2024: A Year in Review
We started out last January with a 3 month old and a newly 2 year old. It's amazing how much and how quickly they've grown up and changed over the past year!
.png)
There was lots of sister matching this month thanks to new Christmas outfits from Grandma.
In February we were thrilled to have the chance to travel for the first time in a year. We chose to visit New Orleans, Louisiana to check off a new state and to check out its unique cultural mix. Highlights were the French Quarter, Garden District, a plantation/ swamp airboat tour, zoo, WWII Museum, and Mardi Gras World.
We loved it and thought it was a gorgeous city! I have a thing for old southern mansions, David has a thing for southern food, and we're both history nerds.. so it was a good fit for us. Traveling with 2 kids for the first time went surprisingly well.. partially thanks to my mom coming along to help :)
In March, we really got into the St. Patrick's Day spirit by booking a trip to Ireland.
Baby Rosalie turned 6 months old!
Magnolia discovered Frozen. Since then that love has morphed into an obsession with every Disney princess. And everyone in our family knows every Frozen song, including baby sister.
We celebrated an early Easter at the end of the month.
In April, Magnolia started her first ballet class. She absolutely adored her teacher.. me lol. I've been teaching dance since I was a teenager, and it was a dream come true to include my own adorable tutu-clad toddler in something I've loved since I was a little girl.
She did amazing despite being the youngest in the class, and has continued to really enjoy dance class ever since.
We started out May by crossing the pond and visiting a new country for all of us... the Emerald Isle. Despite having 3 grandparents along to help, the trip did not exactly go smoothly. We visited Dublin, the Cliffs of Moher, the Rock of Cashel, and more. Click the links for details lol. Despite the mishaps, we're still so happy that we had the chance to explore some of beautiful Ireland. We'll be back someday with older kids. :)
Shout out to Rosie for surprising us by saying her first words- Dada and Mama- while in Ireland. That was exciting.
In June we had so much fun playing outside. Bubbles, parks, chalk, splash pads, and a little pool kept the girls entertained and made my blindingly white skin one slight shade tanner than normal lol.
Our little Magnolia turned 2.5. She grew almost 5 inches in the first half of the year! She also got a lot more independent and opinionated. She's gotten a lot more into arts and crafts and is content to paint, color, or do stickers for a long time on her own.
In July we enjoyed the traditional patriotic festivities.
We also finally took the girls to the Milwaukee Zoo for the first time. Magnolia was in heaven seeing the animals. Rosalie was a little too young to notice the animals, but thoroughly enjoyed people watching and waving to everyone from the train.
In August we made our yearly trip to the Kelley Country Creamery sunflower field.
Rosalie took her first steps!
We ended the summer with a last trip. We hadn't traveled with our whole family since 2019, so we were overdue. We all stayed in a house in Door County and the toddlers had a blast being together.
Then for another few days we drove farther north to the tip of Michigan and took the ferry to Mackinac Island. It's fun to step back in time staying somewhere with no cars allowed. Magnolia still talks about "going on the boat with my cousin" and "riding in the princess carriage."
At the beginning of September, our not so tiny baby Rosalie Belle turned 1! We had such a lovely year with her. Much like her big sister, she is sweet, adorable, and smart. So far she is more adventurous than Magnolia (much more of a climber!) and is also more sensitive. We're so excited to see more of her personality come out this year.
We visited an apple orchard, got our pumpkins, and had fun outside before it got cold.
Magnolia started ballet at a new studio (with a non-mom teacher).
October is usually my favorite month. That was not the case this year.
But thankfully we still had a lot of happy moments and memories with the girls.
It was the first year that Maggie was excited about trick or treating. Rosie was mostly just cold and confused, but she did look adorable in her Chip costume.
After months of appointments and medications starting in the summer, we did our 5th embryo transfer on October 24th. Logically we knew it wasn't a guarantee that we'd bring home another baby as a result, but that's what we were hoping and expecting. Unfortunately it failed.
Honestly, November was kind of a survival month after that big disappointment. I tried my best to keep going out and about with the girls. Thanksgiving meant themed holiday outfits, which is kind of my thing (if you haven't noticed).
Christmas joy in December has helped me feel much more back to normal. It's hard not to be happy with these two little girls experiencing Christmas magic.
We loved having a white Christmas!
Our last excitement of the year was Magnolia's 3rd birthday. She had a princess tea party. In some ways she's so grown up and in some ways she's still our baby. We're so proud of her!
If you made it through this novel, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year/ Joyeux Noël et Bonne année! We're excited for 2025.
Past years:
2023 (Welcoming Rosalie, Magnolia becoming a toddler)
2022 (Magnolia's first year, Texas, Las Vegas, Utah, Paris)
2021 (Tragedy and joy- losing a child and bringing one home, Charleston and Savannah trip)
2018 (Poland, Sicily, moving back to America, NYC, Hawaii)
Comments
Post a Comment