a look back on 2022

Top Row (left to right): Welcoming Kiwi and Blueberry to our house; a Mommy and Mae trip for Colleen's bridal shower; finishing our upstairs bathroom renovation; and Colleen and Bobby's wedding

Middle Row: Lots of successful sewing projects this year including a swim suit; Colin's first baseball game; Mae's first day of First Grade; and our 10th anniversary trip to the Dominican Republic

Bottom Row: Mae's first ride on a roller coaster; and the beginning of Colin's obsession with Kings Island; a fun Halloween with my little witch and black cat; and our first time cutting our own Christmas tree!

We finished out the year with a trip to visit Dan’s family. Our flight on the 27th was delayed several hours, but both kids were such troopers! It helped that Colin was SO excited for his first ride on an airplane! He has been poring over the Richard Scarry “Busy, Busy Airport” book he got for Christmas, so he knew what to expect. He stayed seated and kept his belt buckles the whole time because the book said to! He spent the flight looking out the window at the city lights, reading books, and occasionally laying down and resting his head on my leg. We finally arrived around 10pm. GranE, Batman, and Colleen met us just outside security, which was very fun.

The next day, we exchanged presents. Mae had fun building her new Lego recycling truck and pet playground. Colin really liked his new trucks and the Yardzee set we got Batman (especially being dumped out of the bucket with the dice.)

Both kids had fun playing with their new fort kit! Mae even disappeared into the fort with her kindle for an hour while Colin was napping in the afternoon.

In the evening we went to Colleen and Bobby’s new house for a happy hour. I love their big kitchen and cozy basement! (Mae, Colin, and Batman liked the big TV in the basement.) Afterwards we went out for sushi and drinks with Colleen, Bobby, Tim, and David.

Of course we visited the playground. Mae had fun climbing to the top of the spiderweb, and Colin had fun snuggling on the swing with GranE.

On Friday, GranE and Batman took us to the zoo. The monkeys and big cats were pretty active, which was fun.

The rest of our time was filled with elaborate “set ups” arranged by Mae, Colin, and GranE. They delivered mail from their post office, served everyone treats from their ice cream truck, and treated all our ailments at their hospital. Nurse Colin was very attentive to everyone.

We had a fun visit and are ready to ring in 2023!