Our year in review - 2015

This year we welcomed sweet Jane into our now family of four. Chris was promoted at work, and is enjoying the challenge of his new position. He is also still plugging away at grad school, something we hope to see the end of in 2016. One of my goals for last year was to embrace fully both home and work life. I went PRN last February so that I could also teach a clinical at our local community college and at the same time, I delved into stay-at-home-mom life. After both of these experiences, and particularly after having Jane, I am definitely enjoying my time with the girls more! Eleanor has grown so much and is truly a little kid now, with her own opinions and desires. Jane is still basically a newborn, but every so often we see her little personality shine.

(For past years, click the following links: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.)

January: We spent New Years with friends, went to basketball games, Chris went to a skiing weekend/bachelor party for his brother while I attended his (now wife's!) fiancee's bridal shower.

February: We had crazy snow (for Williamsburg!), more basketball games, and got into crafting.

March: Surprisingly, there was more snow, but the highlight of the month was a trip to Seattle and Bend for Robert and Joanna's wedding!

April: We celebrated Easter with family, took a trip up to northern Virginia, visited Colonial Williamsburg quite a bit, and Chris had a successful One Tribe, One Day effort at work.

May: We got a season pass to Busch Gardens for the first time, went to the Williamsburg Craft Beer Fest with family, celebrated Mother's Day by having an impromptu barbecue in our backyard with 40 of our closest friends (meaning, whoever was available with no plans as of that morning!), went strawberry picking for the first time, and celebrated Memorial Day/my dad's birthday in Leesburg.

June: The weather turned and we enjoyed all the river beaches around us as well as a local reservoir. With all that swimming, Eleanor took a swim lesson. We went blueberry picking, celebrated Father's Day, and did lots more Busch Gardens.

July: We celebrated the 4th of July in Lorton, more Busch Gardens (this time with Chris!), more river time, and Chris and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary with a trip to Rhode Island that also served as a pre-Jane babymoon.

August: My last full month as a mama of one! I had a girls' reunion weekend with my college roomates. We went to Emerald Isle with Chris' family, and Eleanor turned two! We celebrated with a birthday party at home.

September: We went to Rehoboth Beach with my family, and nine days later, Jane was born...two weeks early! We celebrated Labor Day close to home (thankfully!), and Chris turned 30.

October: My Aunt Eileen visited from California, we went pumpkin picking and celebrated Halloween - my favorite one to date. We also went to Homecoming and my grandparents (and Eleanor and Jane's great grandparents) came to visit from Texas!

November: Chris went to Michigan and I went to a high school friend's wedding. We celebrated Thanksgiving in northern Virginia, and basketball season began again (Jane's first season)!

December: This year, so many things were so much more fun to do because Eleanor was truly experiencing the holiday for the first time with anticipation. We had several fun weekends full of Christmas activities. I also went back to work, and therefore, Jane started daycare. We celebrated Christmas with our families, and closed the year so grateful for our family and community.

2015 was full of growth and good changes for our family. It was a full and joyful year. 2016 is looking quieter and we are looking forward to that, too. Onward to 2016...!