When I look back at 2017, all I can remember is the overwhelming task of selling our house and moving to our new house! There was so much stress and work involved, and even more work to do in our new house, that it seems like it took up most of our time the entire year! However, our photos from 2017 tell a different story– I was amazed to see that we actually managed to cram in a whole lot more in between the packing, moving and and unpacking!
Here’s our 2017 in review!
JANUARY:
Meredith turned the big ONE.
Despite running out of gas on the way to the party and not having much time left to set up, Meredith’s Teddy Bear Picnic Party was my favorite party of all time!
FEBRUARY:
Once Meredith started walking, a few weeks after her first birthday, the twins exclaimed, “She’s a toddler!” Yup. It’s official.
Valentine’s Day and fun in the midst of being forced to keep our house clean for showings at any given time.
MARCH:
Happy 4th birthday, Samantha and Amelia!
My assessment of the girls’ first time at Disneyland: “So, basically, we could have stayed at home and gone to the park, splash pad and pool for free and the girls would have been just as happy. But then we wouldn’t have been able to experience family bonding through the exhausting, tantrum-inducing sugar and sensory-overload that is the magic of Disney!”
St. Patrick’s Day and taking advantage of the nice weather to hit the beach.
Learning to ride bikes!
APRIL:
Happy Easter and Happy Birthday, Mommy!
Beach camping in San Clemente.
It’s not spring without strawberry picking.
MAY:
Happy Mother’s Day!
Sammy gets glasses and Meredith gets her first hair cut.
The twins enjoyed being polar bears for their gymnastics recital.
Fun with Grandpa, the Kagels and Gerin’s in Mission Bay, San Diego for Ben’s law school graduation.
JUNE:
Farewell to our beloved neighborhood friends!
New house chaos and cooling off in the summer heat.
Happy Father’s Day!
Swim lessons at Miss Conni’s and dance recital.
JULY:
Happy 4th!
Enjoying our neighborhood water park, a superhero-themed Vacation Bible School and picking out American Girl dolls.
Our Pioneer Day trip to Utah with the Gerins! We had a blast river rafting, exploring Park City, hiking to waterfalls, going to the Tracy Aviary with Aunt Sarah, and hanging out in Grammy’s backyard!
AUGUST:
On our way back from Utah, we took a detour to Cedar Breaks and loved our breathtaking hikes through the red rock and meadows.
A morning at Crystal Cove.
And the award for first twin to break her arm goes to… Samantha! The twins still refer to that zipline where she broke it as “The park where Sammy broke her arm!”
SEPTEMBER:
First day of preschool!
Raspberry and apple picking.
Breakfast with the mermaids, cooling off in the pool and yoga!
Fall pics.
OCTOBER:
Visiting the pumpkin patch with Grammy and Grandpa.
Legoland with the Gerins.
Hailey’s first birthday and Meredith tags along to a preschool field trip to Zoomars.
Aunt Sarah joined us at the water park, the pool and beach and took some adorable photos!
Happy Halloween from Harry Potter and Hermoine, Samantha the mouse, Amelia the cat and Meredith the owl.
NOVEMBER:
School pics!
Trying to block out morning sickness while running the Color Run and hanging out in San Diego with Lucero and her family.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Post-Thanksgiving trip to Aunt Linda and Uncle David’s and fun at the Living Desert Zoo.
DECEMBER:
Gender Reveal– it’s a girl!
Christmas recital and seeing the neighborhood lights with the Nguyens.
Preschool Santa visit and Christmas carol sing-along.
Celebrating Hanukkah with the Kagels and Gerins and exciting excursions to the beach and Knott’s with Grammy and Grandpa.
Merry Christmas!
Post-Christmas trip to San Francisco while the girls had fun at home with Grammy and Grandpa.
And that’s a wrap, 2017!
We asked the twins a few questions about their year and even when one answered first, they tended to agree with teach other…
Favorite part of 2017: Playing in Grammy’s backyard and swimming in our pool
Least Favorite part of 2017: MOVING!
Thing they like best about our new house: the craft room and the pool
Things they miss about our old house: their bedrooms, our herb garden and the garage play area?!!
Favorite party: Meredith’s Teddy Bear Picnic 1st Bday
Favorite theme park: Disneyland
Favorite trip: Utah
Favorite holiday: tie between Christmas and 4th of July
Favorite part of preschool: their birthday celebration and snacks/crafts, freeze dance (Amelia)
Favorite winter activity: sledding
Favorite spring activity: picking strawberries and Easter egg hunt
Favorite summer activity: the beach, going to the water park and riding bikes
Favorite fall activity: pumpkin patch
Activity they want to do again soon: camping
Most grievous injury (Samantha): breaking her leg
Most grievous injury (Amelia): hurting her knee badly while running down a hill and tripping
Most grievous injury (Meredith): getting bit by a lorikeet bird at the zoo
Biggest accomplishment (twins): mastering all the letters, beginning to read, and getting good at folding laundry
Biggest accomplishment (Meredith): walking and talking
Favorite class: Primary
Least favorite class: swimming lessons
Favorite game: Pie Face and What Time is it, Mr. Fox
Favorite gift: new frilly nightgown pajamas from Santa
Favorite everyday activities: picking flowers and making bouquets for mommy, scootering/biking around the neighborhood, coloring and crafts and playing “family” and “family picnic” with Meredith and their dolls
What they look forward to most about 2018: new baby sister!
Lots of love,
