looking back on 2011

January.

In January we kicked off a new year by visiting Legoland for the first time. Matthias loves legos and he was in lego heaven! And much of lego land is geared toward smaller kiddos–so David loved it too!

February.

Adoption was our theme for February and my twin sister shared her adoption story. It’s a truly beautiful story of how God worked to bring my amazing nieces into our family. You can read all four chapters here.

March.

In March we launched our home decor line. I was incredibly excited to expand our line in this new way–and you all have been so supportive and excited alongside. Thank you!

April.

in April, Matthias learned to ride a bike. you can watch the seriously hilarious video here.

May.

In May I reflected on four things my mother taught me, some beautiful things. You can read the post here.

June.

Steve and I flew to Seattle because I was speaking at a conference. And it turned out to be a magical, much needed getaway for us. Mmmm, I hope we can go back soon!

July.

We borrowed an adorable trailer went camping with a big group of friends and had a blast! The kids were filthy dirty all weekend and we ate tons of delicious camping food. Good times.

 August.

This was big–we flew across the pond to visit cousins in England. It was such a sweet time of bonding and exploring a new place. The boys did great and we fell in love with our family over there. I miss them every day.

Septemeber.

Steve and I had the incredible opportunity to attend the movie premiere of Machine Gun Preacher in LA with Gerard Butler. We created a necklace to raise money for orphans in the Sudan. We were thrilled to be involved in this project.

October.

Photos photos and more photos! We spent days shooting all new photos in preparation for the launch of our new website. The whole project was so much work–involving some very talented and creative people. And i love the new website. Our team rocks!

November.

This month felt so good and so hard. David made some huge strides developmentally {climbing stairs, climbing onto tables} which made my heart sing and my mind race. I wore myself out trying to keep him safe all the time and worrying about what he would do next. We’ve been adjusting our home to make it more David-safe. I’m also trying to relax and let him try new things. And here and there making time to sneak away with my sister and recharge. Time with her feeds my soul. So good.

December.

December brought the sweetest time of the year and time to reflect on our Savior’s birth. We celebrated with family in Omaha and enjoyed the chilly weather and lazy days. It also brings one pretty amazing year to a close.

Wow, looking back it’s been a HUGE year filled with so many blessings. And I can’t believe how much my boys have grown. It makes me feel nostalgic and even a little sad. Time goes to quickly! I want to remember to be present in each moment and to take lots of pictures.

What were a couple of your highlights from 2011? Please share!