It's time again for my virtual holiday card. I truly enjoy writing this post every year. It forces me to sit down and go through all the photos in my phone. I am reminded of all the small, special moments we experienced during a crazy year. It also makes me incredibly grateful and humbled that over 23 thousand of you are still here and show support to my little creative corner of the internet.
Since we just got our family photos done, I figured it would be the perfect time to write this post.
A funny (well, funny now!) story about this holiday shoot is shared at the end of this post!
This year was definitely a year filled with firsts. So many firsts. First time homeschooling. First time being a teletherapist! First time both of kids rode their bikes without training wheels. Kenzie played her first season of softball. Well, I use 'season' lightly. She played two games and then COVID hit and shut everything down. She learned that she loves dance more than softball and probably has hung up her glove for good. But I'm so proud of her for trying something new. We also got to experience our first year of drive through birthday celebrations. To be completely honest, I hope these stay around! My kids got so excited to decorate our car and drive by friends and teachers' houses to wish them a happy birthday!
In June we jumped into the world of milkweed, caterpillars, and butterflies. This was such a fun learning experience for us all. Watching the lifecycle of a butterfly is absolutely amazing. But clearly raising caterpillars just wasn't enough and we decided to also get a Goldendoodle puppy! Our little Chip joined our family on June 19. You can read the whole post about our little guy here.
In July I tried paddle boarding for the first time! It was such a fun girls day out on the water. July also brought the grand opening of the new Pier here in St. Pete and our annual trip to Rainbow River. Kameron started speech and had his first therapy session with Ms. Bethany on July 1!
School started back up in August. We decided to send both kids back to school instead of continuing the virtual option. They have both had a fantastic year so far. In September my car was in a crazy freak accident while parked in my office parking lot (I shouldn't be surprised, after all it is 2020!) We joined the Elks Lodge (what we call our neighborhood clubhouse!) Kameron started his first season of T-Ball (no more pre-tee for this big guy!) He was awarded Most Improved Player.
November was a big, emotional month. It brought us a new family member. My sister gave birth to my niece, Willa Blue! We also lost a family member. On November 20th, my grandpa gained his wings and made it to Heaven. He was such a special man. I am so glad that my kids got to know their Great Grandpa so well.
And now here we are in December. This year has been one like no other. I think my biggest take away from the year is to slow down. COVID forced us to slow down and say 'No' to so many things that we think we have to do. I have learned that a slower life is a happier, richer life. My kids don't need to be involved in every activity. It's ok if we miss a practice. It's ok to not check your email at 8pm. It's ok to say no to things that don't bring us joy. In the words of Living with Landyn, "If it's not a hell yes, it's a no."
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being here. Thank you for reading my posts. Thank you for supporting my TpT store. I read every review. I celebrate every sale. I truly enjoy having every single one of you along with me for this ride.
Merry Christmas.
Happy Holidays.
and cheers to an even Happier New Year!
As promised, here is the behind the scenes story of this photo shoot!
Oh this is a shoot I will always remember. Ready for this Instagram vs. reality story? So about 15 mins before these sweet family pictures were taken, I had to wrestle a dead squirrel out of that cute little puppy’s mouth. My bloody hands had to be edited out of these pictures. (By the way, the cute puppy is now named Cujo) And the whole situation caused me to almost pass out! I had to use a cold can of Busch Lite to ice my wounds. It's ok, you can laugh. I laugh about it, too. I will always remember this shoot and the story behind it.
Thank you to Erika Johnson Photography for always capturing our family so perfectly (dead squirrel and all!)
