My year started off busier than usual, so I feel like February has been my month to finally get a chance to really sit back and reflect on 2011. Instead of a slideshow, I thought I would post the highlights of last year for our family. You won’t believe how much the kids have grown! I tried to go easy on the number of photos. (Very hard to do!)

2011 started off with a visit from John’s brother, which was such a bright point in an otherwise boring month. We really miss him!

Look how little baby Joss was! Eeep! So cute that Uncle Mark fed her. Awwwww.

Throwing Miles his Dr. Suess party was so much fun.

Last winter was a nightmare of six months of ear infections that left Miles nearly deaf throughout them and made people wonder what was going on him socially. (That was super horrible.) Getting tubes in his ears was the BEST thing to happen to all of us. He hasn’t had an ear infection since and he instantly improved socially. Yay! Here he is right before surgery, which he didn’t feel at all and wasn’t even phased by. Easiest life changing fix ever.

Myrtle Beach reunited us with John’s family and introduced our kids to the beach, which Miles was NUTS about. Wonderful, wonderful memories. So blessed John’s family hosted us.

So many precious memories playing with the kids.

It was a summer of fun on Miles’ bike. This spring means a big bike and hopefully never training wheels. His little sis is already ready for that hand me down. Oh and John and I don’t have bikes. (Yea, we are total losers.) So we need to finally get all our family on wheels in 2012.

Miles became super close with the neighbor boy, even though they couldn’t be more opposite!

Our pugs brought us another year of love into our lives and are going strong. (They are going to live forever!)

Summer memories of swimming in either blow up pools or our friend’s pools are all so wonderful.

This was the year Jocelyn went from a baby to a toddler. I have soaked up every little minute of all the big changes.

2011: The year of all things Angry Birds.

Painting our piano yellow was a pretty awesome addition to our life. (Thank you for the free piano Michele!)

Jocelyn turned one and it was precious.

John and I left both of our kids at home for a day of fun at King’s Island for his birthday. We had NEVER done that. It was MIND BLOWINGLY awesome! We want to make this a tradition every summer. (Disclaimer: if Kings Island had composed their photo better, instead of posing us next to a black square, I would have actually bought the print. I’m not usually a cheapskate with photos.)

We hung out with our new besties, Ken and Erin so much this past year and have had so many great memories with them. They love our kids too, which kind of blows my mind as the luckiest thing ever.

Daily walks with the pugs.

Neighbors who share their playset!

Johnny Appleseed Festival. The best weekend of the year!!!!

Call me cheesy, but going to Disney World was seriously the most amazing trip ever. I went as someone who was “ehhhh” about all things Disney and I’m now a card carrying Disney FREAK. I think back to that trip all the time and I’m constantly remembering that glorious time and dreaming of going back. It was such a wonderful, magical trip that I’ll cherish forever.

Halloween, our whole family’s favorite holiday, didn’t disappoint. (It was clearly very Disney influenced!)

I not only went back to work after my maternity leave, but I totally changed my business structure to offering just one package. This meant not being able to please everyone and going out on a major limb. (I know many thought I was crazy!) It ended up being an awesome change for my life and my clients have all loved their packages. So thankful for my clients who believed in me! After years of stressfully struggling to balance my family and work, I finally had a season that didn’t drain me.

Flying to Puerto Rico for our best friend’s wedding!

2011 was such an amazing year of laughter, health, travel (BILLS!), blessings, friendship and of boundless love. We feel such gratitude.

I look at 2012 and I think it couldn’t possibly hold a candle to all the wonderful adventures that last year held. I also know this time last year we had no idea of all the awesome things in store for us, so I’m sure this year will blow us away as well. For now, we are still catching our breath.

Thanks for coming along for the ride with us. Who knows what 2012 will bring?!