The pending New Year is a great time to sit back and reflect upon the year that is almost through. I thought it’d be fun to do a quick highlight reel of my favorite moments from 2016.

1. This has been my first full year of blogging! I actually created my blog in November 2015 and posted my very first post Timeline to Motherhood to kick it off. I personally feel I have come a long way in just one year of blogging as a part-time endeavor. I’ve connected with so many other bloggers and moms who have been supportive of this journey and have made it FUN. I especially want to thank my own mom who encouraged me to start a blog, something I’d been wanting to do for a long time. 
2. I started reading again! I’ve had a love for reading from early on and one of my goals for this year was to get back into reading books, so to help me accomplish that goal I started a virtual book club to hold me (somewhat) accountable. I realized I couldn’t finish a book every month, so I slimmed down my goal to a book every two months and that seemed to do the trick to keep me on track! I’ve got a good one coming to kickoff the New Year, so make sure you check back next week on the SUGAR MAPLE book club page. 
3. I splurged on my first DSLR camera and have been teaching myself to use it! I’ve always wanted to get more into photography and while my iPhone does take some great photos, I knew I wanted an even better camera for my blog and especially just to capture those special family moments.
4. We took a once in a lifetime trip to Costa Rica for 3 weeks with a toddler! The country was absolutely gorgeous and we explored as much of it as we could in three weeks while toting around a little one. Jeremy took surfing lessons, we kayaked on Lake Arenal, marched along the hanging bridges of Arenal Volcano, and spent hours hiking and swimming and trying local cuisine. I wrote several posts related to that trip and you can check those out here.
5. This year was huge for our family! My brother Zack got married and we were all in the wedding party. Evelyn turned two and had a blast at her flamingo and pineapple themed birthday party. My sister welcomed her first daughter and Evelyn’s first cousin baby Claire. My parent’s sent my youngest brother Sam to college making them empty nesters, which is no small feat after raising seven kiddos! My brother Jesse got engaged and is planning his wedding for June. My mother-in-law is retiring so she can seek her passion for travel and is moving closer to where we live after the New Year. 

We have even more REALLY BIG news that we’ll be sharing over on my Instagram account on New Year’s Eve, so make sure you’re following along! You have been so much fun 2016, but I’m looking forward to more adventures and surprises in 2017! Cheers and Happy New Year! 

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