Best Moments of 2017

I didn’t blog at all in December (until now) and I’m not the least bit sad about it. This month was busy with the holidays and finishing up stuff at work for the year and Liam being sick EVERY SINGLE WEEK (and me catching at least 75% of those sicknesses). But, this was the most incredible year, so I want to reminisce on it for a few…

First, we welcomed our amazing little boy into the world in January. We could not be more in love with him! He has such a little personality and makes us laugh 24/7.

In March, my first love turned TEN years old. We celebrated with a day at the dog park, lots of treats and extra cuddles. He has always been a Velcro dog and has had a hard time adjusting to not being the baby but we have all found our rhythm in our new family and it’s going well.

In April, we took our first road trips as a family of 3 (with my in-laws who graciously stayed with Liam) and attended the first annual High Water Music Fest. We got to see some of our favorite bands, including: Nathaniel Rateliffe and the Night Sweats, Deer Tick, The Avett Brothers and more. So fun!

In May, I got to celebrate my first Mother’s Day. Nothing compares to the joy of being this babe’s mama. My husband spoiled me with lunch at Elements and a day spent walking around Fearrington… and a new kayak! And baby L spoiled me with cuddles.

In June, we took a trip to Asheville for Landon’s birthday. It was my first time at the Biltmore House and despite L being smack-dab in the middle of the 6-month sleep regression… we had a wonderful time!

In July, we went back to the beach and actually took Liam out there (the first time we went, we found it too exhausting and skipped the sun and sand). He loved looking at the water (and mama) but did not love being splashed by waves. We spent most of our time cuddling in his tent and sweating profusely.

In August, we spent the weekend at the lake with my whole big family. We also took Liam to see Paw Paw’s farm (and he appropriately wore John Deere attire!). He loved boat rides and was a trooper that weekend considering he had TWO teeth pop through!

We also celebrated 4 years of marriage in August. I’m thankful every day that Landon decided to come talk to me about that same lake we went to in August almost 9 years ago and kicked off our love story.

In September, we spent a week in Duck, NC on the beach. It was relaxing and gorgeous and so special to spend that time together. Our dogs got to go and they LOVE the beach.

In October, we went to a Hokies game which is always a good time. There’s not much that’s better than Lane Stadium on game day!

In November, I ran my first postpartum 5k. It was my slowest EVER and I still teared up as I rounded the corner to the finish line. It was so much harder than I ever imagined to get to that point and I was proud of myself and my body for accomplishing that feat. We also celebrated Liam’s first Thanksgiving (that was so awful we decided to drive 3 hours home the same day 😮).

December was a big one! I got a new nephew thanks to my brother and SIL. They waited to find out the gender until he was born so it was a total surprise!

We scooped up tickets in July for the Holiday Express and spent the evening in Pullen Park with our parents and Liam had his first carousel ride which has been one of our most favorite moments of parenting so far.

We went to a fun holiday party and got fancy for the first time in a LONG time.

Liam met Santa and only asked for mama. It was hilariously sad each time. He does have a little flare for the dramatic.

We celebrated Christmas with both of our families. It’s so fun to see Christmas through a child’s eyes. He would have been just as happy with a box and water bottle as he was with his presents but nevertheless, his eyes lit up over every light, decoration and package that he got to open. And it melted my heart each time.We’re ending the year with a bunch of normal life things like Liam telling us “bye” in his ridiculously cute, Southern accent, a family trip to Costco, drinking orange/carrot juice to try and stay healthy, a trip to the Museum of Life & Science (thanks to Gramma and Granddad for the membership!), and a fun evening of splashing around in the bathtub before reading books and snuggling to sleep.

2017 has been unbelievably good to us. Landon started a new job that he’s loving. We made friends in our new neighborhood and finally don’t feel like hermits with a new baby. And we’re healthy, happy and excited for 2018. Although we are in disbelief that we almost have a ONE YEAR OLD. I didn’t know time could ever go so fast but it sure did this year.

Happy New Year! 🥂