Then to Now

By The Red Tent, December 31, 2016

This is one of my favourite posts to put together each year. I sit down with a cold drink and some favourite music and I look back on photos and past posts, reliving our year, remembering forgotten moments, compiling a month by month highlight reel of all the things we’ve loved and celebrated.

Want to feel happier?

Do the same. Gratitude is the fastest track to happiness this side of a frozen margarita bar.

And while we sit on the cusp of an exciting new year, it feels good to deliberately and ceremoniously tuck away the memories of this one too, noticing where we once were and how we got to here, right now.

January: Our India trip

Where the kids grew and thrived so much.

And Ella started kindergarten, reassuring us with her confidence and settling into a year of learning she thoroughly soaked up. She had amazing teachers and developed beautiful little friendships I so loved watching.

February: We celebrated Billy’s second birthday.

And three weeks later, we celebrated Ella’s fourth birthday.

March: To Byron for a friend’s wedding,

To Stradbroke for a week holiday with friends (where Joel and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary),

And celebrating Easter.

April: Enjoying the cooler weather,

And Billy starting daycare, which was a little traumatic for him initially but a few weeks in, he thrived. He started to form an identity for himself outside of Ella and following her around, and every Friday afternoon when we’d pick him up, he’d be in such a great mood, showing us all the toys he played with and all the things he did.

May: Soaking up Autumn.

June: We packed up and moved house.

And we enjoyed all the wintery activities we do each year.

July: We had a little Christmas in July party,

And our first overnight stay at my brother’s new property.

August: The kids decided they wanted to share a room, and Billy moved to his first big boy bed.

We ticked off a winter bucket list must-do and headed to Stanthorpe for a long weekend, one of the big highlights of the year.

In August, we finally bought our forever home and we headed on another annual tradition: The Ekka.

September: We welcomed Spring and warmer weather,

The kids’ skate park obsession began,

And we enjoyed spoiling Joel for Father’s Day and letting the kids loose in the two dollar store to buy something for him.

October: Our house settled and we started a long and intense two months of renovations.

And we celebrated Halloween with a little pumpkin carving party and trick or treating.

November: Ella’s kindy christmas concert. (The cutest thing I’ve ever seen.)

And generally a super hectic month of finishing renovating, nearly getting a divorce and finally moving house, the day before December.

December: My favourite month of the year, enjoying all those Christmas traditions I so love.

And lastly, this December, we received an extra special christmas gift.

On Christmas day, both sets of our parents opened a little parcel with a tiny onesie inside. Next August, we will welcome our last baby. It was such a joy to tell the kids.

Here’s to more.

More mess. More love.

More chaos. More hope.

More growth. More still.

More children to love and hands to hold.

More life.

Happy new year, friends.