Ode to a chair

It's been quite a while since I updated our family blog! I thought this one needed capturing and sharing, so here goes. 

We said goodbye to our baby glider. We bought it (splurged!) when we were preparing the nursery for Norah's arrival and it was hands-down the best purchase we made. It was there for us through sleepless nights spent rocking away, lots of bottles, hours upon hours of nursing, countless books, special songs sung, and even a few nights holding a puke bucket in one hand and a baby in another. Once it made the move from Ellie's room to ours, it became just a place to hold our laundry basket. 

So, we passed it along to a family who can use it like we did and hopefully create their own special memories. 

But I couldn't let it go before I snapped a few pictures of my big girls in it. Cue the tears...

Hair icicle

You know you've been outside playing for a while when you get hair icicles! Both of the girls were champs in the snow. I am so thankful they have a Daddy who is willing to stay out with them for over 9 hours the last two days!

SNOW DAY!

We had our first snow day today! The girls' schools were both cancelled and we could get up to 18 inches. We haven't had a snow like this in Richmond since the week before Norah was born so it's exciting! The girls got all dressed and right before I took this, Norah said "I'm hot"! I also think we need to invest in some snow boots for Mike. 

Self Portrait

Accomplished one final goal: a self portrait. Three Hundred and Sixty Five, DONE!

Hike

We went hiking this morning at Deep Run park. It was cold, but the fresh air and nature was really good for our souls.

Tomorrow is my last day of the 365 project. It's been a challenging experience at times, and it hasn't been perfect (hello updating weeks at a time!), but I'm so happy that I stuck with it. I'm definitely still planning to pick up my camera regularly, but the pressure of every day will be lifted. The best parts of this journey have been both sharing it with my family and friends, and learning more about how to best capture the world around me. Taking these photographs gave me a chance each day to stop and focus on the moment, and I'm very grateful for that.

Rocket boosters

Leftover balloons and a roll of scotch tape make great rocket boosters.

Happy New Year

We hosted our second annual adult New Years Eve party at our house and had a great time. Meanwhile, the girls were having an even better time in Charlottesville with Jommy and Pops. They went out to dinner and had ginger ale martinis, Auntie Laura gave them glowsticks when they got to Bang, then they went home and had a raging party complete with a magic show, a parade, games and neighbor friends Violet and Evie.

2015 was a pretty good year for us, and I leave it behind with a very full heart. Bring it, 2016!