I started back at work and seriously felt like I had won the lottery. I was thrilled to be working in a completely different environment that I somehow seemed to fit right into. I got used to my 90 second commute really quickly and loved that Duke was at home with Dennis during this time so I didn’t have to adjust to him going to daycare quite yet. I’m really thankful we were living with my parents initially because we were able to get settled in and adjust without having to worry about getting fully moved and settled into a new house. That chaos would come at the end of the month. 😉
We celebrated 2 crazy years of marriage, a ton of life changes, and we took a family trip to Vermont towards the end of the month for my friend Nancy’s wedding. Quality time with some of my favorite people is infinitely good for my soul!
JULY
We had our first set of visitors over the 4th of July and were really excited for Dennis’ best friend Tim and his girlfriend Erica to get to see our new house and new town. We made sure to include a lot of alcohol and outdoor activities in their weekend, just in case they hated small town life. Don’t worry, they didn’t. We celebrated Dennis’ birthday and my 10-year class reunion, where I couldn’t drink because we had just found out we were pregnant!
