2013 in Review

I thought I would jump on the bandwagon and do a year in review...

I learned one thing...

I need to take more pictures.

MANY more pictures.

Fortunately, my sweet husband got me a new camera for Christmas.

So...here is the best of 2013!

January

My children and I flew to my Michigan parent's house after Christmas 2012,

and spent a wonderful week playing in the snow

and visiting family.

 My boys...I LOVE this picture.

 First experience in snow sports!

My kids, my Michigan parents, my brother and his family, and my sister and BIL.

February

February brought a cheering competition in Washington DC, 

so we camped out at the Mancave (D's apartment) for the weekend 

and had a wonderful  family dinner at the Army Navy Country Club.

Dinner at ANCC

 They secured first place!

That is my super star daughter in the front row (in the air) on the far right!

March

We visited my Virginia parents in Florida 

for a much needed week long vacation in Lido Beach.

We celebrated Easter with my Virginia parents later that month.

The view from our condo in Lido Beach..it was a little chilly that week!

 Virginia mom and the twins

April

April brought the birth of Suburban Charm, 

as well as my birthday and the Navy Submarine Birthday Ball.

(first time D went as a civilian...no mess dress!)

 I LOVE getting dressed up!

Happy Birthday to me!

May

My baby came home from her first year away at the University of Kansas!

Baseball season was in full swing!

I also tagged along on one of D's business trips 

and we stopped by my Michigan parents' on our way home!

After an unscheduled overnight in Cleveland due to mechanical difficulties,

we made it to Wisconsin the next morning with five minutes to spare before D's presentation.

LOVED going to a jazz gig my Michigan dad plays string bass in...it was FABULOUS!

Visiting the winery, 45 North, where my BIL works....tasting!

 Welcome home dinner with her RVA friends

BFFs

June

One word:

BASEBALL

(All Stars)

 

July

Baseball...they made it to the state tournament in Arlington, VA,

and we made it into a mini family vacation. 

We had Louisiana daughter visiting for the month and Kansas daughter for a week!

We also celebrated a birthday

and rounded out the month with a vacation and sailing lessons at my Michigan parent's house!

Louisiana daughter arrived for a month long visit!

The Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC

Ham of the Fam

 Cooling down in-between games

 My Michigan dad and my sibs...miss them so much!

Michigan mom, sis, and the triplets picking raspberries.

 Sailors

 All three qualified!

Birthday celebration with their cousins!

August

August brought another birthday and a trip to Cooperstown, NY

for the twins to participate in a baseball tournament at the

Baseball Field of Dreams.

And of course it was back to the University of Kansas for my oldest daughter.

 Birthday Girl

My girls the night before I left to take my baby back to Kansas.

It was an amazing week with great friends! 

My boys....someone hit their VERY first home run ever that week!

September

Back to school.

Middle school football.

Travel Baseball.

Varsity sideline cheering.

And NAVY football, including D's USNA 25th reunion!!!

It's her Junior year....YIKES!

My baby boy! I don't like it when he is tackled!

Playing QB

New travel team the "Virginia Cobra's"

My left-handed pitcher!

Our awesome season tickets!

 Tailgating!

D's BFF and fellow USNA grad, BT and his wife (also a BFF from his high school days)

October

More baseball, more football, more cheering, more USNA football games,

the ORC...which I STILL have yet to completely finish, 

my daughter was initiated into the National Honor Society,

and MANY birthdays!

NHS Initiation night...so proud!

Working on my ORC.... 

Celebrating some of the October birthdays...both my Virginia parents, and my twins.

 

A surprise weeknight visit from D for the birthday party!

November

Wrapping up the fall sports...just in time for Thanksgiving!

And new carpeting on our stairs...so excited!

More time for homework now that sports have ended...does he look happy?

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

(and it's still clean)

Thanksgiving!

December

Well...December was a blur.

But it was a fabulous holiday and it was so good having everyone home!

We had all of the children home except D's #2, who was dearly missed!

We will have ALL eight home next weekend!!!

I hope you enjoyed my year in review!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a spectacular New Year's Eve!

Mine was exactly as I wished it to be...

quiet and low key!

Although I do love a party...

source

Our family had a wonderful holiday,

but tomorrow it is back to reality for me (work)

although my children have off of school until Monday.

I am not a big New Year's resolution maker...

mainly because I expect too much from myself which usually results in failure...lol.

This year, however, I have decided to try and make a few REALISTIC ones.

Here they are...

1. Take better care of myself.

This is all inclusive...I mean it in a physical, emotional, and spiritual way.

This will be the hardest one for me to work on.

2. Grow my faith.

I have had a very difficult time finding a church family since we moved to Richmond.

I have missed this part of my life.

After a lot of visiting, I think we have found a church that we all feel comfortable with,

and I look forward to joining this winter.

3. Write more letters.

I love writing letters.

Real letters...the ones you write on beautiful stationary and send snail mail.

Of course I am still on top of my thank you notes and other correspondence,

but at some point I stopped writing letters...

just to tell family and friends that I am thinking of them.

4. Start a gratitude journal.

I am horrible at focusing on everything I did not get done

and everything that is not going well.

I need to force myself to write down all of the things that are going RIGHT.

Well...we'll see how this works out!

Do you have any New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year!