It’s TIMEEEEE! I absolutely love making this blog post every year. Reflecting on all the good things that have happened during the year is so therapeutic to me. Sometimes I even go back and re-read all of my Looking Back Posts just to remember all the good times we’ve had as a family.
2023 was good to us! Although we did suffer an incredible loss, our dog Dobby. Losing Dobby was harder than any other human loss I’ve ever experienced so far. Just typing that sentence is already making me tear up. I wanted to include him in this post because we got to spend a good last year with him. We miss him so much.
JANUARY | WINTER SPORTS
This was Harper and Mason’s first time trying basketball. They both really enjoyed it and plan to play again in 2024. We also traveled to Detroit for Harper’s cheer competition. Her squad placed 2nd in the state.
FEBRUARY | FAMILY VACATION TO DISNEY/UNIVERSAL
Oh my god. We had the BEST time in Florida! We drove straight through from Michigan and stayed at Cabana Bay. We mostly did Universal but spent one day at Disney too. It was so so so fun! On the way home we stopped to Covington, GA which is where they filmed the show The Vampire Diaries. My daughters are huge fans so it was the cherry on top of a perfect trip.
You can see all our photos from the trip here – VACATION BLOG POST
MARCH | DANCES
We had the Daddy/Daughter and Mother/Son dances at school. Always so fun for the kids – and look how precious Harpie and her daddy look.
MAY | BLINK 182 CONCERT
I had surprised Cody with tickets to Blink-182 for his birthday, so we had been so excited for this for months. It was in Detroit so we stayed at the MGM Grand. We spent time at the casino and pool, then got ready for the concert. I have always wanted to hear one of my favorite songs live (I Miss You) and it didn’t disappoint. We had a BLAST. Cody still talks about how fun that little trip was.
JUNE | SPONGEBOB BIRTHDAY PARTY
Harper and Mason had another great birthday party. They are so into Spongebob.. literally Mason can kick anyones butt in Spongebob trivia. Check out my blog post all about the party!
JUNE-AUGUST | SUMMER BUCKET LIST FUN
We made a Summer Bucket List (I have a whole post about it) and worked hard to do most of the activities on it. There were lots of zoo trips, cottage days and pool time this summer! We can’t wait to make another one next year.
JUNE-AUGUST | MICHIGAN’S ADVENTURE
This was our first year with Michigan’s Adventure season passes. DEFINITELY worth it! We spent a lot of time at the water park. Harper and Mason even rode their first big coaster (Shivering Timbers) this year!
JULY | NF CONCERT
It was a good concert year for us! This was our second time seeing NF. He is one of our favorite artists.
JULY | CAMPING WITH FRIENDS
We are NOT camping type of people but when our friends wanted to set up a camping date we agreed. I’m so glad we did because it was one of our highlights of the summer. Read more about it on my blog post.
AUGUST | HIGH SCHOOL HERE WE COME!
McKenzie and Kasey started their freshmen year of high school!! I don’t know how we are already at this point in life but it came FAST.
SEPTEMBER | FIRST HIGH SCHOOL DANCE
…and with their first year in high school, came their first dance! I had so much fun picking out their dresses with them and taking their pictures.
SEPTEMBER | FIRST YEAR OF SIDELINE CHEER FOR HARP
Harper took a little break from the fall competitive cheer to try out sideline cheer. It is so adorable. The older girls used to wear the same exact uniforms!
SEPTEMBER | ANNIVERSARY TRIP
We took a 8 year wedding anniversary trip to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights. This is nothing new for us… we go almost every year. It is always such a blast and I love being in my favorite place with my favorite guy. You can check out my post HERE if you’re ever interested in going!
NOVEMBER-DECEMBER | BIGGEST YEAR FOR PEGS YET
I was blown away by the amount of Christmas season support my little shop received this year!! Especially during the recession we have all been feeling. I am very thankful that you all love my toys as much as I like painting them. I am already planning on some fun new things for 2024.
Check out our previous “Looking Back” posts
I’m so thankful for another healthy year with my family. One thing about me, is that I don’t take my kids’ childhoods for granted. We enjoy the little things and all the quality time spent together. I’m very lucky to be able to spend so much time with them as I know some parents don’t have that luxury. I savor every moment and will continue to do that in 2024. I hope you all had a great year!
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