2017 Review

I follow a couple of other blogs that always do a little summary of their year, so I thought I'd do it too. I love the idea of reflecting on 2017 and remembering all the things we did and the fun we had. On one hand I can't believe 2017 is coming to an end, but on the other, it seems like it's been 2017 forever. We packed SO much into this year, and had so many changes. Henry was not even 3 months old when we rang in 2017, and now he's 14 months old and a completely different child. It's just staggering to think back on how much he has changed and developed in a year. For instance, I can't believe he laughed for the first time less than a year ago. I can't even remember a day when I didn't hear his little chuckle. And to think it hasn't even been a year?! It's crazy. Anyway, here's a look back on our 2017. And congratulations if you make it to the end, cause it's long! 😜

We rang in the New Year like we have for the past several years; in Marietta, GA with my extended family. I love these people so much!

I started back to work full time and Henry came with me everyday. Having a baby at the store was hard, but a lot of fun! I think one of the big reasons why he's so easy going is because he was passed around so much for the first 6 months of his life.

We hired a photographer to take 3 month pictures of Henry and they turned out SO CUTE! The quality of this image isn't great cause I scanned it with my phone, but they are seriously all amazing. 

Henry sat in his Bumbo seat for the first time...

...and when February came around, he basically turned into a Gerber baby. 😊 I know I'm biased, but that is a beautiful baby boy! 

Henry tried solid foods for the first time in February (avocado!) and became a huge fan of eating. 😋

He also begrudgingly endured some tummy time and practiced rolling (although you wouldn't know he didn't like tummy time from this picture!)

March brought lots of smiles...

...and new developmental accomplishments. Henry's sweet personality really started to show!

We celebrated Henry's first Easter in April, and Caleb's dad came from Canada to meet him for the first time. 

Later in the month, we travelled to Washington D.C. with two of our besties, and spent the BEST few days together. Henry was a great little traveller!

May was a big month for us! We sold our house...

...and bought a new one! Our whole month was spent packing and getting ready for the big move.

I also celebrated my first Mother's Day in May, and we dedicated Henry to the Lord at church. It was such a special day!

We went on a family beach trip at the beginning of June (the day after we moved into the new house! What were we thinking?) and had so much fun! My family went as well as Caleb's and it was a great week spent together. 

I started working part-time after our trip, and suddenly we had lots of time for selfies!

The highlight of June (and maybe the whole year! 😂) was that Henry started sleeping through the night! 

We went to Marietta for the Fourth of July, then drove to Centreville, AL to see Caleb's grandparents. 

For some reason this is the only picture I can find from this trip, but it's such a cute one! Henry with his GanGan.

July was also a sad month because we lost our sweet cat Frannie. We had started letting her out in the backyard, and she disappeared and never came back. We miss her feisty little self, and we hope that she was taken in by another family!

We spent several afternoons with my mom and nieces, either playing at the playground or feeding the ducks on Green Mountain.

We (tried to) beat the August heat on Mimi's porch.

We saw the solar eclipse that came over our region. My mom waited in line for several hours to get us these glasses. 😂

We enjoyed walks after dinner...

...and Henry discovered a crazy love for peaches!

In September, we spent lots of time outside, soaking up the last bit of beautiful, warm weather.

We also took a road trip with my family to Chattanooga to go to Lake Winnie and had a blast!

October was PACKED with fun! We celebrated Henry turning one with an awesome birthday party...

...and took one last picture before our "zero year old" went to bed. 😊

We had some AMAZING family pictures taken.

We took a trip to Hattiesburg to visit our friends Shelley and Lamar and had such a great time with their sweet family!

My mom, Aunt Kyle, sister, and I took a road trip to Franklin, TN to meet The Pioneer Woman and it was a huge dream come true!

And to end a great month, we had dinner on Halloween at my parent's house and then trick-or-treated with our neighbors. Our little aviator was SO cute!

 

One not so fun part of October was giving our cat Louie up for adoption. 😥 He had been so lonely since Frannie disappeared, and the most wonderful family adopted him to come live with them and their other cats. We keep in touch and I get frequent updates on Louie and he has fit right in with his new family!

We started the month of November with lots of colds and sickness, but bounced back in time for Thanksgiving in Marietta...

...followed by a stop in Centreville to see Caleb's family.

Henry changed SO much in December and started being more like a toddler than a baby. His vocabulary expanded rapidly, and he has become really good at communicating what he wants with us. We started some activities to help develop his fine motor skills like using a paint brush...

 ...and putting pom poms in a jar.

We packed our weekends with holiday activities and enjoyed all the sights and sounds of the season.

What a difference a year makes! (January 2017 vs. December 2017)

We have had such a wonderful year and I give all praise and thanks to God! He is the bestower of every blessing we have, and I look forward to seeing what he has in store for 2018. Happy New Year's everyone!