2021: A Year in Review

2021 was a year of joys and heartaches. It was a year of speeding up and slowing down. A year of growth and change. Let's take a look back, shall we?

February 11th, we had our first IVF transfer in trying for baby #5. On the 19th we found out that we were pregnant, and by March 8th we got to see our little bean on the ultrasound screen. 

Brayden and Ashley turned ONE this year. Those were the fastest 366 days (thanks to a leap year) in my life!

 
We enjoyed lots of time in the snow, and my dad made them their first snowman. 

Despite enjoying the snow, we welcomed warmer spring weather with open arms- my babies LOVE the outdoors. We spent as much time as we could outside this past year, and plan the do the same in 2022. 

We enjoyed coloring eggs and having our first Easter Egg hunts.

May was a busy month! Eric and I enjoyed a camping trip in Pyramid State Park with Brian and Mara. 

We went to the zoo and aquarium with our cousins and aunts and uncles.

I went on a weekend getaway to Southern Illinois with my best friends.

And while May was a fun filled month, June was met with much sadness as we found out that our baby #5, our Jordan Kenneth, had gone to Heaven long before he should have. We miss you every day, Jordan.

In June we took our first little vacation with Eric's family to St. Genevieve Missouri. Brayden and Ashley did so awful on that trip, but it was still a nice distraction from the grief we were feeling.

June also encompassed fair week, and I was really excited to take the kids out to the livestock barns and let them look at all the different animals- they both had a ball!

We enjoyed swimming in my mom and dad's pool all summer long.

We had family pictures taken, and while Brady and Ashley were less than cooperative, they turned out amazing. 

Eric started his new job at Versatech at the end of July, so we had some week day dates as he transitioned over there, and it was just what the doctor ordered! We enjoyed golfing, wineries, eating out, watching a movie, and an escape room. 

Brady and Ashley went to their first football game this fall (and many after that). We are fans of cheering on our Eagles!

In September Eric and I escaped to the mountains in Colorado for Justin and Sam's wedding! The weather was perfect for our mountain getaway, and we enjoyed catching up with friends and exploring the Colorado wilderness through hikes and jeep rides. 

September 22nd we went for our first IVF transfer for baby #6! We found out on the 30th that we were pregnant, and October 15th we got to see our little baby for the first time. To say I'm a nervous wreck is a little bit of an understatement, but so far things are going well. 

Brayden and Ashley attended their first two weddings (both for cousins on my side of the family), and we discovered how much they like to dance to music- not that that was a huge surprise to us. 

October held our annual Wave of Light ceremony, where we added one more candle to our family picture this year. 

We went to the pumpkin patch with our cousins and had a grand old time playing with all the cool things there. 

Thanks to Hand Foot and Mouth disease, we didn't really celebrate Halloween. But we still had fun wearing our Slinky-dog costume the week before. 

I got Covid the first week of November, but I'm super thankful that I only lost my sense of smell (and it came back within a few weeks), and no one else in our family got sick!

Right after Thanksgiving our dreams of building our own home became a reality when our basement was finally dug! We now have basement walls and a floor. In January we will get walls and hopefully have a functioning house by the summer time!

December 7th we welcomed a new Nephew- Austin! We are in love with this little cutie pie.

Brady and Ashley also attended their first Newton Basketball games this year! We had fun cheering for daddy (but mostly climbing up and down the bleachers).

Christmas was a blast this year, and Brayden and Ashley were really into opening presents. So much so that basically no one else got to open a present when they were around ha!

We celebrated a low key New Year's Eve- the kids were in bed by 7:30, and Brian and Mara came over for appetizers and games/movies. I might have barely made it to midnight, but it was a great night with great friends.

2021 really was one to remember, and a pray that 2022 has a little less heartache and a lot more fun!