2023 Recap
2023 has been good to us! I always love writing this post and reminiscing on our past year. It fills me with so much gratitude for all of our blessings!
-JANUARY-
We spent the first day of the year in Hattiesburg with the Jacksons, and then headed home on the 2nd. We finished out our Christmas break with visits to Flow...
...and Early Works.
We watched Henry play basketball...
...and get his first permanent teeth, although I was totally freaked out when they came in before the baby teeth fell out. 😆
Claire and I got New Year's pedicures...
...and we enjoyed some quiet mornings playing at home!
I had the privilege of organizing a friend's pantry. Here's a before and after!
We also began our big transition to being a family of 6...Henry and Claire got bunk beds and we began changing Claire's old room into a room for them to share!
-FEBRUARY-
February was a pretty ordinary month for us. We ate at Shaggy's (of course)...
We celebrated Caleb's 33rd birthday...
...and Valentine's Day!
Claire got to go to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese for a school friend...
...and Henry dressed up as an old man for the 100th day of school!
-MARCH-
Spring began its arrival, which meant lots of time playing outside...
...but it also meant swollen allergy eyes for poor Henry!
We (meaning Caleb :)) did lots of yard work, including removing the cedar tree from the backyard...
Baby continued growing...
...as well as George's hair, which required its first haircut!
At the end of the month, we took a family trip to Dollywood!
-APRIL-
April is always a fun month of celebration for our family! We had Easter...
...Claire's 4th birthday...
...and my birthday at the end of the month. No pictures, but we went to Baumhower's for lunch after church with Tracy and Derek and then my family came over to our house that night and we got pizza. A perfect day in my book!
We had some beautiful Spring weather that allowed us lots of time outside. Ice cream with friends...
...visits to the duck pond...
...and George's favorite...lawn mowing season! Ha! Caleb wishes he felt the same way. 😉
Henry played T-ball and Caleb and our friend Joel coached together. The ballpark is where we spent a good many nights of the month!
-MAY-
May arrived with great anticipation, for baby month was almost here! But first, we had lots of activities to wrap up! Claire had her first ballet recital...
...which we followed up with Yogurt Mountain! Evelyn and Caroline also performed in the recital, so we all went together to celebrate the wonderful job the girls did!
Henry finished his t-ball season...
...as well as kindergarten! He prayed the closing prayer at the graduation ceremony, and we were so proud of him. He learned so much and had the best kindergarten year!
And this is how we kept George occupied during most of the graduation. 😂
The boys shared some brotherly love, and little did we know another little brother would be arriving shortly!
We celebrated our last weekend as a family of 5 with a fun day at Flow...
...and Yogurt Mountain once again. :)
And then, although we expected a baby in June, the highlight of our year arrived early! On May 31st, we welomed Peter into the world and became a family of 6!
-JUNE-
June was a rocky month for us, not only because of bringing Peter home and finding our new groove as a family of 6, but because Caleb's mom, Tracy, experienced a nearly fatal medical emergency that has completely changed her life. The fragility of life became so apparent to us, as it usually does in a situation like this. Sometimes it takes the very real possibility of losing someone you love to see life for the gift it is. Throughout the hard, we have seen God work miracles and answer prayers, and that has been something to be thankful for!
Caleb had 4 weeks of paternity leave, which was a HUGE blessing! I was so excited to have him home to help with the older kids while I took care of the baby. It also ended up being a blessing he was off because he was available to go back and forth to Birmingham while Tracy was in the hospital.
The kids got lots of water time in June, including swim lessons...
...and a pool party to celebrate Shepherd's birthday.
Caleb embarked on a solo journey to the beach with Henry, Claire, and George to meet my mom, and sister's family on their beach trip. I really didn't want them to go, but the kids were so excited to spend time at the beach with their cousins. Caleb thought that being alone with Peter for a few days would be restful for me, but the quiet house actually made me feel lonely and depressed. 😂 They had a lot of fun, despite a couple of meltdowns from children who were missing Mama. 😎
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| George's face in this picture 😂😂 |
We had a visit from our Hattiesburg friends...
...and all enjoyed SO many baby snuggles!
When not in the pool, we beat the heat indoors at Early Works!
-JULY-
We celebrated Independence Day at our friend's block party, including a visit from the fire department...
...and a leaf blower, which was George's favorite part of the truck. 😂😂
We spent the evening at my sister's in-law's house, and enjoyed good food and swimming.
We had visits from Mamaw and Daddy Wayne...
...Dion and Marge...
....and Aunt Kyle!
We had some "normalcy" return to our days, including home projects...
...church...
...gas station runs for Icee's...
...and we were over the moon excited to see Peter start to smile at us!
We took a trip to Marietta at the end of the month to attend a going away party for my cousin Jacob, who was moving to Japan for 3 years with the Marines.
We swam and ate and played with cousins...
...the kids got to ride on Uncle Wayne's backhoe...
...and of course we ended the trip with lunch at The Varsity!
-AUGUST-
Caleb was finally able to get sod in August to finish up our back yard.
It looks so much better! George worked with Caleb laying the sod until after the other kids were in bed, and came in with dirt running down the sweat on his face, and caked under his nails. His name means "farmer" or "earth worker", and hilariously enough that's exactly what he loves to do. 😂
Henry and Caleb spent some Fridays nights at Lego races with friends...
First day of school for Claire, Shepherd, and George!
We celebrated the first day of school with a snack board dinner (the kid's fave!)...
...and first day pictures! First grade for Henry...
...Pre-K for Claire...
-SEPTEMBER-
Peter pretty much stole the show this month, along with my camera roll. :) Lots of sweet, happy grins...
...and sleepy snuggles.
Claire and Henry both played soccer...
...and Henry built a truck that won first prize for speed and appearance at his Lego race!
I attended a homeschool conference in Franklin, TN over a weekend in September and met my hero, SALLY CLARKSON! This was the most exciting moment for me, as you can tell by my face. Haha!
These 3 have gotten so big that it's a rare occurrence they squeeze in the bath together. Gotta cherish these moments!
We ended our month at Scott's apple orchard. There weren't many apples left, but we still had fun being together!
-OCTOBER-
Since we have a family birthday in October, it's always a month of anticipation and celebration! We enjoyed the early fall weather outside at the playground...
We picked...
...painted...
...and carved pumpkins.
Henry and Claire got to attend a birthday party where they had a blast playing laser tag...
...and we wrapped up soccer for both of them.
We celebrated Henry's 7th birthday...
...and Halloween! We had a soldier, Elsa, Batman and...
...the cutest baby bear you ever did see! :)
-NOVEMBER-
November was the month Caleb and I had waited for all year...we surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World with the Jacksons! We planned this trip when we were together over New Years, and it felt surreal to have the big day finally arrive! We've dreamed of a Disney trip together for several years, and it was truly everything I ever wished for. 8 kids, ages 9, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1, and 5 months! Absolute chaos, but also pure joy and fun!
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George's face when meeting Goofy was what a parent's Disney dreams are made of!
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We got to have breakfast with the princesses...
...and George is still talking about meeting Woody, Jessie, and Buzz!
When we got home, we started getting into the holiday spirit with a ballet Christmas performance...
...and twinkle lights. :)
Just when I thought Peter couldn't get any cuter, he did...
...and we travelled to Marietta for Thanksgiving! It was such a sweet time with family!
-DECEMBER-
We kicked off the season with WBC's Hanging of the Green...
Peter had a busy month of milestones! Sitting up...
We celebrated George's 3rd birthday...
...and the kids lived their best lives with the coziest Christmas movie night. 😄
We of course enjoyed our fair share of Christmas festivities, like watching Claire in the Twickenham Christmas pageant...
...and visiting the Preston Valley lights!
We attended Rivertree's Christmas Eve Eve service...
...and then spent Christmas Eve evening celebrating with Tracy, Derek, and Kendra.
We had the sweetest Christmas morning at home...
...and then celebrated that evening at my parent's house. Love these sweet cousins and our traditional cake for Jesus' birthday!
Caleb was off of work the week between Christmas and New Years and it was the most restful and rejuvenating week to get us ready for 2024. There was fishing...
...time at Flow...
...and a movie!
Lots of time spent baking, reading, playing games, and doing puzzles. It was the best week!
We ended the year playing games with my family, while the kids watched a movie and played with their cousins. We didn't stay up until midnight, but we made it to 11:00. :) 2023 has been such a sweet year for our family. From adding a new member, to eliminating a lot of busyness so that we can focus on the community we're growing within our home, it was just good for us. While it wasn't all sunshine and roses, and we had sicknesses, challenges, and rocky times in our relationships, I feel so blessed by this past year overall. It was a year of growth in many ways, and now I'm eager and excited for what 2024 holds!
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