15 Memorable Moments from 2015
January 12, 2016Hi there! To say that its been a long time since I last posted, is a bit of understatement. To say that it has been an eternity might be a bit more accurate. And to tell you the truth I've agonized over my first post back for months. What to say, how to say it, how much to share, whether or not to apologize...
But then I realized that my blogging is really just about recording everyday life and sharing bits and pieces of it with all of you. And sometimes our lives demand that we make sacrifices and we set things aside for a time, to pick them up once the dust has settled. So rather than waste time dwelling on how sad it makes me to have gone these last several months without blogging I'd rather just pick up where I left off...
And what better way to do that then to give you a glimpse of some of my fondest moments from the last year!
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2015 was a year of hardship and growth for our family. We lost, we loved, we changed and we let go-all the while growing closer as a family.
Below is a collage of fifteen photos that record some of our family's most memorable moments from the past year and captions giving you a bit of insight into our year.
1. My younger sister married her true love in a surprise wedding this past August. With Etta James playing as she walked down the aisle and photos of her and her hubby hanging from the trees - she never looked so beautiful or happy as she did on that day.
2. My husband and I decided to take up backpacking and we've been training for a Havasupai trip to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Our first hike we went on - meant to be a romantic sunset hike up Desolation Trail - took a lot longer than expected. And while I'd like to say we made it nonetheless, the truth is that this photo captures the moment we called it quits and went back, which turned out to be less than .5 miles from the overlook. Ah well there's always next time right, and the good news - our new headlamps worked great!
3. My boys and their toys. I know, I know, increased screen time and the invention of the tablet threaten the notion of quality family time. But I'm afraid its been just the opposite for us this year. Special bonds were formed between brothers, father and son and mother and son, over hours of playing Minecraft, Plants Vs. Zombies, Madden 2015, Guitar Hero and Clash of Clans.
4. Our trip to Yellowstone this past May was the greatest! It was our first official family vacation, it rained the whole time but we still had a blast! We saw so many amazing things and captured lost of beautiful photos, including a wonderful series of snaps of my boys standing in front of painted buffaloes!
5. This year Caleb lived and breathed football and he's becoming quite the little athlete. We're looking forward to signing him up for flag football next season but until then he's happy watching football, practicing in the rain/snow and dressing up as his favorite football players. The football helmet from Grandma for Christmas was a huge hit!
6. That's a clean bedroom folks. It didn't happen often in 2015 but it happened at least once and there's the proof!
7. We lost our beautiful "Coda Bear" this year on Christmas Eve of all days. He was almost 10 and suffered from arthritis, but in the end it was his cravings for little boys socks that finally did him in :( He was a beloved part of our family and we will miss him so very much!
8. This year we finally invested in family photos and we couldn't have been happier with the results. Up until a few months ago the only "family" photo I had hanging on our wall didn't even have our little Japser in it! I think this is something we will make a point to do every year. Megan of Megan Fisher Photography was so wonderful and it was fun to be on the other side of the lens for a change and see our family from a new perspective.
9. Our Superbowl baby turned 7 this past year, "7-going-on-17" it feels like some days. I know that the days where he still shares hugs and kisses with his mom and waves enthusiastically as he runs from the car into school are almost gone and I am dreading it! But I'm also excited to see the young man my little boy is beginning to grow into.
10. I love this man and I can't believe we're coming up on our 10 year anniversary! This photo isn't so much about a specific memory but instead about every memory I've had of my husband this past year. Through everything he is our rock, our provider, our handyman, our comic relief and my very own personal alarm clock and barista. We are a team and as far as I'm concerned this year we were champs!
11. This photo was from our roadtrip back from Yellowstone but it represents so much more than that. We spend a lot of time in cars - driving to and from work and school and scouts and family outings. All of the while singing, laughing and talking with one another. Ten years ago my husband and I fell in love while driving back and forth from work together and this past year we've tried to use our time in cars becoming more acquainted with our boys.
12. My boys are growing closer each day, something I might not thought possible at the beginning of 2015. Don't get me wrong there is still a lot of bickering and fighting and wrestling but there is also a little more helping and teaching and inclusion as well. One day I hope my boys can realize that the greatest gift I ever gave them was each other. Until then...I'll just look at this photo ;)
13. Jake has spent a lot of time this past year sharing some of his favorite childhood activities with the boys - activities that he and his dad or grandfather used to do together. We might not be raising any expert fisherman or marksmen here, but what I do hope we are instilling in them a sense of history and tradition.
14. Our little Japser went off to school this year. And he is just the brightest little guy--sometimes a little too smart for his own good. He's our creative. He loves to paint and color and build. He is also a lefty which has been a bit of a struggle for us old stubborn "righties," but we're figuring things out.
15. And now we're back to me. I went back to work this year after 5 years at home with my boys. Its been hard and I wasn't ready, but we gotta do what we gotta do, right? I've struggled moving from a strategy of micro-managing to one of macro-managing within our home, but I'm pretty sure my husband and my boys are loving the change! Since I've gone back to work and taken up hiking I've lost almost 50lbs. I'm stronger and have more energy, but oh so much less time. I'm lucky if I scrapbook a page or two a month but I'm not ready to give it up yet. I have so many ideas and plans and to-dos for the new year and I'm looking forward to sharing many of them with you. So be patient with me as get back in to the swing of things.
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Thanks for allowing me the time to take a breath and catch up. I wish you all a happy new year and look forward to seeing you a bit more in 2016!
2 comments
Gorgeous blogpost to get back in! No apologies needed. I loved catching up with you and your tribe. Congrats (!!!) on the 50lbs! Way to go Amy!! And so sorry for your loss. It's heart breaking. :( and what about little one entering school. Here too, it happened in 2015. Thanks for the inspiration Amy, you're one of the greatest scrapbooker I know, even when you're "just" sharing a year review in photos. ❤️
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Marie :)
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