2015 in review

The past year has been such a whirlwind adventure for us! From experiencing the dream that was 2nd trimester of my pregnancy with Rory, the excitement of 3rd trimester, getting a puppy, finally meeting our girl, and moving to a new state, it was full of adventures! I remember somebody saying to me in the heat of all of the changes to try to enjoy it because someday there won't be so many new, exciting things going on. I certainly have loved it all looking back!

We really have tried (and mostly succeeded!) in fully enjoying all the madness that was 2015! 

Cheers to a new year!

January: Just around the New Year we went on a Caribbean cruise out of New Orleans. We got to eat so much good food, explore some Louisiana plantations, and lounge on the most beautiful Jamaican beach- it was really a dream trip! I was in the golden 2nd trimester, and on our way home I felt Rory kick for the first time. 

February: I turned 24 and got a prenatal massage for my birthday, which I would recommend to anyone and everyone who likes massages. Also, I seem to remember I made a lot of homemade bread during this time...

 March: I went from no bump to serious bump this month and got a lot of "wow, you still have a long ways to go comments" that I thought were equal parts frightening and annoying (maybe the belly explosion had something to do with all that homemade bread? lol). Luckily, by the end I didn't double in size like I thought, just got a heck of a lot tighter and got some rad stretch marks. Also Winnie May had her blessing day and Rory kicked like a maniac in my stomach the entire time. I feel like it was her way of saying, "That's my friend! I know her!"

April: We celebrated our two year anniversary and Jay surprised me with a mini re-creation of our wedding cake! We also went out to Utah to search for a house!

 

May: Jay's sister and her family came to stay with us on the ranch and at the beach for their vacation and it was so fun! They also convinced us to take a puppy from their sweet lab's litter, and they drove Boo out from New Mexico with them! We had a tough time deciding to take on a puppy with a baby due three weeks away, but we are so glad we did. We love our sweet Boo. Also, I was legitimately large by this point!

June: We met our sweet Rory and finalized the sale of our first home this month! Meeting Rory was the best thing, although I had a wake-up call of a tough recovery. We found our dream home back in April, but didn't find out it was still for sale (foreclosure sales are tricky) until this month. It was a tough process, but we finally got it all sorted out and started the sale before Rory was born and signed all the final paperwork the week after Rory came! 

 July: July was the month of family vacation and no floors. We soaked up all the cousin/family time we could with our sweet girl, then moved out to Utah. We moved into our new home, and immediately had to rip out the carpet due to some nasty pet stains. (by some I mean a lot), but our contractor was running behind schedule so Rory slept in a travel bassinet on the kitchen table and I lived in the kitchen (where the tile had survived the previous owners pets) with two pieces of furniture until August when we had floors and could move in for real.

August: We blessed our sweet (albeit extremely grumpy) girl at home in our new home with both sides of the family in town. The floors we finished two days before, and our air conditioner needed a tune up so the house was 80+ degrees. I can laugh about it now, though I had a hard time laughing about it then. My mom and Brooke stayed for a week, which was a much needed help for me because Rory was still pretty colicky and exhausting at this point.

September: We brave camping with tiny Rory and she does surprisingly well, albeit the wake up call was bright and early with the sunrise. Brooke came to visit for her 17th birthday and we loved every short second of that weekend!

October: We were unicorns for Halloween and went to Vegas as a family! Also my mom and Brooke came out to visit for a week, which was wonderful. 

November: We went home to spend Thanksgiving with my family, and Rory soaked up all the cousin time!

December: Rory skyrockets in terms of happiness and cuteness. This is our favorite age yet, and we are absolutely smitten with this kid. Also we sent out Christmas cards (though, for budget purposes, mostly to family) So here's your digital copy if you didn't get one! We love you and hope your year has been as full of growth, struggle, and joy as ours.