2017 in Review

Wow, what a year it's been! Our cheesy Christmas cards said "Living the Dream in 2017", and it's true. A lot of big dreams came true this year. We got closer as a family, worked hard, and played hard. There were definitely some ups and downs, but overall it was a great year! 

January was full of snow, staying cozy, and announcing baby girl was in her way! It was a busy work month and looking ahead to what we would do in the year. 

In February we celebrated my birthday and Valentine's Day. Second trimester energy was awesome, so Rhett and I got in lots of fun outings and new adventures. 

In March we seriously started looking for houses. It was an up and down journey that took over our lives—checking listings all day long, rushing to see houses, deciding where we wanted to be. It definitely took over our lives for the month. 

In April we went under contract for our house! We celebrated Easter with lots of fun activities, and Rhett was in a preschool art show. 

In May we celebrated Andre's birthday and then closed on our house the next day. The young women threw me a darling baby shower. It was a busy month of family activities, finishing the school year, doctor visits, and moving. We ended the month with a Kaiser trip to Moab over Memorial Day that was sunny and great. 

June was all about getting settled while waiting for our routine to get disrupted again. My company got bought out and my entire department was let go. Not the best timing, but it ended up being a huge blessing. Rhett rocked swim lessons, we did lots of house projects, and savored our last days as a family of 3. The best day was when sweet Tessa was born in June 28. 

In July we adjusted to our new normal. Andre took the first week off, and it was literally like a slice of heaven to have us all home to soak in the new baby. Rhett turned 4 and started becoming the best big brother, and we celebrated our 6th anniversary. 

August was full-on summer mode. We played hard and kept finding our new routines. The Richardsons visited, we played, and we worked on lots of house projects. Tessa was growing way too fast, and we tried to soak up every minute. 

In September we were back in a routine. Rhett started Pre-K and soccer and loved both. Our Saturday mornings were spent with the best entertainment—preschool soccer. We blessed Tessa over Labor Day with lots of family in town. I got some new freelance clients that I loved. 

Fall in October was awesome. We started the month with a trip to see Nana and Poppy in Missouri and had a great time with them. We can do road trips! André got a promotion at work and officially started his cufflinks business with craft fairs and Etsy listings. We enjoyed all the fall activities and a super fun Halloween.

November was a blur. Rhett started gymnastics, Andre had craft fairs, I started my new calling in Cub Scouts. The kids and I went to Virginia for Thanksgiving and my phone died. We ended the month with Kaiser fun in Colorado.

December was busy but still left lots of relaxing family time. Cufflinks were in full swing. We tried to fit in every Christmas activity we could. Rhett hosted a gingerbread party. It was mainly just all Christmas festivities all the time. We ended with a perfect Christmas at our house--a fitting way to celebrate Christ's birth and all we've done this year.

We have big plans for the coming year and feel energized to have fun and be better. Thanks for the memories, 2017. Bring it on, 2018!