Well friends, somehow — and I’m really not sure how — this photo was taken on New Years Eve ONE YEAR AGO. 2018 is coming to a close, and since we leave for Australia the day after tomorrow, I figured I should put together my Year In Review post before we head out, and then just add Epic Australia, as I will from now on be calling it, once we’re back.
So without further adieu, here is a bit of what we got up to in the year that started with us expanding our little family ….
January
January started out with us getting used to being a family of four, which was made easier by the fact that Chris’ parents were still here helping out, and then my Dad & stepmom, sister and brother-in-law, and a whole slew of friends, all came out to help, as well.
February
I continued on with my maternity leave in February and celebrated Grace’s first Valentine’s Day with a visit from my bestie.
March
We finished up our maternity leave visitors in March with a visit from my stepdad, and we checked out the aquarium for the first time.
April
April was a big month for us. It was my birthday and the end of my maternity leave, our first big road trip as a family of four (we visited Telluride for the first time!), and Grace’s first plane ride where we went back to New York.
June & July
June and July continued to be months full of visitors, and we had a blast! First was Auntie Kate, who came to stay with us for about three weeks, followed by Chris’ aunt and uncle and their three kids, and then my stepdad again at the end of the month to help us ring in Lotte’s 2nd birthday with a trip to the Denver Zoo and a Pancake Brunch Birthday Party!
August
In August we were back out to New York to celebrate my sister’s 30th birthday, and along the way we checked out the Statue of Liberty views from Liberty State Park, spent lots of time with family, walked my Mom’s Memorial Trail in Chadwick Lake Park and spent a couple days at a friend’s summer cabin the woods.
October
In October we used up the last day of our annual National Park pass with a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, we went pumpkin picking at our favorite place amongst the mountains, and we celebrated Chris’ birthday with a trip to Alamosa, Colorado and the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
December
And that brings us to December, friends! While our biggest family adventure to date is set to take place this Thursday when we fly to Australia, we’ve been celebrating the holiday season so far with visits from my stepdad and then my dad and stepmom, holiday light viewings at the Denver Zoo and the Botanic Gardens and Chatfield Farms, attending holiday parties, seeing Santa and checking out his village at the Thornton Winterfest. Oh and you know, no big deal, but we also celebrated G’s first birthday … because my baby is officially one.
And that, as they say, is that, my friends. I’ll see you back here on the flip side of 2018 and the flip side of Australia, but for now, have the very best holiday season filled with all the love and joy.
December Update: We’re back from Australia, and it was every bit as epic as we imagined it would be! I blogged about it here, here, here, here and here.
Bis bald, friends! And cheers to an amazing 2019!