2016 {Year In Review}

January 2016:

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary!
We had a snow weekend which caused us to lose power...blah to that last part!
We got to see our sweet MMM2 on ultrasound for the 20 week anatomy scan.
We ended the month with lots of relaxation and it was just right for us!!

February 2016:

We got to watch Baby Tatu just hours after he was born at the Greenville Zoo.
We enjoyed lots of playdates with our friends and fun with people at church, too.
Matt got free bagels for the whole month from Panera and he and Mason enjoyed a bagel date or two.
We ate KING CAKE!!!
We had a freak morning of snow which just cracked us up!
We got to participate in a FUN MOPS evening with Pastor Hank and his wife, Mrs. MaryAnn.

March 2016:

We participated in several Easter Egg hunts and Mason loved them.
I moved into the third trimester of pregnancy and we set a date for my c-section.
We had an overnight date to celebrate a belated Valentine's Day and Matt's birthday.
Matt turned 30 and we celebrated with some fun times all together.
We celebrated Easter by attending church, making resurrection rolls and giving Mason an Easter basket.
We also dyed eggs together for the first time. Mason loved it!

April 2016:

We visited the zoo with PopPoP and Mammy.
We picked strawberries at Green Acres Farm.
We attended two prenatal appointments for baby MMM2.
We enjoyed TONS of time outside because the weather was so beautiful!
It was my turn to get FREE bagels for a month from Panera! YUM!

May 2016:

We celebrated Mason's 1/2 birthday! 2 1/2...wow!
We spent the morning at the Riverbanks Zoo with Kris and Anna!
I pulled a muscle in my back while 34.5 weeks pregnant. Very un-fun!
Celebrated Mother's Day and an Early Father's Day for Matt
Some excitement with baby including high blood pressure, a trip to L&D for labs, an in-office non-stress test and so on. Never a dull moment. 

June 2016:

GiGi arrived on June 1st to be here to visit and help with the baby and with Mason.
We welcomed our sweet baby boy, Maddox, on June 6th!!
GiGi stayed with us for 3 weeks and we were so grateful! She was a HUGE help as we adjusted to life with two littles.
We survived our first month with 2 boys!! 

July 2016:

July started with Matt taking two whole weeks off of work!! We are so grateful we got to have that time all together. We lived it up! Lots of relaxing, family time and just plain goodness.
I started getting out more with both boys and we got into a good routine both in and out of the house. Things are going well!
Maddox and Mason both had colds so we spent many days inside for that.
Matt and myself have both been able to have "dates" with Mason so that's been good.
Matt and I started back up with our at home date nights and are planning some dates for the coming months!
We initiated family nights once a week. Our first few included movies and snacks. We hope to do some more fun things once it cools down a bit. 

August 2016:

It was so darn hot. Heavens! We did our best to stay cool.
We had a weekend visit from Matt's parents. It was quick but nice. :)
We started out getting out more during the week just the boys and Mom.
We continued family nights once a week including movies at home, snacks, library events and so on. 
I celebrated my 32nd birthday!
We watched the Olympics in Rio.
I went back to work on the weekends which meant Matt was able to spend lots of one-on-one time with the boys. 

September 2016:

Maddox turned 3 months old!
We also started back up with our cloth diapers. We have hit some bumps with them but overall, it's gone well. (we pulled the plug on these shortly after we got going. It's just not working for our family right now.)
We explored Milliken Arboretum twice and Cottonwood trail.
We spent a day in York, SC and Rock Hill, SC for a fun family day!
We celebrated Granddad's 80th birthday!
Maddox rolled over from back to belly and began to sleep on his stomach!
Mason is potty-trained!! 

October 2016:

Attended the International Fest at Barnet Park.
Maddox turned 4 months old!
Maddox and Mason moved into the same room together.
We took a Sunday afternoon and skipped nap and went for an adventure. We may or may not have regretted skipping nap later on in the day. ha! 
We went to Nashville to celebrate the wedding of Matt's brother, Ben, and his new wife, Anne.
Maddox met lots of family and enjoyed seeing lots of other people, too, for the wedding weekend.

November 2016:

We celebrated Mason's THIRD birthday with a little park party, dinner out and a glow stick dance party!
Maddox turned 5 months old!
Leslie, Mason and Maddox took a trip to Louisiana. We dropped GiGi off at home and spent a week with PawPaw. Maddox got to meet lots of family for the first time and Mason got to see everyone again. It was a great trip.
We celebrated Thanksgiving together and had a wonderful time. 
Both boys ended the month with sickness. Mason had strep and Maddox had double ear infections.
Mason began his speech therapy. 

December 2016:

Maddox celebrated his HALF birthday!!
We did some advent activities, not daily but a few times a week.
Mason and I went to see lights at the Arboretum in North Carolina.
We dealt with sickness and kept working to get through it.
We celebrated our first Christmas as a family of four.
We enjoyed a week home all together between Christmas and New Year's Day.