2016...What a GREAT Year!

2016...WHAT a year!

In the past few days I've been seeing more & more people on social media talking about how HORRIBLE 2016 has been...even my OWN KIDS have shown me posts about how "horrible" this year has been!

I admit, it's been pretty stressful with the election this year & several iconic celebrities passing on; but when I sat down last night and really started thinking about it...

2016 has been SUCH A GREAT year for our family!

Our cup of blessings has spilled over & flooded the whole kitchen!

I decided to put together a little year in review post to share,
it took me all morning to go back through all the fun family things we have done this year!

{Since I haven't blogged much this year, this is going to be a very long recap post with lots of fool ramblings & pictures...don't even say I didn't warn you! 😉}

We started 2016 off with a family day.

Since we have one kid driving now,

it's really hard for all five of us to be together at the same time.

I treasure those meals where we are all together!

I love starting January off with a family meal!

We made a trip to The Frist in January with Grandma & Poppy

to see the Michelangelo exhibit.

We also celebrated cousin Joseph's 4th birthday in January.

In the past year, Evan has really gotten to be big buddies with my sister's two boys (despite their age gap) & it's made me so happy to see him still running around in his underwear being little...because I know those days will be coming to an end way too soon. 😢

February brought us a FABULOUS snow storm that shut us down for a full week!

You can call me crazy,

but I LOVE being snowed in with my people fixing SOUP & hot coco!!

{oh, I love soup...almost as much as my people!!}

When it thawed out, P Daddy & I managed to make it out to a local fundraiser at The Capitol Theater...it was so much fun!!

March came in like a LION, I tell you!

With birthdays...

New rides...

A flash 72 hour race to Disney!

and ended with a fancy knee surgery for poor Olivia...

(which was a blessing & had her feeling like a new person immediately)

April showed no signs of slowing down!

With more birthdays...

A week in Washington DC with Olivia's class...

{on crutches. from surgery. hard core}

College tours...

{stab a mama in the heart, omg}

May came in just as crazy...

Graduation from the Junior Year Leadership Wilson Program

(mama proud)

Junior Prom...

8th Grade Softball Recognition

& 8th Grade Graduation...

Oh, my word!

Does anyone else need a nap?

Let's all pause & take a quick power nap...

{can you see WHY I have not blogged...I can barely keep clean sheets on my bed}

Shew!

And then came JUNE!

Little Miss "I'm Headed to High School" had a LARGE birthday party...

and then we ALL jumped on airplanes in different directions!!

Miss Olivia & P Daddy flew off on the adventure of a lifetime

with a group tour of France & Spain with her school...

{just who does she think she is looking all grown up here?!?!}

and the boys & I flew off to Wild Dunes for a week of

family, little boys, Charleston eating & fun in the sun!

~~I think in July I took a nap.~~

Somewhere in there P Daddy & I were actually in the same place at the same time and ran away from home to celebrate being married for TWENTY YEARS!

We spent a weekend relaxing at Barnsley Resort,

it was a quick get away trip for us...

golf, pool, spa, naps...

did I mention naps??

Oh, my word the napping!!!❤

August came long & jerked my tail back to reality...

A harsh reality...

Sigh...

(senior photo courtesy of Kyla O'Neal Photography)

Owen's senior year took off &

took my little infant daughter to high school with it....😢

Senior year football season took off...

and ended a couple of games early with

a mild concussion & a pinched nerve in the neck...

(my nerves...oh, my nerves!!!)

Our football player couldn't get away for fall break this year,

but we managed to fly away for a quiet, relaxing week at Watercolor...

{& suddenly I am in a panic realizing we're about to become a family of four again when this big bird flies out of the nest...they said it would go fast, I sure didn't believe them}