Our Year in Review - 2024

2024 started off in a comfortable rhythm and then halfway through the year I feel like our family rapidly transitioned into a new season...one that involves more independence from our kids, middle school and the increased activity-level it entails, and lots of growth. The year has not been without growing pains, but overall it has been a sweet transition. While we navigate this shift, we have still been investing in each other, trying to maintain some good family time, and have loved spending time with our extended family and our friends. 

(For past years, click the following links: 

2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.)

January: We celebrated New Years and the kids did our neighborhood polar plunge. Eleanor finished up cub scouts receiving her arrow of light. Jane got to play basketball at a William & Mary game's half time. We got school pictures back and the Ben ran his first 5k.

February: We celebrated Valentine's Day and the kids got to go to their first school dance. I was inducted as a CASA and then started a temporary job with them covering their program director's maternity leave. We did more kid dates.

March: Eleanor participated in cotillion and was on her school's Battle of the Books competition team. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Easter. Basketball season for the kids ended and we went to several of our local schools' plays. Rosie lost her two front teeth and we visited Jamestown Settlement!

April: We spent spring break more locally this year visiting D.C. We went to the Botanic Gardens, the National Gallery, the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, the National Archives and Natural History Museums. Lacrosse season was in full swing, the kids got to watch the eclipse at school and we got spring pictures. Eleanor had her spring chorus performance of Jukebox Time Machine. We also wrapped up more kid dates.

May: I went on a field trip to KelRae Farms with Kindergarten, and the kids participated in the Reflections contest. We got lots of artwork home nearing the end of the year and celebrated Mother's Day. The lacrosse season ended and we went to a baseball game. Eleanor competed in a Lego-Robotics scrimmage, I watched the rehearsals for the Kindergarten performance of How Does Your Garden Groove, and we took our family vacation. We went to Jackson Hole for a family wedding, went to the rodeo, Idaho Falls, and added a few National Parks onto the trip! We did the Grand Tetons (twice), Yellowstone, and Rocky Mountain National Park.

June: Eleanor had her spring band performance and graduated from 5th grade. The Garbers came to visit from Colorado and we met our new niece! I got to go to a Kindergarten end of year picnic and Xtra fun day in 3rd grade. I volunteered at field day and then the kids had their last day of school, extra bittersweet for me as it was the only year they were all in the same school together. Swim season kicked into high gear, we celebrated Father's Day, and went tubing with neighbors. Ben lost his first tooth (!) and we had lots of artwork to show off. Eleanor also got baptized, it's been a huge year for her!

July: We celebrated the 4th of July and wrapped up more kid dates. Lots of family came to visit, and we took the kids to see Switchfoot. Most of the month was taken up by swim, and we did VBS at church!

August: Swim season ended with a trip to Champs for all four kids! It was a month of travel - the big girls headed to Summer's Best Two Weeks for the first time, the twins spent the time at Grandma and Dave's in Round Hill, and Chris and I went to Italy! We went to Rome (day 1, 2, and 3), Pompeii and Sorrento, Capri, and hiked Path of the Gods on the Amalfi Coast. We celebrated Eleanor's birthday - she turned 11! Eleanor tried out for and made the middle school volleyball team, and at the end of the month, the kids headed back to school.

September: We celebrated Labor Day Weekend and Chris' birthday this month! We also celebrated Jane's birthday - she turned 9! We wrapped up another round of kid dates and went to a Tribe football game. Eleanor attended her first school dance and walked in the JHS parade with her volleyball team, while the rest of the kids walked with their elementary school.

October: Eric came to visit and we went to a new park, the kids spent a weekend with grandma while Chris and I went to New Hampshire for a wedding. We celebrated Halloween and Eleanor trick-or-treated with friends for the first time.

November: We celebrated Ben and Rosie's birthdays - they turned 7! Soccer season wrapped up and right before daylight savings ended, I completed the Century Ride on the Capital Trail. We had more kid dates, celebrated Thanksgiving in Round Hill, kicked field goals, and visited Harper's Ferry.

December: Chris traveled to Seattle to surprise a friend, we all ran a 5K, the kids did a pageant and we went to the Christmas parade. We celebrated Christmas (2024), visited Papa Laser in Arlington and did the Tidal Basin. We went to Christmas Town, walked CW to see the wreaths, and went ice skating (links and posts coming soon).

We pray 2025 is good to each of you and sees you healthy and happy. 

Our Year in Review - 2023

2023 brought some big changes - the biggest of which was the transition to all four kids in school for the first time. This also started our golden year of all four kids at the same school for the only time ever. Chris continued his hybrid work schedule of two(ish) days home and three in the office and started and finished a certificate program related to his work. I started working part-time in September which has been a great fit because it's from home and flexible. I also became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). Eleanor is enjoying her last year of elementary school, and still enjoys a pretty wide variety of activities at various points during the year including chorus, Battle of the Books, flute, and sports. Jane's primary loves are sports and the arts, ranging from painting to crafting to dancing and she is thriving in third grade. Ben has turned into quite the class clown and loves school and being silly but is mostly well-behaved. Rosie is finding her stride in Kindergarten, is bright and loves learning, as well as doing all the things her sisters do, but also loves to just play at home with Ben.

(For past years, click the following links: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.) 

January: We celebrated New Year's with friends and a polar plunge, the twins were cute, as always, school pictures happened, lots of artwork was produced, and Eleanor had a chorus performance.

February: We started some one-on-one kid dates, went to a W&M men's basketball game, the girls did the Pinewood Derby through scouts, the marina in our neighborhood was dredged, we celebrated Valentine's Day, and had a cool sleepover at the Virginia Living Museum.

March: The kids had several field trips, we spent time down at the marina and in CW, celebrated St. Patrick's Day and nephews' birthdays, Shug and Rachael came to visit, I got to visit my grandparents in Texas, we and the girls wrapped up their first full basketball season.

April: We took a Spring Break trip to visit the National Parks starting in Arizona at the Grand Canyon, then heading to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, and then a failed trip to Rocky Mountain National Park, but a successful visit to our family in Colorado! We visited Jamestown Settlement, the girls found a new passion in lacrosse, we saw Bluey, did more kid dates, I went to see Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour in Florida, and we celebrated Easter.

May: Eleanor had a spring chorus concert and was John Brown in a wax museum, the girls ran the DOG 5k together, talked a lot about Papa Laser on the anniversary of his passing, celebrated Mother's Day, and lacrosse season ended. Ben and Rosie had a field trip to the Norfolk Zoo and finished preschool. We had several visitors from California, and celebrated Memorial Day.

June: Uncle Eric came to visit, Ben got to see a cool plane, we did more dates with the kids, and the girls finished school. More artwork was made, we took a trip to Wintergreen, swim season was fully underway, we did a day trip to Virginia Beach and went blueberry picking with cousins.

July: We celebrated the 4th of July, Chris (and the girls!) did a triathlon, we spent time at Busch Gardens, and the swim season officially wrapped up (top times). We did VBS at church.

August: We took our family vacation to Grandma and Dave's house, Eleanor had a birthday, turned 10, and got her ears pierced. I took her to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter for a special trip together. We did weekend getaways to Cape Charles and Young Life Family Camp before school started back up again - Ben and Rosie officially started Kindergarten!

September: We celebrated Labor Day, Jane had a birthday and turned 8, and we got to join family at Emerald Isle for a few days. Rosie got her hair cut for the first time and learned to rollerblade, we did more kid dates, the kids had a walk-a-thon at school, and we checked out Buckroe Beach.

October: The kids had a random day off school, Hurricane Ophelia blew through, Ben learned to rollerblade, Rosie lost her first tooth, and I took the girls to the Eras Tour movie! We also celebrated Halloween, had a soup potluck down at the marina, and Rosie and Ben had their first field trip to a pumpkin patch, and all four kids participated in a literary pumpkin contest at school. We did more kid dates, too!

November: Jane had a Veteran's Day performance at school, Ben and Rosie turned 6, and we celebrated Thanksgiving with family. Eleanor ran for SCA office and the kids played soccer. Ben also went golfing for the first time!

December: The kids did a Christmas pageant during small group, we decorated for Christmas, did the Christmas parade, and had the first kid ornament exchange (thanks to Chris). We went to Christmas Town, and wrapped up our year of kid dates, went ice skating in Colonial Williamsburg (thanks to Gaby), enjoyed the beautiful wreaths, and walked through the live nativity at our church. Eleanor had a chorus and band concert at school. We celebrated Christmas and it was lovely. 

We wish everyone a happy and hopefully healthy 2024 ahead. 

Our Year in Review - 2022

2022 was a challenging year for our family. We experienced a lot of loss, most significantly Papa Laser, and the kids had to grapple with tough concepts, some hard truths, and learn how to move forward despite knowing the world will never be exactly the same. At the same time, we had some amazing family time, and our community showed up in very tangible ways. We each accomplished some hard things (triathalons, swim meets, 5ks) and made some lasting memories. I think we are all hoping for a lighter 2023, but this was still a year full of love.

(For past years, click the following links: 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.)

January: We celebrated New Years with friends, went sledding, enjoyed more snow, the kids wrote silly notes, played family Clue and Do You Know Ben, celebrated artwork, and the twins enjoyed life.

February: We visited Grandma, got even more snow, enjoyed the weekends, celebrated President's Day and Valentine's Day, had a cousin weekend, Ben learned to ride his bike, and we enjoyed some music.

March: We went to visit Gaby and Papa Laser, stopped by Gravelly Point, and did some D.C. museums. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day, Rosie was herself, Aunt Holly and Uncle Mike came to visit, and met our new nephew.

April: We took a spring break trip to Cape Charles and Kiptopeke. The kids put on slackline shows and life continued as normal. We ran a 5K and Eleanor PRed. We celebrated Easter, and the twins got to shadow at school for a day.

May: Papa Laser gained his eternal reward and we were left here to mourn. I can't adequately express how that impacted the entire rest of our year, but the one small positive was that we got to see a lot more family this year than we had planned. Busch Gardens and Water Country opened back up. The girls had their dance performance and saw Beauty and the Beast at the local high school. I went to Chincoteague with my small group and soccer season ended.

June: I went to Portland with the sisters, the big and little twinned, school ended with art and a couple events, and swim began. We went to Lake Anna for a night and had some picnics.

July: Swim continued, and Ben swam in his first meet (the absolute highlight of my summer - I was so, so proud of him!). We celebrated the 4th of July, and we went back to Cape Charles to camp, Chris and I celebrated our 14th anniversary in Kitty Hawk, the girls did surf camp in Virginia Beach, and Chris and his brother completed an Olympic length triathlon. We participated in VBS.

August: Swim officially ended and I can't imagine we'll ever have a better season that this one. I got to see Hamilton for my birthday, we spent our vacation time in Round Hill, the twins started preschool, and the girls started 2nd and 4th grade. Eleanor turned 9 and had a party, and we spent time at Busch Gardens.

September: We went to Virginia Beach for Labor Day, had a date night at Busch Gardens, Jane turned 7 and had a party. Chris finished another lap around the sun and Chris and I both did Sprint triathlons and we swam a relay across the James River. Chris went to Colorado and we all went up to Arlington for Papa Laser's burial. 

October: Uncle Eric came down to visit, I went to visit my college roommates, we were blessed with another nephew, we enjoyed evenings down at the marina, the twins took a field trip to Holly Fork Farm, we went camping with scouts, and we celebrated Halloween.

November: We went to the Harry Potter Forbidden Forest Experience, and Ben turned 5, as did Rosie. They had a fun birthday, got to go to the Bounce House with Bonnie, and Rosie continues to come into her own personality. Soccer ended, we celebrated Jessie & Henry's marriage, as well as Thanksgiving.

December: So many fun things! We went to Christmas Town, the Williamsburg Christmas Parade, Grand Illumination, and participated in several nativities! The twins have been devouring Christmas books, we saw Santa, and we decorated cookies with friends. We enjoyed the traditional wreaths that decorate our colonial capital, went ice skating, and celebrated Christmas with our families. 

We welcome 2023 with open arms and pray that health and comfort follow you wherever you find yourselves this year. Here's to a new year!

Our year in review - 2021

This was another remarkable year as we surged forward into new routines in the midst of this pandemic. We homeschooled the girls for the first half of the year which was essentially a full-time job for me and put them back in the public school for 3rd and 1st grade this fall, where so far they are thriving. Chris continued working from home full-time through the summer and went back into the office 1 and then 3 days a week in September. He continues working from home twice a week. The oldest four in our family were able to get vaccines giving us a little more flexibility with exposures. Ben and Rosie spent the year at home with me, but are eagerly hoping for a chance to experience preschool next year. Eleanor and Jane had incredible swim seasons and Rosie and Ben both improved dramatically in their swim skills. We've made new friends, gotten new neighbors, and taken on new roles in our church and neighborhood. 

(For past years, click the following links: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008.)

January: We took walks on trails, spent quiet weekends at home laying low, and slow mornings together. The girls memorized their January poem, and Ben and Rosie went to the doctor.

February: We went to Florida for spring break, stayed at a fun resort, went to Disney, Blue Springs State Park, visited a couple local places, and then headed to Jacksonville to visit our friends. The school continued, the girls memorized their February poem, we did Reader's Theater, and we had a snow day. We celebrated Valentine's Day, Ben and Rosie continued to be silly.

March: The girls learned their March poem, we celebrated 100 days of school, Eleanor wrote a book, and we biked the island loop. We took a couple field trips to Mount Trashmore and the Matoaka Amphitheater. School pictures happened. The girls had an American Girl Tea Party with friends and we had a fun sleepover with Bonnie!

April: We took field trips to pick strawberries and lavender. The girls learned their April poem and Eleanor read scripture at church. We celebrated Easter, Rosie learned to ride a bike, the girls played golf, and Ben and Rosie enjoyed their High Five magazine from Aunt Holly and Uncle Mike.

May: We wrapped up our homeschool year, backyard soccer, moved the shed in our back yard, Shug and Rachael came to visit, and I had a small group girls weekend in Wintergreen. I rode the Capital Trail, we painted our shutters, went to the marina to see a rocket launch, and had a memorable Memorial Day Weekend. 

June: Chris and I went to Boston for a wedding, and then to West Virginia with mom and Dave. Swim season started and the girls had their first meets, we went blueberry picking, and Jane lost her first tooth!

July: We spent the Fourth of July at my mom's, flew to Florida for Eleanor to do surf camp, and spent tons of time at the pool. We also participated in family VBS at church.

August: Eleanor had a birthday, and so did I! Eleanor and Jane had their first joint birthday party. They wrapped up their swim seasons (at Champs for the first time!), and Ben and Rosie learned to swim.  We went down to watch the Fools' Regatta. We went tubing at the girls went back to school. Chris and I swam across the James River. We ate a ton of ice cream and went out on our neighbor's boat.

September: Both Chris and Jane had birthdays. Soccer season started. We wrapped up pool season. We went to Emerald Isle!

October: We went canoeing, sang songs, visited College Run Farms to pick pumpkins, tripped over cars, rollerbladed, and went to Virginia Beach. Grammy and Opa came to visit! We celebrated Halloween and went to a neighborhood potluck.

November: Ben and Rosie turned four! All four kids finished up their soccer seasons. We put a fireplace in our house. We played at the park, in the leaves, and even in the pool. We spent Thanksgiving with Chris' family and even got to visit the National Zoo!

December: We caroled with neighbors, went to Grand Illumination, saw Santa, and a train show. Eleanor and Jane ran their first 5K. We spent time at Christmas Town. We celebrated Christmas Eve and Christmas, albeit differently as our plans changed rapidly due to sickness.

As we close out 2021, we are so thankful. We are all healthy, have amazing family and community, and know the love of our Savior. We continue to be unsure how 2022 will look given constant newly emerging pandemic variants, but we are hopeful that the world will eventually settle into a new normal and we can all move forward in some fashion together. Happy New Year to all!