Category: highlights

{My Instagram #bestnine2020}

Continue reading “highlights of 2020.”

{My Instagram #bestnine2019}

Happy New Year (& new decade)! Before we get into 2020, let’s take a look back at 2019.

{Side note: I usually post this on New Year’s Day, but we Aaron is working on migrating the blog (it’s 1100 posts!) over the next day or so.}

{My Instagram #bestnine2018}

Happy 2019! This is my favorite blogging tradition because it is just so fun to review the past year. So, before I start thinking too much about this New Year, let’s look at the highlights of 2018.

{My Insta #bestnine2017}

Happy 2018!

January. My family came into town to celebrate a late Christmas, I was well into my third trimester with Baby Foot, Amanda threw me a beautiful Mama Celebration, and I was still making it to my Sunday afternoon Pure Barre class. Eloise and I saw Caspar Babypants in concert at the Land of Nod, finished up our Mama-and-Me dance class, and attended story time all month at the library.

February. Baby Foot was “full term” as we entered Birthday Month (but decided not to make an appearance this month; see next month…) and we had our last meeting with Jennie, our doula, before the birth. And I started seeing the midwives every week. Eloise turned two-and-a-half. We had play dates with friends, a (birthday/Valentine’s Day) date night at my very favorite restaurant Serafina, went to the Children’s Museum, and I had my first (and only) pre-natal massage. I celebrated my 32nd birthday and got to have lunch with my childhood best friend and her son! I shared some maternity photos. I got a mani-pedi and Aaron and Eloise had a date to the Symphony. I posted my last pregnancy weekly picture (at 39 weeks). My mom and dad arrived into town. My due date came. And went. We waited. And Eloise told her friends and teachers that I had a baby BOY even though I didn’t! At 41 weeks I went to see the mid-wife and had my membranes swept (and started scheduling an ultrasound and no-stress test for the end of the week). My dad had to fly home. I went to bed early and then went into labor!

March. We welcomed Daphne Lucille into our family! Eloise and Grammie came to the hospital to meet Baby Daphne, and our wonderful friends started bringing us meals and coming for visits. We started Daphne’s weekly picture series. Amanda watched Daphne so Eloise and I could get out for a date! We had our first family photoshoot with Meg. We found our new normal after my mom went home and Aaron returned back to work. So many baby snuggles. I shared my second newborn and post-parum essentials. We hosted a Baby Shower En Blanc for Jess, Cale, Big Sister Jaz, and Baby Austin!

April. Daphne turned ONE month! Eloise had spring break and my mom came back into town for a visit, we celebrated Easter and ventured up to the Tulip Festival. We started grocery delivery with Amazon Fresh. I was cleared at my post-partum check-up and started back to my regular Sunday afternoon Barre classes. We went up to visit Jess and meet Baby Austin! My dad came into town for a visit to meet Daphne (since had to leave to return home and then I went into labor!).

May. We headed to Indiana on our first trip as a family of four and for Daphne’s first plane ride. Daphne got to meet so many of her family members on Aaron’s side including Great Grandparents, Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins. I celebrated my third Mother’s Day! I started a six week Pure Barre Challenge and going to class 4 times per week. Uncle David came into town. We celebrated Aaron’s 34th birthday! We had a family dinner date (a monthly tradition!) with the Sadliers. We celebrated my old friend Sascha’s nuptials and had a low-key Memorial Day weekend. Daphne participated in her first UW lab study.

June. Daphne turned THREE months! Aaron started the first half of his paternity leave (6 weeks)! We celebrated our friend Ford’s first birthday (and the birthday parties begin!). And my mom came into town for a long weekend. We took a day trip out to Bainbridge Island via the ferry to see our friend Jerry, and we applied for (and got) every one a (new) passport! We celebrated Father’s Day! Eloise went to the dentist (and Daphne tagged along but didn’t have any teeth yet). We went to an end-of-the-school-year-potluck for Eloise, and celebrated our friend Lucy’s first birthday and our friend Madeleine’s fifth birthday. I (successfully) completed my Barre Challenge! We had friends over for dinner and went strawberry picking out in Duvall. We celebrated our friend Ella’s birthday and Uncle Stan and Aunt Kathi came into town for a visit (en route to Alaska).

July. We celebrated our friend Amelie’s birthday as well as the Fourth of July with the annual neighborhood parade and a small BBQ at our house. We headed to Boise for our first family road trip and we saw my siblings and the CBC girls (my oldest and dearest friends) and their families. Daphne got her first haircut (trim). Aaron headed back to work. We had dinner with (Uncle) Ben and (Aunt) Sarah, and Daphne and I celebrated Sami and Baby Sweeney. I had a “mama’s night out” date with my PEPS girlfriends. We enjoyed the beautiful PNW summer.

August. Aaron and I celebrated our SEVENTH wedding anniversary! We attended the annual Night Out Block Parties in our neighborhood. We celebrated (late) with a date night out and the best dessert ever (Hello Robin in Capitol Hill). We celebrated Eloise’s THIRD birthday with a big party at the house. We had a girls play date with the Steiners and I got hooked on Lipsense lipstick. We celebrated Eloise’s birthday! She had her well-child check-up and a birthday dinner. We celebrated so many of our friends’ August birthdays: Harlon, Ethan, Beatrice, Clive, Clark, Clara, Caleb, Lily, and Eli. We had play dates with friends and enjoyed the end of the summer. Daphne learned how to (army) crawl. Eloise and I headed back to school for an open house.

September. We took a trip to the Zoo. Eloise stayed overnight at the Sadliers’ for her first night away, and Aaron, Daphne, and I went out on a sushi date at Musashi’s and ice cream at Molly Moon’s (basically the best date EVER)! We picked up Eloise and headed over to Flower World in Maltby to pick up some plants for the yard. We celebrated Labor Day and the end of summer vacation. We had a play date with two new neighbors. Daphne turned SIX MONTHS and Eloise started her second year of pre-school! We kicked-off football season at the Andersons’. We had a family date night at the Zoo. Daphne and I had play dates with new friends while Eloise was in school. My mom and dad came to visit. Eloise got her first haircut, and then dim sum and ice cream after! Sadie had her annual check-up and was in great health! My dear friend Ashley came into town for a quick work trip, so we had dinner at Marination Station. We celebrated our friend Seraphina’s first birthday with donuts at the playground. I shared pics of Eloise’s big kid room. We celebrated Sadie’s TWELFTH birthday! I took my first Pure Empower class (and it was awesome!) and we had family dinner with friends/neighbors.

October. I re-launched The Petite Flag Shop for Halloween and fall, and we all got flu shots. I posted my second nursing essentials post. We flew to MEXICO (everyone got new stamps in their passports!) and stayed for a week of vacation and celebrating Maggi and Greg’s nuptials! I celebrated my SIXTH blogging anniversary! I had a fun night out with my PEPS mama friends. The girls and I headed over to a PEPS Halloween play date, including everyone’s costumes. We got a babysitter for the girls and headed out to Ben and Sarah’s annual Ghouls Near Greenlake party (dressed as Where’s Waldo?). I started researching pre-K programs for Eloise and we had play dates with friends. We celebrated our friend Emerson’s first birthday, and had dinner with the Andersons. I got back into my Sunday afternoon Barre class and we went to a fun Halloween party. Daphne celebrated her first Halloween. We watched our neighborhood’s annual Halloween Parade (complete with drum line) and trick-or-treated with Eloise the cupcake and Daphne the donut.

November. I launched free shipping sitewide at The Petite Flag Shop, and we had our annual family photoshoot in SLU. We survived daylight saving time ending. We celebrated Friendsgiving at the Andersons’ house marking the fourth year! Eloise turned three-and-a-quarter. Our neighbors started a new backyard project and we got (part of) a new fence. I shared our travel essentials for the girls since I had lots of questions from friends. We had our first Hello Fresh meal delivery and LOVED it! We headed to Boise for the week of Thanksgiving and got to catch-up with lots of friends and family. I cut my hair short! We celebrated Thanksgiving with my family. SO much to be thankful for this year. I launched the Holiday Shop at The Petite Flag Shop. We drove home and stopped at Sumpter Junction for breakfast and Eloise LOVED the train. I got new glasses from Warby Parker (there is one at U Village, but you can also do a home try-on) and we started touring pre-K pre-schools for Eloise for next school year. I started decorating for CHRISTMAS!

December. Daphne turned NINE months! We had family dinner night at the Sadliers’ house, and we hosted a Jingle & Mingle hot chocolate party at the house. We celebrated our friend Nathan’s fourth birthday. I did a Pinterest Christmas blog series, but kept it really low-key. We all have matching family Christmas jammies (if you know me, this is my dream!). We saw Santa at Nordstrom Flagship where Eloise asked for a baby stroller, a scuba diver, and a chew toy for Baby Daphne. We sent out Christmas cards and I updated the blog header. Eloise started (pre) ballet class, and we had dinner with friends down at Greenlake for the Pathway of Lights celebration. We attended a Caspar Babypants concert (at a brewery!) and I started BBG. Aaron started the second half of his paternity leave! I went on the BEST mama date with Amanda (we ate and shopped in Ballard) and I found this amazing cleaning spray. We kept to our annual tradition of seeing WildLights at Woodland Park Zoo. We watched Boise State crush Oregon in the Las Vegas Bowl, but haven’t managed to watch any other bowl game this season. Eloise started Winter Break and we said good-bye to one of her teachers who is moving to the Olympic Peninsula. We headed to storytime at the library (Daphne’s first time!) and the girls both saw the dentist. We celebrated Christmas as a family of four, Santa came, we brunched with Ben and Sarah, FaceTimed with family, and had a small Christmas dinner. We watched the Huskies play in the Fiesta Bowl. And celebrated the New Year!

2017 was quite. a. year. And quite possibly the best ever! I know I say that every single year, but this year we got to meet Daphne and Eloise became a big sister. Doesn’t get much better than that! {I have to add that personally, we had a WONDERFUL year, but as a country maybe we can do a little better next year? Just putting that out into the universe.}

And as much as this year was really so fantastic, I can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store!

Happy New Year’s friends!

M

And see our previous years’ highlights: 2016 // 2015 // 2014 // 2013 // 2012 // 2011

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Happy 2017!

January. I shared my #bestnine on Instagram, my family came up to celebrate the holiday, & Grammie & Eloise did yoga. I (finally) updated the blog header! Aaron & I went out on a date (with a babysitter!), dressed up, & hit the town for a work party. We set up a family gallery in the downstairs hallway. Santa brought Eloise a kitchen for Christmas & I shared the IKEA hack. Our first (Valentine’s Day) pregnancy announcement was featured on parents.com. (Auntie) Ashley, who I’ve known since college, came to stay for a brief trip! Aaron & I spent a night away at Salish Lodge & Grammie came to stay.

February. We had a playdate with my law school friend Grifan and her daughter Blakely (who moved pretty far away!). Eloise had her 18 month check-up and participated in another study at the UW. I celebrated my 31st birthday by throwing a big birthday brunch with family and friends. Eloise had her first visit to urgent care. We had another playdate with another law school friend Sarah and her daughter Hadley at a very kid-friendly coffee shop Firehouse in Ballard. We went to the aquarium with friends. And we got a new roof!

March. I co-hosted a table with Amanda for the Annual PEPS Luncheon. We had lots of dinners with friends. We all flew to Boise for a long weekend, saw Uncle Jason and Aunt Kelly, and all of my girlfriends. I launched The Petite Flag Shop as a fun, creative outlet! We hosted Easter Brunch and celebrated with the Andersons.

April. We started taking Sunday morning family walks around Greenlake (yay for warmer weather!). I desperately needed a hair cut, but didn’t have time to fly to Boise. We spent a week with Grammie on Maui! I was a regular at Pure Barre on Thursday evenings. I brunched with all of my favorite local Mamas (without our kids!).

May. I celebrated my second Mother’s Day. We attended Miir’s One Year Anniversary for it’s flagship store. Amanda and I crafted. Aaron and Ben moved our side yard fence. Eloise participated in a cool robot study at the UW. Aaron and I had a dinner date  to celebrate Aaron’s birthday at Musashi’s – an old favorite! Our friends Ryan, Katie, and Micah stayed with us for Ryan’s medical school graduation. Aaron celebrated his 33rd birthday! We brunched with Jen and Eric who were in town at Preservation Kitchen in Bothell. We took an urban hike from our house to Pike Place Market.

June. I snuck away to Bend, Oregon for a long weekend with the girls, and Aaron flew solo with Eloise. We had dinner with friends, and another (much-needed) playdate with Grifan and Blakely. We celebrated the life of our amazing friend John Sisko. Aaron celebrated his second Father’s Day and I surprised him with a pregnancy test! Eloise and I went to our first Little Gym Class. We celebrated a friend’s first birthday. We flew to Chicago and then onto Indiana to visit Aaron’s family, and got to see Nana and Papaw (Aaron’s parents), the Cambridges (Aaron’s sister’s family), the Garner-Ballards and Uncle Colt.

July. We headed up to Grandpa Neal’s lake house for the holiday weekend and got to spend lots of time with uncles, aunts, and cousins! We headed back to Chicago for a few days and explored the city, ate well, and went to see the Cubs at Wrigley Field. I went to see the Dixie Chicks with my friend Jenna. Eloise turned 23 months. We had our first pre-natal appointment with our midwife. Grammie and Paga came to visit, and then Eloise and I traveled to Boise.

August. Aaron and I celebrated our SIX year anniversary! We celebrated Eloise’s second birthday with a party at the house, and then celebrated her actual birthday at Blue C Sushi (which she still talks about!). Uncle David, Aunt Jodi, and cousins Madison, Gavin, and Landon came into town to visit, and we went to the Boeing Museum, the Space Needle, and a Mariners game. We had a playdate with the Sadliers. Eloise had her two year check-up. We toured Eloise’s new pre-school. We had the first ultrasound with Baby Foot at thirteen weeks. Eloise was potty trained. We made a BIG announcement (spoiler: BABY #2)!

September. I started Project Baby #2 which is weekly bump updates for Baby Foot. Eloise started pre-school at the Birch School. I started acupuncture treatments for headaches. Aaron’s Aunt Sharon and Uncle Mike came into town for a visit. Grammie came to visit too. Sadie went in for her annual exam at the vet and left with a clean bill of health. I had drinks with old law school friends downtown. We went to Tahlia’s third birthday party and Eloise was introduced to temporary tattoos. I had breakfast with my local mama friends. We celebrated Sadie’s 12th birthday. We attended John Sisko’s last show at Sisko Gallery.

October. Eloise’s paci went bye-bye for good! We had the 20 week ultrasound with Baby Foot and kept strong by not finding out the sex. We celebrated our fifth blog anniversary! I hosted a pop-up shop at West Elm for The Petite Flag Shop and Aaron joined me (so it was really a date!). Eloise transitioned to a toddler bed. Eloise and I were featured on Land of Nod’s Instagram feed for a special Halloween craft morning. Eloise and I visited Aaron at work to celebrate Halloween!

November. We had our family Christmas card photoshoot at Gas Works Park. The Petite Flag Shop was featured on the online flash-sale site Brickyard Buffalo. Eloise turned 27 months. We attended the third annual Friendsgiving at the Anderson house. Eloise and I started a mama and toddler dance class with some friends. We flew to Boise for the week of Thanksgiving. Aaron and I got to sneak out for a date night to see Fantastic Beasts. I shared my ideas for Baby Foot’s nursery.

December. Eloise met Santa at Nordstrom. Eloise learned how to play hide-and-seek. We got our Christmas tree and decorated the house for the holiday! We had a double-date night with the Sadliers. We brunched at Portage Bay with the Andersons. We got a new car. Eloise went to daycare (so Mama could have some time to prep for the holidays!). We went to the annual Bite Party and shared a dessert and good company. We all came down with colds. We went to WildLights at Woodland Park Zoo (a new Christmas tradition we started last year). I made an appearance on New Day NW for Pure Barre. Aaron built us a fireplace (we will share more details soon). Eloise went to the dentist and got two thumbs up – she’s a great brusher and doesn’t use pacis! We mostly recovered from our colds and took pictures in our matching Christmas jammies! We celebrated Christmas with presents, brunch with Ben and Sarah, FaceTime with family in Idaho and Indiana, and lobster dinner. We had dinner with the Sadliers and all the kids were matching in their jammies. Grammie, Paga, and Aunt Yaya (my family) drove up for post-Christmas celebrations. And we will be saying good-bye to 2016 by watching the college football playoffs: Go Huskies!

We had an incredible year and it’s hard to believe how much has happened in just 365 days! 2016 was pretty darn good to us and we have so much to look forward to in 2017!

Happy New Year friends!

xo M

And see our previous years’ highlights: 2015 // 2014 // 2013 // 2012 // 2011

{image via}

Happy New Year, & a big hello to 2016! Per usual, this year went at lighting fast speed. I swear it was just the beginning of the year & then I blinked & here we are at the end of December. Having Eloise has made time go much faster for me but at the same time she is a living example of time passing – how much she is changing & growing right before our very eyes!

So, here we go with my favorite post of the year: the recap of all the things we did in 2015 (& check out all of our other yearly highlights that are linked at the bottom of the post).

January. We brunched with our good friend Brenda who finally got to meet Miss Eloise! We unpacked & organized most of the house after the disaster clean-up was complete (see here for the first part of the story). Aaron started his paternity leave & we got him home for the entire month!

February. We did our best cheering for the Seahawks, but alas they did not with the SuperBowl. I made Eloise neckerchiefs to try to soak up all that slobber. Eloise started solids. Eloise had her six month photo shoot. We visited the Aquarium for the first time with the Sadliers. I turned 30 & we threw a big party! Girl Scout cookies. Grammie came to town, & Aaron & I got a date night!

March. Eloise & I went to the annual PEPS Luncheon. Eloise out-grew her first set of Freshly Picked gold moccasins (& she is currently on her fourth pair). We took our first trip to the zoo! My chair re-upholster project was featured on Apartment Therapy! Eloise got sunglasses. We learned how to install Eloise’s new convertible car seat & tried peanut butter for the first time!

April. We celebrated Eloise’s first Easter. Aaron & I got an Easter dinner date while Eloise stayed with her Aunt Sarah & Uncle Ben. We drove north to Skagit Valley & stayed in a house in La Conner with Grammie. We visited the tulip festival. Eloise had her first taste of watermelon. We flew across the country to visit Aaron’s family, first to Charlotte.

May. We continued our trip from Charlotte to Indy to visit more of Aaron’s family. Eloise got to meet her great grandpa Neal & great grandma Eileen. I celebrated my first Mother’s Day! The Gilbertsons were also in Indy {coincidence? I think not!} Aaron took a short work trip to Vegas. We celebrated Aaron’s birthday with brunch at our favorite, Portage Bay Café. We took Eloise to her first Mariner’s game.

June. Eloise visited the dentist for the first time & got two thumbs up! Eloise started swim lessons at Greenlake on Saturday mornings. We flew to Boise to celebrate my dad’s birthday & Aaron’s first Father’s Day.

July. We introduced Eloise to all of the neighbors (not just our immediate ones) & she participated in our neighborhood’s annual Fourth of July Parade. Aaron & I got a date night to see Wicked. We drove to Boise (again!) for a week with my family & to celebrate my sister Keri’s wedding! I met up with Amanda for a girls’ night out with dinner & a documentary screening of Having It All (which was about work-life balance after kids & it was honestly a little depressing!).

August. Aaron & I celebrated our FIVE year wedding anniversary! Grammie came to visit. We threw Eloise an awesome first birthday party (see the DIYs here)! On August 10th at 12:20 pm Eloise turned one! Eloise had her one year photo shoot. We traded in our old VW for a new one. We started our big yard project with landscape design. We attended lots & lots of first birthday parties for our friends. Eloise participated in her second lab study at the UW. Aaron chopped down all of our laurel hedges & we had the stumps ground down.

September. We met Grammie on the Oregon coast for Labor Day. We went to toddler story time at our local library branch (formally we went to the infant story time). Our good friend Colt came into town for a visit, & we all went north to Orcas Island to celebrate the Steward nuptials. Sadie celebrated her 11th birthday! Our backyard make-over started with sod removal, & sprinkler & sod installation.

October. Sadie got a clean bill of health at her annual exam appointment with the vet. We celebrated our fourth year of blogging her at Emerald City Diaries (see by very first blog post here). We ventured south to Texas. We stayed with one of my BFFs & her sweet little family, & explored the best of San Antonio! Then we headed to Austin to celebrate the Anderson nuptials. We celebrated Halloween early & débuted our family Flintstone costumes at Ben & Sarah’s annual Ghouls Near Greenlake party. Then we donned our costumes again for Halloween – two PEPS get-together, the neighborhood costume parade, & Eloise’s first year of trick-or-treating!

November. Meg & her daughter Violet came to visit (which was fun since we just saw them in Texas!). We had our family Christmas card photo shoot at Greenlake (& see the video here). Eloise started at daycare a few days per week (& promptly got herself & everyone else sick after just one day). We hosted the second annual Friendsgiving feast & it was lovely. We took a day trip out to Black Diamond to visit our friends Grifan & Blakely, & to see their new house. We drove to Boise to celebrate Turkey Day. I got my hair cut – yes! We had lunch with my old friend Paige (& her family) who I met in pre-school. We had a big reunion dinner with the CBC girls, the husbands, & our kiddos. We celebrated Thanksgiving & Eloise dressed up like a turkey, despite us all being SO sick.

December. Now an annual tradition, I participated in #PinterestChristmas2015 {see my posts here, here, here, & here, & the Linky Party here}. Eloise wasn’t super happy about meeting Santa again at Nordstrom this year. Aaron got a new job (still at Microsoft!) which he starts in January! I made an unexpected trip to the ER (I am good now!) & Eloise had her first sleepover. We went to WildLights at the Woodland Park Zoo. We spent Christmas Eve in our jammies all day. Santa brought Eloise a tiny kitchen for Christmas, we started a tradition of eating Christmas tacos, & did lots of FaceTiming with family far away. My chair re-upholster project was featured as a Best of 2015 on Apartment Therapy! We cleaned out the office! My family – dad, mom, sister – ventured up to Seattle for a late Christmas celebration. We rang in the New Year with the best views of the city!

Dare I say this was the #bestyearever? (which is apparently what I say every year!) This year was such a wonderful & amazing year, & sometimes I have to pinch myself that it is all real & true (not to say it hasn’t also been a really tough year too, being a mama is so hard!). That said, I am welcoming 2016 with open arms & cannot wait to see what’s in store for us!

M

{see past highlights: 2011, 2012, 2013, & 2014}

{image via}

happy, happy 2015!

here we go with my favorite post of the year: the recap of all the things we did in 2014.

this was an absolutely fantastic year – I dare say the BEST year we’ve ever had – I just can’t believe it is already the end of december. where did the year go? I guess time really does fly when you are having fun. or when you are growing a baby. or doing a house remodel. or both at the same time. but I digress.

january. we kicked off the new year with our living room being featured in the West Elm catalog! kendra & I started the friday I’m in love series {& recruited mary beth, amanda, & laura to join in on the fun!}. I took a quick trip to boise for a baby shower for my old friend beth & her baby boy – what a fun reunion!

february. we made a big announcement on valentine’s day {spoiler: I was pregnant!}. we started the weekly photo project for baby lower {project baby}; see all of the posts & pictures here. we celebrated my 29th birthday with a house full of friends!

march. we started cleaning out the basement in preparation for the house remodel. we kicked off our season tickets to the theater with the lion king. we started moving everything out of our basement to various places for storage. I made it halfway thru my pregnancy!

april. I shared a nursery moodboard for baby lower. we officially broke ground on our house remodel – no turning back! just a few weeks in, the most dramatic work was completed on the house: the lift. amanda threw me & baby lower a beautiful shower! my grandmother passed away at the age of 91.

may. we got hooked on game of thrones & did an episode binge until we were caught up! the new foundation & footings were poured at the house. I passed my glucose test & started projects for the nursery! another quick trip to boise to celebrate jen & baby everson! peony season! we celebrated aaron’s birthday with a staycation – it was awesome!

june. we travelled to indiana to visit family & friends. erin & colt got married! we got drywall at the house! I had the great pleasure of co-hosting a brunch for amanda & baby boy! we travelled to boise to see family & friends, & to celebrate the life of my late grandmother. my wonderful friends jen & beth threw me & baby lower a beautiful baby sprinkle.

july. we celebrated the fourth of july in the usual manner – attending our neighborhood’s annual parade. we were ecstatic about our new exterior paint! aaron, sadie, & I had a fun {maternity} photo shoot at golden gardens. we started parenting classes, including childbirth, & learned so much! I started nesting. I started my maternity leave {at the beginning of week 38}. we started moving back into our house!

august. we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. we aaron painted the stripes on the nursery ceiling. we saw the book of mormon & sara bareilles in concert. we did my last weekly picture {which we didn’t know at the time, obviously, but picked up another watermelon just in case for week 40!}. we had a BABY! we brought eloise home, introduced her to sadie, & started her weekly picture project.

september. we had lots of visitors: aaron’s parents & my mom. we adjusted to life with a new baby & took our first trip to target! eloise had her newborn photo shoot. I shared eloise’s birth story. we transitioned eloise into her crib. aaron & I went on our first date since becoming parents.

october. I returned to pure barre after a nine week hiatus. eloise turned two months! I revealed eloise’s safari nursery. I shared the diy sputnik chandelier I made for our stairwell. eloise took her first flight & we made a quick trip to boise. we celebrated eloise’s first halloween – cutest ladybug ever!

november. I got out eloise’s birth announcements. eloise started to master tummy time. eloise wore overalls & then promptly grew out of them. we finally got eloise a bouncer seat – why did we wait so long? sadie decided eloise wasn’t so scary & accepted her into the family pack. I shared eloise’s dresser update. eloise found her hand. we finally caved & started a fresh milk & egg delivery – again, why did we wait so long? eloise started to roll. we entered into sleep regression – boo! we celebrated friendsgiving with lots of friends! we hosted my mom & dad for thanksgiving. we got our first snow of the season!

december. I participated in #PinterestChristmas2014 {see here, here, & here}. eloise’s aunt kelly sent the most perfect santa hat, & she wore it every day of december! eloise met santa at nordstrom. we got together with close friends & their babes {each babe is two months apart, starting in april & ending in october!}. I managed to get out christmas cards this year – made by yours truly! we celebrated christmas with my family.

our year was absolutely magical. how was your 2014?

M

{see past highlights: 2011, 2012, & 2013}